9/7/2023 0 Comments 1983 world series play by playThe other was a collection of elderly All-Stars that might have easily been confused for an Old Timers’ Day squad, yet with enough poise and sage to retain a knack for winning. One was a rough and tough pack of overachievers who thrived on the catcalls of critics who claimed they won ugly. Managing to outlast a highly competitive AL East, Altobelli’s Orioles met with two of the more unlikely postseason participants in baseball annals. Above all of this, of course, was the pressure of living up to the legend of the pugnaciously brilliant Weaver, who averaged 96 wins in his 14 seasons at Baltimore with six divisional titles and four American League pennants. But he was also handed a roster with an aging outfield, an aging designated hitter, an aging bench, and a veteran pitching rotation showing signs of collapse. Altobelli was inheriting a team that, yes, did field one superstar with perhaps another on the rise. The new skipper of the Baltimore Orioles could have easily felt he was being set up for a fall. In 1983, Joe Altobelli would become the benefactor of Earl Weaver’s legacy. With every John McGraw, Joe McCarthy and Sparky Anderson that stepped down, there was a Bill Terry, Steve O’Neill and John McNamara asked to take over with everything to lose and nothing to gain-except to uphold the excellence. To replace a legendary manager at the same time begs a risk for vocational suicide. It can be a dangerous thing for a new manager to inherit a winner.
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