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
You'd think he's left-handed when you watch him throw. He's one of the best athletes I've been around. People are surprised when they see him run. This guy can fly.
We were really watching him this time, that why we took him out so early.
I was watching a game the other night, and in between the innings, a goat ran across the screen. I thought that was the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life. Or vote 1-800-Which Curse is Stronger, the Goat or the Curse of the Babe. It's crazy.
It is a little strange to be watching baseball that counts at this time of year. I know our guys are really excited.
I always tell people to just watch him, be like him.
You know how I feel about the guy -- I love the guy. I would've loved to have played with him, and behind him. I've enjoyed watching him here with us. He's one of the few guys I've had who has earned the right -- and you know he's not going to abuse the right -- to call his own shots. This guy is a pro. You don't know he's around. He never boasts or brags.
We are going to try to take him at a natural progression to have him ready when the season starts. We are going to watch him closely.
I'm seeing a fresh start to me. I've got a pretty good idea, watching him hit, of his strengths and weaknesses. When the games start, I'll get an even better idea. The thing I don't know yet is, is he a fast starter? Slow starter? It's like with D-Lee -- how many at-bats does he need?
Competition sometimes will make you sharper than you believe you are. Anybody who watched those games, you could tell it was serious competition.
A gutsy performance by Mark. We knew we were going to keep him between 90-100 pitches because the last time out he threw 130. We were really watching him this time, that why we took him out so early.
You can sort of tell that teams are here, or teams are improved. Watch the winter deals they make ? the maturity of the young players.
I love my daughter, but she had me on couscous and fixed me pastas and made me eat oatmeal every morning and what else, turkey burgers, turkey bacon, and that kind of stuff. So she wants her dad to live a long time, and I do, too.
You don't want to get beat, number one, and you hate getting shutout, number two, and even worse, no hits.
That's the reality of it. Everybody has a big two or three. The health of those big two or three ... there's a lot riding on it.