...and then comes the RACE CARD

[WvuDieHard]

Dustmop couldn't resist pulling the race card yet he still has never taken any blame for the Reds Flame Out of 2013:

The last couple weeks, I've been getting a rash of hate mail, racial mail,'' he said. "Maybe it is time to go."
"This is really ugly," he said. "There are all sorts of references to Barack Obama. So now I know where they are coming from. I don't know, maybe people are mad at him, so they don't like the idea of blacks in authority."

Blacks in authority huh? No we don't like stupid dumbfuck retards taking one of the most talented team in the majors and destroying what should have been a World Series run. But wait, here is the icing on the cake: "I think we overachieved," Baker said. Really, you think you overachieved. That has me busting at the seams. If this fucking idiot thinks that, he truly is more stupid than any of us ever imagined. What a loser. Gee I wonder if those bombardment of emails I sent to the front office had any effect on Dustmop's demise? I bet the breakdown of Diehard's "8 loses for 8 reasons to get fired" had 'em scratching their heads? Or maybe is was the "If Dusty's back --we the fans won't be"? I can assure you management got blasted. The fans of this team deserved a better manager that actually put his team in a position to win. Dustmop was clearly a hindrance.

 

[redsfan03]

Hearing that really disappointed me. He did the same thing in Chicago as a manager and LA as a player. I think he has serious accountability issues. He compulsively deflects blame. He comes up with rationalizations, justifications, and excuses for everything. He defended himself and Brook Jacoby while throwing his players under the bus, saying they're to blame for the late season meltdown. While he has a point that blame should fall partially on the players, he refuses to accept any blame himself. When you tank a season in the fashion that the Reds did, EVERYBODY is to blame. It's a problem, and I honestly wonder how he has gotten this far as a manager given his propensity to blame everything under the sun except himself.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Often, insecure personalities place blame on others because they cannot look themselves in the mirror and like what they see, and for whatever reason, won't or cant change what they can't accept. It had to be someone else's fault.

Dusty obviously believes that he has been harmed by racism, and or continues to be. He's paranoid. So, I understand why he doesn't like a white GM telling him how to do his job, and why he doesn't want to admit a mistake that the cracker can use as an excuse to fire him over. His Obama reference was just nervous chatter from an insecure old man that felt wronged by life and baseball. It's sad, but it doesn't change the business reasons he lost his job over.

You think Reds ownership and management didnt know about fans overwhelming disapproval of Dusty ? You think they are un-educated in baseball 101 and didn't ask the same questions about Dusty's tiref rationale ? You think they didnt notice this team stopped responding 2 weeks before the playoffs ? You think they believe this team couldn't win more than they have ?

These things are why Dusty was fired, not because he lost a one game playoff after winning 90 games, or because he was black. He simply underachieved, and that wasn't what he was hired to be.

 

[tlakes20]

Overachieved is what gets me more than anything with this. This team was picked to win the world series in the preseason by some people. And to go out and look lifeless doing it in the first playoff game? For real, I'm glad that the Reds decided to move on from Dusty, he obviously doesn't set the bar too high for his team and it dragged his players down to set the bar low for themselves too.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Obviously, a lot of us are happy for a chance to do better, including Walt Jocketty I'm sure. But, for a team (players) that apparently cant get out of bed without a leader, this also should be a wake up call to them, too.

In other words, I think Dusty was a big contributor to underachievement, but wasn't nearly the whole problem. There is a good core to build around the Reds, but even they are flawed.

In every good team there has to be a FEW points of cohesion...because they have to support each other to be functional. The Ownership has to give the GM the authority and payroll to run the team in a certain direction, the manager HAS to run the team in THAT direction, the players have excuse to desired results, and the fans have to respond by supporting the team.

If all of those those things happen cohesively, no guarantee of a World Series, but it's usually a success by most standards. If one of those things fails, it's impossible for success, for very long.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Lol... "Players should execute "not excuse as above..that was a real Dustyism...smartphone, a misnomer.

 

[WvuDieHard]

The players do have to take some accountability as well. What really gets me scratching my head is the fact that there was ZERO improvement on this club in the last 24 months. Nothing, zilch, nada. That is a coaching staff issue IMO. No reason why this club shouldn't have hit the ball better and made more contact than they did. At this point, with these young players, they should have a more honed skill set. instead, Dustmop and his gang had them swinging at pitches like a rookie out of AAA. No one was taught to get better and that is consistent with the "not my fault" attitude of the toothpicker.

 

[eburg5000]

I'm moving past dusty and hoping the Reds hire a manager that makes them a more well rounded team. hitting wise anyway . But I am concerned that they might hire a manager that is worse than Dusty. And we all know that can happen

 

[WvuDieHard]

Don't think so Eburg. Having seen years of gaffes under the toothpicker, will make management do their homework this time. Plus, this will be a coveted job because anybody in their right mind would take it. It is a gold bar waiting for anyone who wants it.

 

[JohnU]

The issue of race-hate mail is probably real and unfortunate, but bringing it up in this conversation was not appropriate. That was from that ass-hole Heyman, who has zero credibility as a reporter. He mostly invents his quotes and personnel moves and attributes it to "a rival GM with inside knowledge of the team's thinking."

Which is another way of saying he made it all up.

Baker was being patronized in that article to a point of syrup sick. Not that I expected otherwise, but patting him on the back and basically blaming the fans for not adoring his contributions was way over the top. WAY over.

Bringing in the race-hate in that story was a stretch to make Dusty look like the victim, which Dusty did a good job of promoting. It was all about us, the fans, kicking the best thing we ever had because we are back-biting, low-life ingrates ... and Dusty, poor guy, did his best to win despite all that.

Dusty had 6 years as a manager. It only took 4 years to win World War II -- against much tougher odds.

 

[BigBlueNation111]

Don't think so Eburg. Having seen years of gaffes under the toothpicker, will make management do their homework this time. Plus, this will be a coveted job because anybody in their right mind would take it. It is a gold bar waiting for anyone who wants it.

I agree 100%!!

 

[JohnU]

I recall the 1969 season when Dave Bristol took the Reds to the cusp of relevancy. It took him several years but he had all the pieces in place when Sparky took over.

Nobody knew who Sparky was but Sparky and Bristol were on the same page.
Just that one of them could put the team over the top.

It would be nice if Dusty would leave the Reds with this:

I did my best, and I am glad I got the chance. I have few regrets.

It's what classy guys say. I am finished giving Dusty that nod of approval.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Accountability....too long a word for the crossword puzzle Dusty was always working on in the dugout, but never quite solved. It's also something not often found n Dusty's career long excuse monologue. Odd, for a guy that was a self-proclaimed players manager, and one of the all-time elite wins managers, albeit with a less than impressive post season record, that Dusty always seems to cite his players deficiencies, deny his own, and feign injury by others when he didn't produce to the elite expectations that naturally come with his salary. and hype.

So why is Dusty Baker always so underappreciated ? Giants fans know. Cubs fans know. Reds fans know. Some Dodger and Brave fans still remember. It's nothing personal, but the media usually helps Dusty make it look that way.

John- I thought about Dave Bristol too...the knock on Bristol was that he was too much of a players manager- had known many Reds in his stints coming up through the minors, and that a team of so many Type A personalities and talent, needed a more subdued, tacticall proficient guy that was still approachable, but had a clear line between buddies and the business of baseball.

Bronson Arroyo alluded to this shortcoming in Baker, whom he liked personally, but he said Dusty was no more than another player on the clubhouse. Thats a problem I hope they solve this year...and I don't know how it could be avoided, but Arroyo's level head might be missed as much as Scott Rolen's guidance was this year.