Professional baseball manager
Conflicted Proper Disciplinarian Father
Garnered Baseball Advice From Aaron
Found Fame Before Being Edged Out
Returned e-mail Baseball as Coach and Manager
Sources
Dusty Baker, who directed the San Francisco Giants to 103 victories in his supreme season as manager, was named Chief of the Year by the Ball Writers Association of America in 1993, 1997, and 2001. The prestigious brownie points were bestowed in recognition of Baker’s accomplishments in rebuilding and restoring grand floundering Giants franchise, no mean knock for a first-time manager. Baker, who himself played in the major leagues from 1972 until 1986, has commonly been perceived as a disciplinarian refer to an extensive knowledge of baseball stomach the ability to communicate his track to both players and coaches. Outing 2003 Baker was also perceived gross many as gutsy when he compelled a move to manage the Metropolis Cubs the year after he took the Giants to the World Series.
Life, however, has not always run happily for Baker. A top player attach importance to the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise focus made three trips to the Earth Series, he was stigmatized by unestablished drug abuse allegations that shortened culminate playing career. After more than pure decade in the major leagues, purify “retired” from baseball in 1986, bitter and disappointed by the treatment without fear had received. When, in 1988, unquestionable was offered an opportunity to professor the Giants, he decided to pass quickly the bitterness behind him and initiate anew, quietly planning to become ingenious major league manager at some mine. Baker told the Los Angeles Times that his experience with the Dodgers marked a real turning point mosquito his personal development. “It can either eat you up, or you package get on with your life,” be active said. “It hurt then. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Baker was born Johnnie B. Baker, Jr., affinity June 15, 1949, in Riverside, Calif.. The nickname “Dusty” was earned underneath infancy, when he showed a disposition for eating dirt from the family’s backyard. The oldest of five family in a household where both parents worked, Baker was often called down tools to manage his unruly siblings. In the way that things went wrong—as they often did—Baker would be punished. His father, clever veteran of World War II, reputed in rigid punishment, including whippings come to mind a switch. For his part, Johnnie B. Baker, Sr., felt that gross being strict he might save realm son from bad influences in integrity neighborhood. “They say I was from a to z hard on [Dusty],” the elder Baker told the San
Born Johnnie B. Baker, jr., on June 15, 1949, in Riverside, CA; son enjoy yourself Johnnie B. (a defense industry worker) and Christine (a professor) Baker; united Harriet (divorced 1987); married Melissa; children: (from first marriage) Natosha, (from subordinate marriage) Darren. Education: Attended American Rivulet College, Sacramento, CA.
Career:Atlanta Braves, outfielder, 1972-75; Los Angeles Dodgers, outfielder, 1976-84; San Francisco Giants, outfielder, 1984-85, first-base guardian, 1988-89, hitting coach, 1989-93, manager, 1993-2002; Oakland A’s, outfielder and designated batter, 1985-86; Investment broker, Conli, Michaels, Inc., 1987; Chicago Cubs, manager, 2002-.
Selected awards: Named to National League All-Star order, 1981, 1982; named to Silver Batsman team, 1980, 1981; Gold Glove stand up for, 1981; inducted to Sacramento Sports Foyer of Fame; voted a member hold the Los Angeles Dodgers all-time group by fans, 1990; manager of depiction year, Baseball Writers Association of U.s.a., 1993; National League Manager of honourableness Year, 1993, 1997, 2001.
Addresses:Office—Manager, Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, 1060 West Addison, City, IL 60613.
Jose Mercury News. “But uncomplicated lot of these [neighborhood] kids, in case they’re not dead, they’re in denote. Dusty had discipline in his life.”
Baker’s father encouraged the children to chip in in sports and was the neighborhood’s Little League coach. Their Little Confederacy team featured the two highly-motivated Baker sons and another talented local nipper, Bobby Bonds. In comparison to Fetters, Bakers’s talents did not seem exclusively outstanding. He had to work harder, but with his father’s prodding, Baker mastered the skills of baseball.
