Earl Weaver had become a legend in Baltimore since he became the manager of the Orioles in 1968. The ensuing fourteen years had seen five 100-win seasons, six AL East titles, four American League pennants and a World Series title. The 1982 Baltimore Orioles were his last real ride. They were an excellent team who […]
Throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day is a special moment for every team on its home opener, but rarely—if ever—has a team done something as creative and touching as the Baltimore Orioles did for their Friday home opener. After keeping the identity of the person chosen secret throughout the offseason, when gametime arrived, the Orioles announced there would be no one. Instead, a ball was placed on the mound and a moment of silence called for the recently deceased Earl Weaver, with the crowd told that Earl would throw out the first pitch. For today’s MLB coverage, rather than read too many conclusions into one week of play, TheSportsNotebook will follow suit and give a salute to the Earl of Baltimore.