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
Woody is a competitor. He wanted to go out on a positive note for next year. He couldn't wait to get out there, and I was anxious to see him out there. In the winter, what you remember is how you finish.
We're still friends. But on the field, we're competitors. You have a heated discussion with your wife, does that mean you don't love her anymore? That's just part of the competition. Part of the game.
When you saw that Ecsktein went down that's when you know the field is too sloppy to play on.
We were a lot closer before I got here. When you play 18 times against teams that have been long-time rivalries, and then it's against my former manager and my confidant before I came here, it increases things.
We were trying everything to get him his victory. It was a great run by Greg. The guys wanted to win for him, and we left him in in the ninth to have that opportunity.
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.
If a young man throws strikes, they can win. There have been a number of young guys who came up and have done quite well, especially if they have the maturity and demeanor to handle it and do it. This is an opportunity for somebody to win a job.
I don't walk across the street thinking I'm going to get hit by a car,
I don't think it'll be that long. Hope not. He could come rather quickly. He's five, six weeks behind.
If it went away entirely then he'd go away entirely and he wouldn't be himself. Everybody needs to be themselves. His fire is what makes him Big Z.
He's day to day. He's no better or worse than he was yesterday.
He's earned it. It couldn't happen to a finer young man. The whole city of Sacramento is probably proud of him.
He's down there to play, but we're here to win. I have to talk to Jim and figure out who's the best for us.
He's done well for me. What he's done has excited me. He's going to the fall league and was thinking about Puerto Rico.