Baker's a fine choice to manage Reds
Posted: Monday, October 15, 2007 3:35 PM
Dusty Baker is a terrific manager. Cincinnati, one of America’s great baseball towns, hit a grand slam with his hire. Cincinnati at its core is a fine place yet it has been stained on the national stage by accusations that its police department has practiced racial profiling leading to race riots in 2001. Now Cincinnati is the only U.S. city to employ an African-American as a head coach and a manager in our two major sports.
So to read Internet reports of harsh response from locals to Baker’s hiring, both on blogs and talk shows, is distressing. Cincinnati is better than that. Cincinnati is better than Marge Schott. Cincinnati is better than the extreme voices heard on the radio this weekend.
Dusty Baker has won three NL Manager of the Year awards. He was eight outs from a World Series title one year and five outs from taking another team to the Fall Classic the next year. He managed Barry Bonds, one of the most difficult superstars to ever play the game, for ten years without incident.
Criticism of Baker’s reign as the manager of the Cubs usually begins with Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. What most fail to take into account is that a man is the product of his experiences. The year before Prior’s LCS Game 6, Steve Bartman incident, Baker took the ball from starting pitcher Russ Ortiz with the Giants leading 5-0 and one out in the seventh inning. He watched his bullpen lose that lead, the game, and the next night the World Series.
One year later Baker sees his team five outs from ending a six-decade World Series drought and he lets Prior, a young stud, continue to pitch. Whether that single decision led to Prior’s long-term injury problems is a subject for eternal debate. But I defy any man to stand and say they -- in the same set of circumstances and experiences -- would have acted differently.
The Reds are an intriguing team. They got very young in the second half of the season, part of general manager Wayne Krivsky’s blueprint. But owner Bob Castellini wants to merge Krivsky’s experience from Minnesota of building a strong system with winning now. So Junior Griffey and Adam Dunn stay in a dream ballpark for hitters. Aaron Harang had a superb season as the lead starter, 8-4, 3.41 at home, and 16-6 overall for a poor team and he should earn Cy Young votes. Now they have a proven winner as a manager. And Baker, immensely respected by players, should make Cincinnati an attractive destination for free agents.
BY THE WAY…anyone doubt the Rockies' defense now? Whether it was Willy Taveras’ catch in Game 2 of the LCS or the scintillating double play turned by Troy Tulowitzki in Game 3, the Rockies are proving that defense still matters. And the young mistakes are coming from Arizona. Justin Upton’s overaggressive takeout of Kaz Matsui in Game 1 and Stephen Drew wandering off second base in Game 2. Don’t blame Eric Byrnes, he is simply saying what he must, but the Rockies have outplayed the D’Backs thoroughly in the first three games.
