Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr.is an American Major League Baseball manager and former player. He is currently the manager for the Washington Nationals. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Dodgers to pennants in 1977 and 1978 and to the championship in 1981. He then enjoyed a 20-year career as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and now Washington Nationals. He...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth15 June 1949
CityRiverside, CA
CountryUnited States of America
Right now, we're very satisfied with where he is. If something was to happen with his knee, this was prime time to have it happen.
Everybody talks about a fresh start, but it seems like whatever reputation you have follows you to the next job, the next place, which really isn't a fresh start. I certainly don't condone the things that have happened and transpired in the past but everybody deserves a fresh start.
We are still leaning probably toward 11 pitchers. Anything can happen these last couple days. But you don't want to tell somebody something and then say, 'Oh, so-and-so got hurt, and you're back on the team.
We have to wait until we see what the weather is going to do. Everybody is anticipating the worst because of what happened in New Orleans.
Yeah, I've got a problem with it, but it's modern baseball. On a close play, you're going to do what's most natural to you. ... There's too many things that you can hurt ? fingers, wrist, elbow, shoulders. There's a lot of things that can get stepped on. There's a lot of things that can happen on a head-first play.
You know how I feel about things. Until you're mathematically eliminated, you've got a shot. Who knows? (Sunday's 14-3 victory over Florida) could have started us on a long winning streak. I was thinking, 'What happens then?' I had visions of 'Woody' being remorseful in (not pitching in) the playoffs.
I have learned from hamstrings that when a guy says he feels good, you give him a couple extra days. Invariably, you top a ball and have to beat it out. It happens every time.
We've had a total letdown in that area. It bothers the heck out of me, it bothers my coaches, and it bothers the players when it happens to them.
It's very rare for me. It's almost like an unreal situation, but that makes you appreciate it more when you get back ? that pennant races and going to the playoffs just doesn't happen automatically. It humbles you.
It's similar to what happened last year. We'll see today. It's sort of out of our control some.
Usually, if he makes a mistake, they don't hit him out of the ballpark with that sinker, ... He made a mistake; that's what happens with youth. We have a young pitching staff and a young bullpen that's subject sometimes to walks and also subject to mistakes.
Well being a manager is sort of like being a father. I was always held to be responsible because I was the oldest of five. No matter what happened in my family I was always in charge and always at fault. Being a manger is like being a father where your dad is the ultimate last word and disciplinarian.
You've just got to play smart when something is wrong. You still play hard. What you don't want to happen is altering his swing and creating bad habits. As far as how many at-bats down here, it depends on how he feels.
The one outing doesn't necessarily put him in there or delete him from it. He'll have quite a few more outings before we make a decision. We'll evaluate him on his progress. He said he learned from it and it won't happen again. He was upset at himself at how he pitched.