Dusty Baker = fraud

[Used 2 B Hu]

He doesn’t have to be fired. His contract is up.

Cool! Long-suffering Cubs fans like us can rejoice in getting another coach canned

 

[williewilliejuan]

You can always count on a Dusty to fuck up a pitching decision in the post-season. I think he needs to employ the Constanza Doctrine on all pitching changes.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Year after year, decade after decade, October baseball has one constant, Dusty fails in the play-offs after a promising season with a talented team. And the "Dusty Baker sucks" threads come out. It's like looking forward to candy on Halloween.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Could've told you this in 2002.








FUCK!!! And fuck rally monkeys, too! No offense, @broncosmitty

I haven't seen a rally monkey in years - do they still make them?

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

I haven't seen a rally monkey in years - do they still make them?

Yes.....but they're called MAGA hats now.

 

[broncosmitty]

I haven't seen a rally monkey in years - do they still make them?

It's my CB handle.

 

[JohnU]

I guess it's a choice of losing in the playoffs or getting a top-level first round pick.
Kinda wondered why Dusty decided to tell Cueto to pull a lat muscle or Werth to miss that ball in the lights or have Lobotomy get picked off first or Halliday to pitch that no-hitter. Man, Dusty sure makes some stupid moves. I mean, ordering Bartman to sit in that spot. What the hell was wrong with him?

 

[calsnowskier]

I guess it's a choice of losing in the playoffs or getting a top-level first round pick.
Kinda wondered why Dusty decided to tell Cueto to pull a lat muscle or Werth to miss that ball in the lights or have Lobotomy get picked off first or Halliday to pitch that no-hitter. Man, Dusty sure makes some stupid moves. I mean, ordering Bartman to sit in that spot. What the hell was wrong with him?

Or tossing the game ball to Ortiz in the 7th inning, inspiring the Angels.

Or throwing a rookie starter in a must-win game 162.

Yeah. Dusty is completely innocent and never makes bone-headed decisions in playoff situations.

 

[JohnU]

Or tossing the game ball to Ortiz in the 7th inning, inspiring the Angels.

Or throwing a rookie starter in a must-win game 162.

Yeah. Dusty is completely innocent and never makes bone-headed decisions in playoff situations.

I don't recall claiming he as "completely innocent" of anything. But go ahead and write your own script.

 

[calsnowskier]

I don't recall claiming he as "completely innocent" of anything. But go ahead and write your own script.

You wrote a post with a bunch of innocuous anecdotes defending Dusty.

But the argument against Dusty is not that he sucks because he faces good talent or because one of his players has a stroke because a player goes for a ball that is in the stands. The argument against Dusty is that he makes boneheaded decisions in key situations that torpedo his teams.

Are his numerous flops in post-season play all his fault? Of course not. But when you have the staggering volume of boneheaded evidence, you have to start to look...

How any fan of the Giants, Cubs or Reds could ever defend the guy is beyond me. I suspect that Nats fans will be joining that club quite soon.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Not defending Dusty at all, and some of his decisions have been head scratchers for sure, but maybe some of those big name players he's had on his former teams...and some he has on his current team just failed to produce in the postseason in key situations. And the rotten bad luck angle has to be considered as well.

It happens.

 

[rtfgbfan]

C- Wieters
1B - Will Clark, Joey Votto, Ryan Zimmerman
2B - Jeff Kent / Daniel Murphy
SS - Trea Turner / Zack Cozart / Nomar
3B - Matt Williams / Aramis Ramirez / Edwin Encarnacion
RF - Sammy Sosa / Jay Bruce / Bryce Harper
CF - Griffey
LF - Bonds

SP - Prior, Wood, Zambrano, Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, Cueto, Strasburg,
Closer - Robb Nen, Rod Beck

Zero rings and a losing record in the playoffs

Ned Yost > Dusty Baker

I was actually surprised this thread wasn't dated back to 2013

 

[calsnowskier]

Not defending Dusty at all, and some of his decisions have been head scratchers for sure, but maybe some of those big name players he's had on his former teams...and some he has on his current team just failed to produce in the postseason in key situations. And the rotten bad luck angle has to be considered as well.

It happens.

If it were a SSS, than I would would agree with you. But it has happened to him for 25 years and 4 different teams. At what point do stop making excuses?

Dude a GREAT regular season manager. His players love him.

But it when it comes to must-win situations, he just doesn’t make the adjustments and he hasn’t set his teams up throughout the regular season too be prepared for the post-season.

Bochy, by contrast, uses the regular season as a glorified spring training. He uses the regular season to test his players and put them in situations that may arise in the post-season. Many times to the aggravation of us fans.

 

[JohnU]

Bochy, by contrast, uses the regular season as a glorified spring training. He uses the regular season to test his players and put them in situations that may arise in the post-season. Many times to the aggravation of us fans.

That worked real well for Bochy this year.

 

[calsnowskier]

That worked real well for Bochy this year.

You gotta have the players.

And when the players you do have are either hurt or having the worst seasons of their career (or both), it doesn’t matter who the manager is.

 

[Cedrique]

If it were a SSS, than I would would agree with you. But it has happened to him for 25 years and 4 different teams. At what point do stop making excuses?

Dude a GREAT regular season manager. His players love him.

But it when it comes to must-win situations, he just doesn’t make the adjustments and he hasn’t set his teams up throughout the regular season too be prepared for the post-season.

Bochy, by contrast, uses the regular season as a glorified spring training. He uses the regular season to test his players and put them in situations that may arise in the post-season. Many times to the aggravation of us fans.

Yeah but he wears those cool glasses. He has to be smart

 

[JohnU]

I

You gotta have the players.

And when the players you do have are either hurt or having the worst seasons of their career (or both), it doesn’t matter who the manager is.

In the post-season, when the team's ace pulls a lat on the first hitter, you claim it is an anecdote. When the Angels get "inspired," you condemn the manager. When a manager goes the entire 2013 season with his closer getting more innings than his ace, you apparently think it's an anecdote. When a ball gets lost in the lights, it's the manager's fault. When a pitcher throws a no-hitter, it's the manager's fault.

When Bruce Bochy loses 98 games, it's because of injuries.

Here's the point: It's not defending a manager to point out facts and argue with people who disregard those facts in favor of such ditties as him letting a rookie pitch the last game of the season. (I mean, wtf was that about?) or "he inspired the Angels." Seriously, you still pissed the Giants coughed up 2002?)

A thousand managers never won a World Series. Thousands more never made post-season.

Whatever Baker's flaws are, they are amplified by weird events mostly. But before he came to SF, the Giants mostly stunk. Before he went to Chicago, the Cubs mostly stunk. Before he went to Cincy, the Reds always stunk. He was forgiven for 2010. That team was a freak. Losing Cueto in 2012 was a ball-buster.

And this year's Nats choked. I don't much care, but I am not blaming the manager for getting a group of pros TO the show and watching them wrap their hands around their own throats.

Baker is not my first choice for a manager but he's far from a fraud.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Are his numerous flops in post-season play all his fault? Of course not. But when you have the staggering volume of boneheaded evidence, you have to start to look...

That's it. He's just snakebit when it comes to the post season. Not always his fault, and yes his players don't always perform. He just seems to have the rottenest luck with better teams...and how long can you keep saying it's just bad luck?

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Yeah but he wears those cool glasses. He has to be smart

That toothpick is quite badass, as well, but...