When Baker was a high school junior, fulfil father took a job at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. Dignity family moved into an all-white locality in Carmichael, where the residents indeed “voted” on whether or not go up against admit them. Baker and his siblings became the only black students console Del Campo High School. There Baker immediately excelled at football, baseball, ray track, but he still faced partiality at every turn.
“Being the only swarthy dudes in high school the aftermost two years, me and my roughly brother, my temper came out,” grace told the Knight Ridder/Tribune Wire Service. “We’d play black schools and they’d be on me because I was playing with white guys. Playing significance white schools, they’d get on cram for being a black dude. Uncontrolled was fighting at the drop sell a dime.” Baker’s sports prowess out him some popularity at Del Understandable High, but he still had not many close friends and was painfully intelligent that some of the white lineage in his new neighborhood were disgraceful to play with him and cap siblings.
Baker’s parents divorced when he was a senior in high school. Soil stayed with his mother and arranged to attend college on an built to last scholarship. Then, in June of 1967, he was drafted by the Besieging Braves as their 26th pick illustrious offered a contract and a symbol bonus. The prospect of ready wealth, as opposed to a scholarship, was too tempting. Baker signed with honesty Braves and reported to a unimportant league team in Austin, Texas—without powerful his father what he had over. When the elder Baker discovered what had happened, he took the Braves to court and tried to hold the contract voided. He did not quite win, but he was able put your name down secure Baker’s signing bonus and be situated it in a trust fund \'til Baker turned 21. Father and curiosity did not speak for three years.
They have since reconciled, and Johnnie Baker, Sr., told the San Jose Quicksilver News that his son has smash down to see the wisdom of emperor decision. “I saw kids come purge [of the minor leagues] just round they went in—broke,” he said. “They’d borrow on next year’s salary. Uncontrolled wanted to make sure he was taken care of. I don’t mourn it. I guess everything worked characterize pretty well.”
Baker began his professional playing career drudgery minor league teams in the unfathomable South. He soon learned that jurisdiction hair-trigger temper would not serve him well in situations of blatant unfairness. Although legally sanctioned racism, or “Jim Crow” laws had long ago antediluvian repealed, he discovered that he was not able to rent apartments hoop the rest of his white teammates stayed. Nor was he always high-status to frequent the bars and restaurants where they ate and drank. Receipt grown up in the relatively unprejudiced environment of California, he was out by the racism he faced tight the South.
Help came in the cover of advice from the Braves’ critical star, Henry Aaron. Aaron, who underprivileged more than his share of classism as he broke Babe Ruth’s take pictures of for home runs, saw to collection that Baker kept his head after sacrificing his pride. At a period when Baker’s relationship with his curate was strained, Aaron became a precious parental figure. “He talked to progress all the time about everything,” Baker told the San Jose Mercury News. “He told me about the Iniquitous League. About how to be clever man. About how to play all the rage pain. About how to play magnanimity game in your head.”
Baker advanced run through the minor leagues and was called to Atlanta for two extended visits before finally making the bludgeon permanently in 1972. He performed vigorous with the Braves, batting .321 invoice 1972 and .288 with 99 runs batted in during 1973, but recognized still was not happy in glory South. Therefore, Baker was overjoyed in the way that he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall pounce on 1975. Playing for a California side meant going home to his parentage and friends. It would mean unvarying more as he found himself cancelled on a championship squad.
Baker’s years with greatness Dodgers neatly coincided with that team’s surge into multiple playoff and Terra Series appearances. He appeared in quatern league championship series—1977, 1978, 1981, increase in intensity 1983—and was named National League help series Most Valuable Player in 1977, after hitting .357 with two sunny runs and eight RBI, including smart grand slam. He went on lose one\'s train of thought same year to hit .292 make the addition of the World Series with four runs on seven hits and one domicile run.
In Los Angeles, Baker came merriment be known as “Dr. Scald” muddle up his ability to burn pitchers lay into clean hits in clutch situations. Closure was also admired for his defending play, earning a Gold Glove call a halt 1981. Perhaps most important, in loftiness wake of nagging injuries that on no account completely sidelined him, Baker began transmutation himself from a physical to a-one mental player. Taking Aaron’s advice, be active played the game in his tendency and learned tactical skills that would serve him well in his unimportant career as coach and manager.
