Dusty Baker love column

[whitesoxfan101]

No wonder he loved SF so much and hates Chicago, this is ridiculous.

 

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...SPGQDIOVLC1.DTL

 

Baker is at peace with Cubs

Bruce Jenkins

 

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

 

 

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Dusty Baker felt old long before this. Here's a man who has endured prostate cancer and Steve Bartman, let alone the unrelenting critics of his managing in Chicago. It's just that he felt a bit grandfatherly Tuesday night as he pondered his long, crazy ride through the game of baseball.

 

On April 8, 1974, Baker was in the on-deck circle -- a budding star in the Atlanta Braves' employ -- when Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run and broke Babe Ruth's near-mythical record. Now Baker has the Cubs in San Francisco, where he spent 10 years as the Giants' manager, trying to prevent Barry Bonds from hitting No. 714.

 

"I feel blessed to have been around both players," he says. "Not that I'm the ultimate authority or anything. Most of the time, when I say something, I get ridiculed or made fun of. I've been in this game 38 years, but sometimes I wonder if I should even say anything."

 

Baker said a lot of things before the series opener, often to the accompaniment of smiles and appreciative laughter. That's how it was, usually, during his tenure in San Francisco. Until the bitter end, he was highly respected here, questioned as a strategist but not as a man, a leader or an inspiration to his players.

 

If he tempers his enthusiasm now, it's because his Chicago experience has gone so terribly sour since the Bartman incident triggered the Cubs' collapse in the 2003 NLCS. In some quarters, from media outlets to the bleacher seats to the radio-talk shows, he's just another Jim Riggleman on the roster of Cubs managers. Baker, Lee Elia, Jim Marshall -- they're all the same. Losers. Get 'em out. Oddly, they all face the kind of savage intolerance usually associated with winning franchises.

 

Last year at this time, I would have had Baker fleeing Chicago at the expiration of his contract (this fall). I'm not so sure now. Those in his inner circle paint a renewed picture of Baker, suggesting a man who has outlasted his critics and wants to come back and finish the job. It's not so much about angry columnists, idiot callers or the anonymous authors of race-related hate mail; Baker merely wants the respect of management. If he gets that, assuming the injury-tormented Cubs don't go too far south, he just might accept a contract extension.

 

The offer must come first. Baker is mildly annoyed that he hasn't seen one yet, although from the standpoint of the parent Tribune Company, the timing is hardly ideal. Better to extend the handshake when the Cubs are playing respectably -- and that isn't the case right now. They stand fifth in a very tough division, they have perennially hurt aces in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, and they'll be without first baseman Derrek Lee (two broken bones in his wrist) for another five to seven weeks. Just now, general manager Jim Hendry is the one taking heat for not supplying Baker with more players.

 

"The longer I'm there, the less I listen to (the criticism) and the less it bothers me," Baker said. "You can't cry and whine about the injuries, and I ain't cryin'. You just deal with it. People want to criticize, that's on them. I always do my best. Sometimes, your best just ain't good enough. With all I've been through in life, I just try to stay as focused and happy and positive as I can."

 

Baker spoke haltingly of Bonds, wanting no part of the "Game of Shadows" issues, asterisks in the record book or portraits of the Giants as "enablers" during the years Bonds allegedly took steroids. He was more eager to discuss the relationship between his 7-year-old son, Darren (who still follows the Giants), and Bonds. "He loves Barry," Dusty said. "Barry's always been good to my son. He'll talk to Darren when he won't talk to anybody else."

 

The truth is that Baker's real connection to the Bonds family was with Barry's dad, Bobby, who passed away nearly three years ago. Their friendship softened Dusty when it came to Barry's arrogance and self-obsession; he tended to give the left fielder all kinds of slack. And, of course, Baker knew greatness when he saw it. "He's Barry, that's all I can say," said Baker. "That comes with a lot. But when it comes to all the media and booing and all that, he's the perfect guy to handle it. Nothing he ever does surprises me."

 

One of the most rewarding aspects of his longevity, Baker said, has been his growing appreciation of Ruth. "I didn't know that much about him as a kid, but you come to learn that he was America; he carried that around for a very long time. And everyone knew that number: 714. If you watched the old war movies, there was always a good way to find out if some suspicious-looking guy was an infiltrator. Ask him, 'Who's the greatest player on the Yankees?' If he doesn't say 'Babe Ruth,' he's in trouble."

 

E-mail Bruce Jenkins at bjenkins@sfchronicle.com.

 

Now I hate to defend Cubs fans, but this piece is complete garbage.

[The Critic]

I love how they fall right in line with the whole "Bartman Curse" thing.

Yep, a foul ball triggered an 8-run inning.....uh huh......

[WCSox]

I love how they fall right in line with the whole "Bartman Curse" thing.

Yep, a foul ball triggered an 8-run inning.....uh huh......

 

Yep, and I love this quote as well...

 

Oddly, they all face the kind of savage intolerance usually associated with winning franchises.

 

Only a newspaper in a wacko city like San Francisco would use a phrase like "savage intolerance" to describe the overwhelmingly pro-Cub Chicago media.

 

Yes, people in Chicago expect their teams to win at some point. And the '03 Cubs were absolutely stacked with talent. Sorry, but Dusty has to take some of the blame for that meltdown.

Edited May 11, 2006 by WCSox

[Phuck the Cubs]

He should go back to San Fran. They have a bunch of veterens, and unproductive ones at that, the kind Dusty likes.

[worldchampsox05]

i love post game press conferences that dusty has he just rambles on excuses of y they lost....he is so dumb..i dont watch the whole thing just enuff to hear him make an ass out of himself

Edited May 13, 2006 by worldchampsox05