Dusty Baker- Will the Third Time Be the Charm?

Dusty Baker was not able to get the Cubs back to the World Series, but came as close as you possibly could to breaking the infamous "Curse of the Goat". As manager of the Giants, Dusty Baker had a world title in his hands until the Angels mounted a comeback and spoiled his plans in 2002. As a player with the Dodgers, Dusty Baker was on the losing side twice in the World Series until he and Los Angeles finally broke through and won it all in 1981. Dusty Baker received this compliment at the beginning of his career from none other than Hank Aaron. "Dusty Baker has more potential than any outfielder I've seen in all my seasons with the Braves." Living up to that potential would be hard.

Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. was born in Riverside, California in 1949. Dusty starred in baseball, football, and track at Del Campo High School in Carmichael, California, and was drafted by the Braves in the 26th round of the 1967 amateur draft. Baker was with the Braves for very small parts of the 1968, '69, '70, and '71 campaigns, but it was not until he was 23 in 1972 that he became a fixture in their outfield. Playing alongside such accomplished hitters as Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, Ralph Garr, and Darrell Evans, Baker had a fine season. He batted .321 with 76 runs batted in, and he learned the nuances and etiquette of the game from Aaron, the all-time home run king. Baker once took a modest hitting streak into a game against the Cardinals' Bob Gibson. Aaron advised him that if he "hit a home run, don't look at him (Gibson). Just run around the bases and into the dugout, or next time up he'll drill you. If he hits you with a pitch, don't charge the mound because he's a Gold Gloves boxer and will beat you". Baker's streak ended that night.

1973 would be Baker's most productive season, as he knocked in a career high 99 runs with 21 homers. But Baker failed to live up to the huge expectations that Atlanta's front office had for him, and after he posted a pair of mediocre seasons, they dealt him to the Dodgers in 1975. Baker had a woeful year in Los Angeles in 1976, playing in only 112 games and managing a mere 39 runs batted in. But he rebounded with a 30 homer, 86 RBI effort in 1977 as the Dodgers boasted four players with at least thirty round trippers. Los Angeles won the NL West, and went to the playoffs, where Baker clobbered Phillie pitching for eight runs batted in during the Championship Series. His grand slam off of Jim Lonborg in Game Two keyed a Dodger victory, and Dusty belted a two-run homer off of Steve Carlton in Game Four as his team won the pennant in four games. Baker added five more RBI to his resume in the World Series versus the Yankees, including a three-run homer in Game Two of a six game defeat to New York.

The next year, Baker slumped to just 66 RBI but hit safely in all four games of the Dodger's defeat of the Phillies for the flag. Dusty had a big first game of the Fall Classic with three hits, but he added just two more the rest of the way as the Dodgers fell again in six to the Bronx Bombers. Baker put up strong numbers in 1979 and 1980, and he finally won a title with Los Angeles when they took the crown after the strike-shortened 1981 season. Baker hit .357 in the Series against, who else, the Yankees, and the Dodgers won in six games.

Two decent years followed, and then Baker and the Dodgers parted ways after a contract dispute. Dusty finished up with the Giants and then the Oakland A's, retiring at 37 in 1987. Returning to the Giants, Baker was part of Roger Craig's coaching staff for five years before being named the Giants skipper prior to the 1993 season. Baker combined what he learned from Aaron, Craig, Tommy Lasorda, and Tony La Russa to become a successful manager, but he could never quite guide San Francisco over the hump. He led the Giants to a pair of division crowns, and six second place finishes in ten years, plus a pennant as the wild card in 2002. But the Giants could not hold a five run lead in the seventh inning of Game Six of the World Series and lost the deciding seventh tilt by a 4-1 count to the Angels.

Baker then took his 840-715 managerial record to the Cubs, with hopes of breaking their decades' long dry spell. Dusty immediately took the Baby Bears to the playoffs, and after a five game defeat of Atlanta in the division series, the Cubbies found themselves on the verge of clinching their first NL title since 1945 with a 3-0 seventh inning lead over the Marlins in Game Six. But an over-eager fan tried to catch a ball headed into outfielder Moises Alou's glove for the third out, and the Marlins, given new life, exploded for eight runs to win the game going away. When they outslugged Chicago the next night for the title, Baker and Cubs' fans were left wondering what went wrong.

Chicago got progressively worse each year under Baker, as their top pitchers, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, could not stay healthy. Baker and the Cubs parted ways after the 2006 season, and he has been seen lately on ESPN's Baseball Tonight, adding his insights to the playoff telecasts. It is likely that Dusty Baker will manage again, and it would be fitting if he gets a title on his third try, as he did a generation ago playing with the Dodgers.