Earl Weaver was what is known as a “baseball lifer.” From the time he signed a minor league contract with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals in 1948 at the age of 17, he never had a full-time job outside the game. But like the majority of players at that time, he did have to supplement his income with off-season gigs like selling insurance and cars.

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Great biography concerning one of the best and most entertaining managers ever, Earl Weaver. Miller makes an interest case that Weaver was the last manager who really molded his team and made unorthodox decisions. Today's managers, meanwhile, are handed a script from the GM based on algorithms that they are forced to follow closely. It's amazing how many of Weaver's strategies--hating the bunt, looking for high on base %-- make up the Bible of today's baseball strategy.

Weaver didn't start out deploying that kind of strategy, but he learned and grew during his long career in the minors and majors. The other thing to know about Weaver is he loved arguing with umpires. He got kicked out more than just about any manager. Miller does a good job capturing all the hilarious things Earl would do--faking a heart attack, kicking dirt on home plate, angrily trying to throw the umpire out of the game. He really was an emblem of when baseball was more fun and had personality back in the 1970s.

Also, kudos to Miller for getting a quote in the book from comedian Bill Burr. I've never seen Burr quoted in a sports book before, but it's a welcome addition.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-galley of the book in return for this honest review.

Earl Weaver is considered to be one of the feistiest and colorful managers in the history of Major League Baseball. He was also very successful, leading the Baltimore Orioles to two World Series championships and five American League championships during his tenure from 1968 to 1982 (and a brief but unsuccessful return in 1985). His life and career are captured in this very good book by John W. Miller.

While Weaver was mostly known for his legendary arguments with umpires, he had respect for the arbiters of the game and there is plenty of praise for them sprinkled in the pages. What is also known about Weaver was that he was an early adopter of using data to develop game strategy. While it is heavily in use today by baseball front offices, Weaver did not have people from the office handing him data and suggesting strategy from the data – he did all that himself. It is just one reason that this book is appropriately titled “The Last Manager” since on-field managers had much more autonomy in making game decisions than today’s managers.

While I enjoyed this aspect of the book, the writing by Miller about Weaver’s playing days in the minor league and his experience in 1952 at training camp for the St. Louis Cardinals (Weaver’s favorite team growing up in Missouri) was probably the best writing in the book. As a reader, I really could feel Weaver’s frustration at performing so well and yet not making the major league roster because the player-manager saved that roster spot for himself. It is also clear that Weaver was going to have to make it in baseball in some capacity to succeed in life – and managing turned out to be that capacity.

That managing career, as noted above, was a good choice for Weaver. The bulk of the book is about his time with the Orioles and also makes for good reading. In addition to his use of data for strategy and his famous rants to umpires, Weaver knew how to spot pitching talent – his 1971 staff of four 20-game winners is a testament to that. The relationship Weaver also had with his players is on full display here. He may have rubbed many players the wrong way while playing but in the end they respected Weaver, were appreciative of how he helped them improve and of course, enjoyed the success of the team.

For a very good read on an era of baseball where team managers had much more control over the team and the strategy of the game than they do in the current structure of baseball, pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed.

I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

The Last Manager is an excellent biography about Baltimore Orioles Manager Earl Weaver. It details his life from his early days in St. Louis to life in the minor leagues as a Baltimore Orioles prospect to his managerial career.. Earl Weaver was ahead of his time, while the title is The Last Manager, Mr. Miler could have easily called this book The First Modern Manager. Earl was a manager who believed in statistics when most coaches went on gut feelings. He abhorred wasting an out on a bunt and loved the three run home run which many call The Earl Weaver Special. While Earl relied on statistics, he was not a mild manner manager on the bench. Earl is famous for his ejections and feuds with umpires. All of this made for a very interesting book.

Earl Weaver was leaving baseball as I began to follow baseball. While I knew who Earl Weaver was, I didn’t know a lot of details from his story. This book filled in everything I didn’t know and then some. Mr. Miller was very detailed and has a ton of footnotes at the end of the book. Earl was a character and that made for a fun read. You don’t need to be an Orioles fan to enjoy this book.

This is a great look into an early subscriber to statistics as well as one of the biggest names in baseball in the 1970s. If you like baseball at all, you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out on March 4th. Thank you to NetGalley, John Miller, Avid Reacher Press, and SImon & Schuster for a free advanced copy for an honest review.

Born and raised in Baltimore, I was so excited to read about the infamous Earl. This book didn't disappoint. Learned a lot about Mr. Weaver and recommended to my friends to read. Any baseball fan must read this one!

The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball by John W. Miller is an exploration into one of baseball's most revolutionary and controversial managers—Earl Weaver. Miller crafts a deeply engaging story that not only highlights Weaver’s undeniable influence on the game but also paints a vivid portrait of his unique character, quirks, and genius.

What stands out most in this book is the way Miller balances detailed historical analysis with personal anecdotes and interviews, bringing Weaver's larger-than-life personality into focus. From his unconventional tactics to his sharp wit and unrelenting drive, the book masterfully reveals how Weaver's approach to managing the Orioles was as revolutionary as it was bold.

Miller's writing is sharp, humorous, and insightful, keeping the reader hooked from start to finish. Whether you’re a die-hard baseball fan or someone new to the sport, The Last Manager is an absolute must-read. It not only showcases Weaver's tactical brilliance but also delves into the complexities of his relationships with players, coaches, and the press.
This book doesn’t just tell the story of a manager—it celebrates the evolution of baseball itself through the lens of a true innovator. A brilliant work that’s as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Special thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest and fair opinion.

