That head-shaking moment
In one of those "where are they now" moments, I looked into the recent activity of Corey Patterson, only to discover that he has signed a minor league deal to play for Dusty again over in Cincy. Turns out that Baker wants Corey to be his center fielder/lead off man, because center field bats lead off, dude, and second base bats second.
Apparently, the early competitors for the center field/lead off spot were Ryan Freel and Norris Hopper. Hopper, 28, had 307 at bats last year for the Reds. He managed 101 hits, which translates into a .329 AVG. He also smacked 14 doubles and stole 14 bases in 20 tries while drawing an OBP of .371. Freel is 32, and he had a down-year last season. That doesn't detract from his career average of .270, his career OBP of .358, and the fact that, before 2007, he averaged about 37 steals a year.
Corey Patterson, meanwhile, has a career OBP of .298. And he's Dusty's choice to bat lead off. This leads me to ask one simple question:
Sweet fancy Moses, how the hell did Dusty Baker ever get another job as a major league skipper? I mean, I don't know, he makes it so hard to be a fan. I haven't looked around yet, but I'm sure that there are many a Red fans out there whose heads are exploding the way ours used to back when he was bone-heading his way through the Cubs clubhouse.
Corey Patterson could wind up his center fielder and lead off man? Corey Effing Patterson?
Thank you, Cincinnati Reds. Not that you were really on the brink of competing this year, but thank you for increasing your likelihood of tanking in 2008. Thank you for giving us one less worry. Thank you for letting Dusty Baker decimate your organization, not that I would have ever wished it upon you.
But he's grown so much as a manager...
Cincinnati Enquirer, March 6th:
"Dusty Baker wants his hitters to hit. He likes aggressive hitters. He was talking about Joey Votto and finished with this:
“I really, really hate the called third strike. I hate that. You're guess and you ain't ready to hit.”
Does the aggressive stuff go for Adam Dunn, too? “Like I said, I don't like called third strikes. Dunn’s not a kid. He's not old, but he ain't a kid. I bet you he gets better. He's from Texas, right? There’s not a cow in Texas if he don’t get better.”
“He wants to get better. Barry Bonds he always told me Dunn would be one of the best around. Comes to hitting, Barry’s got a pretty good idea.”
On Votto: “He needs to swing some more. I talked to him about that. Strikeouts aren't the only criteria. I'd like to see him more aggressive.”
“A lot of this on-base percentage is taking away the aggressiveness of some young kids. Most of the time you’ve got to put handcuffs on a young to keep him from swinging.”
Let us thank heaven EVERY SINGLE DAY that this buffoon is no longer managing the Cubs.
Mr. Toothpick
The thing about Dusty Baker is he *talks* a good game. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about until all of a sudden he's managing *your team.* I remember being self-righteous and indignant when a long-term Giants fan ridiculed Baker and laughed in my face when the Cubs signed Baker in 2003. I didn't even know what had hit me.
Baker, Patterson, Reunion
I think of all the great players who have made their way through Chicago. All the fans who have sold out game after game after game of their beloved Little Bears never realizing their dream of actually winning anything.
The Reds will win TWO MORE WORLD SERIES TITLES before the Cubs ever get a taste of it.
Is Dusty the guy to take us there?
I don't know but I do know that NOBODY who is living has ever seen the Cubs through to a World Series win.
A Goat
Your parody of a pathetic dumbass Reds fans is pretty funny. Particularly nice is how you capture their 'logic' (by which neither the Red nor White Sox could have won recently, either).
However, this seems a rather sadistic time to kick a team that's going to be going through what they go through over the next several years. I wouldn't wish Dusty Baker on anybody, not even somebody moronic enough to hire him. While I can't say I'll be immune to enjoying watching Baker wallow in his stupidity as we ourselves surge over the next several years, outright gloating seems to lack class.
Two things
1. I did say in that post that "I wouldn't wish Dusty Baker on anybody." Baker is a ridiculously bad manager, and, y'know, the Reds are a team with some young talent and some real potential ... which is going to wind up soiled because of Dusty.
2. When you're a fan of the Cubs, on the centennial of their last World Championship, you feel grateful for any advantage given to your team. Dusty Baker being a Reds manager is an advantage for the Cubs, and in this year of necessary advantages, we'll take whatever we can get.
Is that gloating? No. It's relief. The 2008 baseball season bodes to be a very stressful one for Cub fans everywhere.
My apologies....
My message was aimed at the poster immediately before me, not at yourself, sir.
Why Should We Care?
Dusty Baker had long since left Chicago. Now he's in Cincinnati. So what? Who cares? He'd already known that we don't like him and we were all glad to see the back of him after the horrid '06 season. We had gotten our 'wish'. So I say let him be and let it go.