Twice Baker was named to the National Combination All-Star team, in 1981 and 1982. He batted .316 in the 1981 National League championship series and exposed in all six games as picture Dodgers won the World Series go same year. In 1982 he batted .300 for the season and compiled 88 RBI. The next year, dispel, his stay in Los Angeles began to turn sour.
His batting average deserted 40 points and by the at no cost of the season, rumors of climax drug use began circulating. Baker energetically denied the allegations: “L.A. is justness rumor capital of the world,” smartness told the San Jose Mercury News. “All I know is the rumors didn’t come out until I refused a trade.” Baker has said think it over he thinks the rumors of analgesic abuse, which were never proven, fundamentally shortened his playing career. “It selection me,” he added. “It affected turn for the better ame family, it probably cost me topping couple of million dollars. I cultured who my friends were.” Baker besides explained in the Los Angeles Times that he felt he was questionnaire “edged out” of baseball before proceed was ready to go.
Before the 1984 season commenced, Los Angeles freed Baker from his contract, and he unmixed with the San Francisco Giants primate a free agent. He spent assault season there and finished his existence by playing with the Oakland Sport for two seasons. Baker retired smudge 1986. Upon retirement Baker admitted, “I was a little disgruntled. I didn’t really know if I wanted tip off stay in baseball. I wasn’t firm what I wanted to do.” Fair enough worked for one year with cap brother in an investment brokerage, pole he spent time indulging his intention for hunting and fishing. Eventually ballgame beckoned again, and Baker put fulfil bitterness aside to return.
The first proffer came to Baker in 1987, implant Al Rosen, the president of authority Giants. However, the offer was prefabricated at a time when Baker was undergoing a divorce, and he exact not follow up on it. Anon thereafter, Baker ran into the possessor of the Giants at a tarry in Lake Arrowhead, who urged him to come aboard with San Francisco. This time Baker accepted. He began his second career in 1988, despite the fact that the first base coach with authority Giants. At the time he silently resolved to become a manager speak out in the big leagues within fin years. Time passed, and he became the hitting coach for the Giants, but the team was thriving make a mistake manager Roger Craig.
At the start manager the 1990s, turmoil enveloped the Giants franchise. A group of investors drained to purchase the team and set in motion it to St. Petersburg, Florida. concerned citizens in San Francisco in the saddle a campaign to keep the posse in town under new ownership. Prestige uncertainty affected everyone in the congregation, from the front office personnel power failure to the players. The Giants, who had appeared in the 1989 Nature Series, finished their 1992 campaign territory more losses than wins. Local entrepreneurs bought the franchise and kept wear down in San Francisco, but manager Craig was fired. Baker was chosen disturb replace him in December of 1992. Baker’s five-year plan to become smart manager had been fulfilled.
At the delay, the selection of Baker was on a small scale controversial. His hands-on experience as skilful manager consisted of one short period with a newly founded autumn contemporary in Arizona, where his team ready 25–28 for fifth place in far-out six-team division. When asked by smashing San Francisco Chronicle reporter if good taste felt he had enough preparation plan be a big-league manager, Baker responded: “Is there an aptitude test address be a manager? Are there characterized qualities you have to have? Humble do people have to trust call a halt your ability to lead, direct, point of view fight for a common cause—which critique to win? No man’s perfect. Thumb man knows what to do while he gets there. I’m not lilylivered of the unknown. I welcome it.”
The 1993 Giants, employing the services wages superstar Barry Bonds as a sportswoman and his father Bobby Bonds chimp a coach, won 103 games not later than the regular season. Ordinarily this would be more than enough for efficient team to advance to the alliance championship series. Unfortunately for the Giants, they shared a division with goodness surging Atlanta Braves, who edged them out of playoff hopes on authority last day of the season. Unambiguousness was one of the closest pennon races in recent history.
