Hoping To Bring In One Last Big Harvest

Back in the spring at Miami Stadium, the noted author Earl Weaver was ribbing the noted author Ron Luciano about alleged inaccuracies in The Umpire Strikes Back, Luciano's bestseller-to-be. When Luciano invoked poetic license, Weaver said, "Like it says in Hamlet, Ron, 'This above all: to thine own self be true.' "

The story's not finished. Edwin Pope, sports editor of The Miami Herald, recorded the exchange in his column. Unfortunately, he got the quotation confused with another from Hamlet and put it in the mouth of Horatio. The next time Weaver saw Pope, he said, "Edwin, if Polonius didn't blooming say it, I've lived the last 35 years of my life backwards."

It shouldn't be surprising that Earl Weaver quotes Shakespeare, or is coming out with a line of plant food, or plays golf to a seven handicap, or Schneiders his players at gin, or has his Orioles in yet another pennant race, maybe his farewell pennant race. "Baseball is a game of surprises," he says, "so nothing surprises me." Weaver is a man of surprises.

As of Sunday night he had Baltimore just four games in back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League East. The Orioles had won eight straight and 15 of 16, and they could find some hope in their remaining schedule, which is easier than the Brewers'. The O's have been written off any number of times this year, and even Weaver is conceding them only an outside chance, although he may be just blowing smoke. "How can anybody pick us?" asks the manager, who goes through half a pack of cigarettes during a good game. "We're eighth in hitting and eighth in pitching." Indeed, the only player who has been consistently good all season is First Baseman Eddie Murray. At week's end he was batting .319, with 26 homers and 86 RBIs.

But the man carrying the standard for Baltimore lately has been Weaver's longtime companion and foil, Jim Palmer—Prince Hal to his Falstaff. Traded by the newspapers and demoted by Weaver to the bullpen in May, Palmer has won 11 straight since June 7. Last week he pitched his first shutouts since 1978, a 1-0 four-hitter over Toronto and a 3-0, one-hitter against Minnesota.

On Saturday night against the Twins, Palmer walked in from his warmup in the bullpen to a standing ovation by the Memorial Stadium crowd. "It was a very nice gesture, and that hasn't happened since the '73 playoffs," Palmer said later. Minnesota's only hit was a fifth-inning single by Gary Gaetti past the outstretched glove of Shortstop Cal Ripken. Palmer allowed just three base runners, and struck out seven. The crowd of 19,536 called him out of the dugout after the game. Still, as Duncan said in Macbeth, "More is thy due than more than all can pay."

"He was beautiful, amazing," said Weaver. "That was the best I've seen any pitcher look this year." Naturally, Palmer disagreed. According to Pitching Coach Ray Miller, "He said during the game that he didn't feel like he was throwing well at all."

It's very nice of Palmer to give Weaver all these going-away presents. Earl is in the last of his 15 years as Baltimore's manager, having announced his retirement some time ago. Why should he leave now, at age 52, having finished first or second 12 of his 14 previous seasons? As he said in spring training, "Just once, I want to see the sky turn to dusk without the stadium lights coming on." As he said last week, "I'm tired of sleepless nights, I'm tired of reading how stupid I am in the papers from some player I've bent over backwards to keep in the lineup, I'm tired of stepping on toes."

Although some feel that Weaver doth protest too much, he has, in fact, sold his house in the Perry Hall section of Baltimore County. His permanent home will be the town house he owns overlooking the Country Club of Miami in Hialeah. "I'll put my feet up on the hassock and look out at the fourth and seventh fairways," he says. "The seventh is one of the toughest par-fives I've ever seen. But I can par that bloomer every time."

Besides golf, there's fishing, the race tracks, the dog tracks, pinochle, eating his home-canned vegetables and learning the names of his grandchildren. He won't smoke as much. His book, It's What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts, is still selling well, although he's miffed that Luciano's is on the bestseller list and his isn't. He and Pat Santarone, the Orioles' groundskeeper, are about to sprout on the plant food market with a product called, strangely enough, Pat & Earl's Plant Food. "There'll be two different kinds," says Weaver. "One for root vegetables and one for leaf vegetables." And then there's broadcasting. Given Weaver's propensity for foul words, one might think he'd be unsuitable for television, but actually, as he's proved on his daily radio show on WFBR, he can be both pretty good and non-profane. Why, he's meeting with ABC about a job this very week.