Baseball Manager Earl Weaver His Dedication Helped Lead To Victories.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: Michael Mink

Earl Weaver was promoted from a Baltimore Orioles coach to their manager during the 1968 season. One of the first things he did was post a sign in the clubhouse. It would become his credo.

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts," the sign read, which is also the title of Weaver's 1982 autobiography.

Weaver calls that his best advice for success. "You keep learning," he said. He worked to instill that in his players for 17 seasons.

From 1968 to 1982, and from 1985 to 1986, Weaver was the Orioles' dugout, ready to question any of his players, including superstars Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer, about mental lapses such as throwing to the wrong base and missing the cutoff man.

"He forced you to learn your craft, to think," said former Oriole pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan, now a team broadcaster. "You'd better know the reasons why you threw a certain pitch in a certain situation. . . . When you get to the big leagues, the first thing you realize is it's your ability that got you here, but it's your intellect that keeps you there, and he forced you to use it."

Weaver's lifetime record as a manager was 1,480-1,060. His .583 winning percentage ranks fifth all-time among 20th century managers. Weaver led the Orioles to a World Series title in 1970 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.