Rest in F***ing Peace, Earl Weaver (Video)

Earl Weaver, one of the most colorful figures in baseball history, passed away this morning at the age of 82. Weaver was thrown out of at least 91 regular season baseball games as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles. He also won 58.3% of his games as a manager, and did not have a losing season until his seventeenth and final season in Baltimore.

He was also one of the game’s pioneers when it came to the value of avoiding outs, not giving up outs with sacrifice bunts and steals, and using statistics and the platoon advantage. He famously loved to play for the three run home run.

Below is a radio segment for his coaches show that was recorded (but not aired originally) that is definitely NSFW, but which highlights his humor and his philosophy. Here is the opening after being asked why the team didn’t have more speed:

“Team speed for Christ sakes, you get f***ing g** d*** little fleas on the f***ing bases, getting picked off trying to steal, getting thrown out, taking runs away from you. You get those big c***suckers that can hit the f***ing ball out of the ballpark and you can’t make any g** d*** mistakes.”