SKU: 37726111739

The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball

Sale price$21.78 Regular price$24.20
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $6.05 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Aug 24 - Aug 29

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented BaseballNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2025 WINNER OF THE CASEY AWARD FOR BEST BASEBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR "Baseball books don't get any better than this Earl Weaver has at last been given his due." George F. Will "Vivid Most sports books are pop flies to the infield. Miller's is a screaming triple into the left field corner." Dwight Garner, The New York Times The first major biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2025

WINNER OF THE CASEY AWARD FOR BEST BASEBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR

"Baseball books don't get any better than this...Earl Weaver has at last been given his due." --George F. Will

"Vivid...Most sports books are pop flies to the infield. Miller's is a screaming triple into the left field corner." --Dwight Garner, The New York Times

The first major biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver--who has been described as "the Copernicus of baseball" and "the grandfather of the modern game"--The Last Manager is a wild, thrilling, and hilarious ride with baseball's most underappreciated genius, and one of its greatest characters.

Long before the Moneyball Era, the Earl of Baltimore reigned over baseball. History's feistiest and most colorful manager, Earl Weaver transformed the sport by collecting and analyzing data in visionary ways, ultimately winning more games than anybody else during his time running the Orioles from 1968 to 1982.

When Weaver was hired by the Orioles, managers were still seen as coaches and inspirational leaders, more teachers of the game than strategists. Weaver invented new ways of building baseball teams, prioritizing on-base average, elite defense, and strike throwing. Weaver was the first manager to use a modern radar gun, and he pioneered the use of analytical data. By moving six-foot four-inch Cal Ripken Jr. to shortstop, Weaver paved the way for a generation of plus-sized superstar shortstops, such as Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He foreshadowed almost everything that Bill James, Billy Beane, Theo Epstein, and hundreds of other big-brain baseball types would later present as innovations.

Beyond being a great baseball mind, Weaver was a rare baseball character. Major League Baseball is show business, and Weaver understood how much of his job was entertainment. Weaver's legendary outbursts offered players cathartic relief from their own frustration, signaled his concern for the team, and fired up fans. In his frequent arguments with umpires, he hammed it up for the crowds, faked heart attacks, ripped bases out of the ground, and pretended to toss umpires out of the game. Weaver also fought with his players, especially Jim Palmer, but that creative tension contributed to stunning success and a hilarious clubhouse. During his tenure as major-league manager, the Orioles won the American League pennant in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1979, each time winning more than 100 games.

The Last Manager uncovers the story of Weaver's St. Louis childhood with a mobster uncle, his years of minor-league heartbreak, and his unlikely road to becoming a big-league manager, while tracing the evolution of the game from the old-time baseball of cross-country trains and "desk contracts" to the modern era of free agency, video analysis, and powerful player agents. Weaver's career is a critical juncture in baseball history. He was the only manager to hold a job during the five years leading up to and the five years after free agency upended the sport in 1976.

Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. "No manager belongs there more," wrote Tom Boswell. "Weaver encapsulates the fire, the humor, the brains, the childishness, the wisdom and the goofy fun of baseball." The Last Manager tells the story of one man--belligerent, genius, infamous--who left his mark on the game for generations.

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 37726111739

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.3 ★★★★★
Based on 17 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
A
A. Reid
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
Sweet story
Format: Hardcover
This is an enjoyable, lightweight story, perfect for middle school students. The child I bought it for is from a different culture than that depicted, and for her it was a bridge-builder in terms of helping to find commonalities and differences. It was a fun experience--effortless learning, the best kind! For others, it may be useful to see themselves reflected in the young heroine, but I can't speak to whether they will find the mirror accurate. For my reader, the conflict felt real and relatable - who hasn't experienced feeling different and excluded? And she was captured beginning to end.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2021
M
M. Tanenbaum
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
excellent middle-grade novel
Format: Hardcover
This story of a muslim girl in the US and her school friends and ordinary dramas is a great addition to school libraries or public libraries and also for girl readers 9-12 or so. It's wonderful that we are getting novels about people from other faiths that are aimed at mainstream readers. It is so important for kids to read books about people from other backgrounds as well as for those from those backgrounds to have books in which they see themselves reflected. Well done!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2022
G
Verified Purchase
Grayson
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Vampire Fantasy
Format: Kindle
Following Val through this adventure of trying to find her place in the world while cultists are literally trying to get her, made me feel like I was on the edge of my seat. I also love the idea that vampires/werewolves(peak at Roving Darkness and the Druids Destiny) are just living everyday life like humans. This book made me wish I was living in this world because it felt so real. Its also very sapphic
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2024
I
Verified Purchase
Issy W
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 4
enjoyable cozy urban fantasy
Format: Kindle
Getting kidnapped by her cult-leader grandfather and held chained for other a month is not a pleasant experience. But when Vedalia's (Vel) aunt comes and rescues her, things start to take a turn for the better. Especially when said aunt is a vampire, who is married to a witch, and they're giving her a new start at life. This story is very much a cozy urban fantasy. There is actions and threats (as her grandfather doesn't know when to give up), but not a lot of angst (not a bad thing at all in my opinion ^^). The focus of the story is very much on Vel as she adapts to life with her new found family, and makes new friends. There is romance in the story, and it's cute - they make an adorable couple. But there is a lot more going on as well. It is an enjoyable read that is well written and paced well, and I definitely appreciate the queer representation that is in the story. The main threat is wrapped up well, and I certainly would be interested in seeing more of the characters, and Vel growing more into what she has been given. Happily devoured and I look forward to reading more by her.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
J
Verified Purchase
Jan Richardson
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent book for neurodivergent kids
Format: Paperback
This book is fantastic!! It has really helped.my kiddo to understand there is nothing "wrong" with her and shes not a "bad kid".
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026

recommand products