Earl Weaver was undoubtedly a superior manager in baseball history, surpassing all others in his field. His understanding of player development and his ability to motivate them to excel set him apart. Regrettably, contemporary players may lack the comprehension to grasp the strategies employed by Weaver in shaping the game’s dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy

This was fascinating! I learned so much from this book and will definitely recommend it to my baseball fan friends. I loved the tone and found it very helpful without being preachy, and a great way to convey as much info as it did!

It doesn't take long to figure out that we are in good hands when reading John W. Miller's fine biography of Earl Weaver, "The Last Manager." I clocked it at less than two chapters.

The book starts at the end of the 1982 season, when Weaver was about to end a remarkable run as the skipper of the Baltimore Orioles. Weaver's team lost that one-game playoff against Milwaukee for the division title, but the day became a chance for the fans there to celebrate a spectacular run of success for the franchise. Since 1968, the Orioles had won a World Series, lost three others, and taken several division titles in becoming consistent winners.

And in that opening chapter, Miller points out that Weaver should be remembered for more than arguing with umpires ... although, in fairness, no one was better than Earl in that department. Weaver was an amazing innovator when it came to the game, revolutionizing the thinking that went into the job as manager. He was way ahead of his time when it came to philosophy and matchups, serving as a pioneer in the effort to maximize his team's chances of winning. We might call it analytics today, but Weaver certainly pointed us in that direction. The Orioles manager also carried certain philosophies. Just as an example, Weaver said you only get 27 outs, and you shouldn't give any away. In other words, if you play for one run, that's how many runs you'll get. Weaver emphasized pitching, defense and three-run homers over one base at a time with sacrifice bunts.

Then in chapter two, we find ourselves back in the spring of 1952. Weaver had worked his way up the ladder of the St. Louis Cardinals organization to the point where he had a good chance of making the major league team. The problem was that the Cardinals had just named an infielder named Eddie Stanky as the manager, and Eddie didn't think he was completely washed up as a player. So while Weaver had a good spring training, Stanky wasn't going to cut himself from the roster. So a broken-hearted Weaver went back to the minors. It was the crucial turning point in his life up to that point. He played a few more years but his heart really wasn't in it.

But everyone realized that Earl knew baseball inside and out, so a switch to manager was almost inevitable. He again worked his way up that ladder, stopping in more small towns along the way. In order to make ends meet, he sold cars in the offseason in Elmira, New York. A friend of mine remembers how Weaver sold his father a car while balancing my pal as a young child on his knee. Eventually, though, Weaver reached the majors. Earl took over the Orioles in 1968, and became one of the most beloved figures in Baltimore's baseball history. No wonder there's a statue of him in Camden Yards.

Weaver developed a particular style of managing that you wouldn't exactly call "corporate." The overriding philosophy shown here is that Weaver didn't merely want to win. He had to win. That meant if an umpire's call went the "wrong way," he was going to hear about it from Weaver. Heck, Earl got himself thrown out of games before they started, which is a pretty good trick. Those arguments with the umps featured plenty of colorful words and a few stunts such as turning his hat around by 180 degrees in order to get more of a face-to-face discussion going. The fans, of course, liked the idea that someone shared their passion for the team. Weaver always figured that the team was better off without him than without one of the players, who had a direct influence on a game's outcome.

Off the field, Weaver did some of his best work in the clubhouse. No, he didn't get along with everyone. His "feud" with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer was almost legendary, and others sometimes weren't happy about Weaver's style either. But while Earl was maybe too direct in spots, he never carried a grudge to the next day. What's more, Weaver certainly got the most out of his players. Many of them were never better then they were for Earl's teams.

That sort of passion carries a price, of course. Baseball's schedule is relentless, and Weaver missed a lot of birthdays and anniversaries and dinners and so on. He was divorced from his first wife by the time he reached Double-A. Miller also concludes that Weaver probably could be considered an alcoholic by most standards. That's the way people of that era sometimes blew off steam, for better or worse (mostly worse, of course). Miller points out along the way that writer Bill James once estimated that 17 of the top 25 managers in baseball history were alcoholics. It would be interesting to see that list, although you'd hope that today's skippers are a little more aware of the dangers of traveling down that road.

Miller's workload in putting together this book is quite obvious. He personally visited several of Weaver's stops, from his native St. Louis through Elmira and Baltimore. The author has a long list of items that are source material. At the book's end, the reader really has the idea of what went right in Weaver's life - it's a good-sized list - and what went wrong. It's a balanced and full portrait.

It's been almost 40 years since Earl Weaver last bounced out of the dugout to complain about, well, something. That might limit the potential number of readers for "The Last Manager." That's too bad, but almost anyone interested in Weaver and the profession of baseball managing will find this just about completely satisfying.

As I occasionally browse the Netgalley selections, I kept coming across this one, and I was intrigued, but kept scrolling past it. I mean, I knew of Earl Weaver, but didn’t want to be a part of a book where it would probably detail every game he played and managed. But, finally, I gave up and requested it and the publisher approved it.

Earl’s dad, Earl Sr., had a dry cleaning business, and two of his clients were the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns. So, Earl got to see baseball up close. In 1948, the Cardinals signed Earl to a contract. Although he never made it as a big league player, he played a few years in the minors, but his success came as a manager in the minors and pros for the Baltimore Orioles franchise. The O’s , under his leadership, won the World Series in 1970. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Earl revolutionized the use of stats (way before the internet). He was the first to use a radar gun for pitching speeds. When he was younger, he had an Uncle who was a bookie and Earl took in that knowledge for numbers.

He also helped create Earl Weaver Baseball for Electronic Arts which was published in 1987.

I enjoyed the book, and reading all the fun stories of Earl. Especially, all the times he would get ejected from games for arguing with the umpires. There were a lot quotes from players whom he managed, umpires, current managers, his family, and Earl as well.