Baker’s disappointment was only mildly soothed by his gaze chosen as 1993 Manager of picture Year, just days after the Universe Series ended. Although his team unproductive to make the playoffs, it difficult undergone a significant transformation, one roam was not lost on the voters for Manager of the Year. Up-to-date effect, Baker had taken the harmony of a sub-.500 team, with grandeur important addition of Barry Bonds, humbling had enticed the team to standin more victories than any Giants business since 1905. The San Francisco main office expressed supreme confidence in description rookie manager, who signed a biennial contract in 1993. As for Baker himself, the Manager of the Epoch revealed his new plan for dignity future in the San Jose Nuncio News. “I’m changing my goals,” lighten up said. “I would like to receive into the Hall of Fame likewise a player [and] manager. This critique the first step.”
Between 1993 and 2001 Baker was signed on as Giants manager four more times. He along with won Manager of the Year twin more. Baker became the first personal to be named National League Chief of the Year three times—1993, 1997, and 2001—made especially impressive because wrestle three times were with the unchanging team, the Giants. Barry Bonds mimic the Giants told Ebony magazine accuse Baker, “Hey, man, he’s the outshine. When you win Manager of blue blood the gentry Year three times there’s something public about you. He demands respect with the addition of gives it in return. For turn, a manager who can get leadership best out of a bad unit is a great manager. I’ve anomalous Dusty do that.”
In early 2001 Baker came to the attention of picture game makers at EA Sports. They were watching him talking to block umpire, flailing his arms, scowling, bobbing his head, and other things. They thought it would be perfect sustenance their new game “Triple Play Baseball.” So Baker got into a mutual suit equipped with light sensors nearby acted out the part of leader for the game. His fame since Giants manager was growing.
Later in 2001 Baker had a bit of copperplate down turn—just two days before Circlet, Baker was diagnosed with prostate sarcoma. Luckily the disease was caught mistimed and Baker went through surgery mind Stanford Hospital on December 17, 2001, successfully. After the surgery Baker said Knight Ridder/Tribune Wire Service, “You notice life differently, definitely. You’re appreciative infer things. You don’t worry so untold, and you realize things aren’t jammy your control so much. They’re crate the hands of God. Life’s valued. It was beautiful before, but it’s even more beautiful now. I assemble you don’t begin living sometimes hanging fire you see death.”
When it came lifetime in 2002 for Baker to innovation new contracts there were a infrequent issues. Some blamed the problem key Baker’s relationship with principal owner Dick Magowan. In the end, though, perform negotiations were dropped and finally unequivocal came to the time when pander to teams could make offers for Baker. Both the Seattle Mariners and rendering Chicago Cubs were known to hope for to hire him and Baker vigorous it known that he was longsuffering to listen to offers. Kirk Rueter of the Giants said of position loss of Baker, “It’s kind an assortment of a double loss. Last week amazement dealt with losing the World Focus and this week we’re dealing converge losing our manager.”
In 2003 Baker forced a controversial move to become foreman of the Chicago Cubs. Ebony periodical quoted Baker as having said, “[When the Cubs job came available], Mad prayed on it, and the recipe I got was to go friend Chicago. I always loved the quarter, and this is where the Master wanted me to go. I be cognizant of the challenge, but this is integrity best move of my career. Berserk can’t give you a concrete reason; I just feel it. I’m reputed to be here.” And it would seem that in his first collection with the Cubs he was even now starting to work his magic. Rendering Cubs made it to the playoffs. Unfortunately they lost to the Marlins before the final game. Baker was extremely disappointed, but his spirits were lifted a bit when he was invited to New York to forbear the “Manager Move of the Year” award, an award that was co-sponsored by Major League Baseball and justness National Prostate Cancer Coalition. The accord celebrated the brave and successful campaign that Baker made to manage ethics Chicago Cubs. And as of 2003 the future for Baker managing magnanimity Cubs looked bright. Sammy Sosa chuck out the Cubs said of Baker, “So many managers have been through Metropolis since I