Earl Weaver and Stan Musial -- RIP

Stan Musial
(photo: sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Two members of baseball's Hall of Fame -- Stan Musial and Earl Weaver -- passed away today. They shared the mixed fortune of being integral parts of small market franchises. Both Musial and Weaver had personalities that could have only thrived in, respectively, St. Louis and Baltimore. Musial's folksy disposition would never have survived the New York hothouse, especially as he would have been incessantly compared to Joe DiMaggio and, later, Mickey Mantle. Weaver was much too cantankerous and did not suffer fools gladly, a lethal formula in any of baseball's major media markets. Charm City's temperament was just right for the man called the Earl of Baltimore.

Intriguingly, both player Musial and manager Weaver understood their physical limitations and made the most of them. Weaver, similar to many baseball managers, came to the realization that he would be a career minor league ballplayer at best. Managing turned out to be his MLB meal ticket. On the other hand, Musial began as a pitcher and, thanks to an injury, was compelled to play the outfield. By all accounts, he was a fantastic hitter. The National League All-Star outfield, at one point consisted of Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente.  Musial and Hank Aaron were on the bench. So was Frank Robinson, whom the Cincinnati Reds eventually traded to the Baltimore Orioles. (Talk about a tough lineup to crack!)

Earl Weaver
(photo: cbsnews.com)

It was Robinson's arrival in Baltimore, along with pitcher Mike Cuellar, that turned Weaver's Orioles into an American League juggernaut. However, for all of Weaver's acknowledged wizardry, the Orioles of that era only won a single World Series. The team lost, most memorably, to the 1969 Miracle Mets in what remains one of the most exciting Series ever played. The Orioles also lost twice to Clemente's Pittsburgh Pirates. In the end, Weaver's Orioles were a somewhat unappreciated team. Part of that sad fact unquestionably belongs at the feet of the baseball-savvy Baltimore manager, who did his level best to piss off just about everyone he knew. For a small market team, even one blessed with exceptional talent, as the Orioles had in their glory days, media relations were and are very important. Today, with franchise value dependent upon "fan friendly" players, a major league team could not afford the Earl of Baltimore as its face to the media. For better or worse, baseball is a different game than the one where Earl Weaver and Stan Musial earned their Hall of Fame credentials.