Many of us have daydreamed of three things. Getting mouth to mouth resuscitation from Jessica Alba. Winning the PowerBall and showing up for work and telling off everybody in management, “I can buy and sell this place. I’ll give you $15,000 cash if you let me take a dump in your car.” And, of course that dreamiest of all dreams, Dusty Baker going away for good.
So far the only reason for any hope is that the Cubs and Dusty haven’t gotten around to a contract extension (as if anything he’s done since game four of the 2003 NLCS has deserved an extension).
Now we have all we need to get excited about.
A completely unsubstantiated rumor. Really, is there any better kind?
Where did we get this rumor from?
From the Desipio Message Board. Perhaps you’ve heard of it.
Anyway, our “source” Ho Ho Kamper says:
A new employee at my company has a personal relationship with our good friend Johnny B. Baker. To set the context, she and her friend often have dinner with Sarge and Dusty and Dusty’s family (Baker has a house around the corner from my office). Darren is cute, Dusty’s wife doesn’t like to travel, etc, etc. The relationship is strictly a friendly one, no funny business here.
But information has come out.
Apparently, Dusty is making the rounds. He has interviewed with several teams on the West Coast including the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks. He is trying to keep this all very hush-hush. His frequent arguments with management and the backlash from his own players have put him in a situation where he is not happy.
He wants out, and as of right now, it looks like Dusty wants to be the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it looks like it’s going to happen.
Believe me or don’t believe me. I can scarcely believe it myself, but I trust this woman and stand by the info. She will be talking to her friend in the next few days and may have more info for me then. Until that time, smile a little wider and hope…just hope that this is true.
Ho Ho Kamper
OK, first, is this possible? Dusty is under contract, so can he just interview for another job?
No. But, all the Diamondbacks and Dodgers had to do was call the Cubs and ask for permission, and then, just like Leo Mazzone talking to the Yankees and Orioles, Dusty’s fair game. If this happens, and Dusty signs with the Dodgers, the Cubs and Dodgers would have to work out some compensation for Dusty.
What’s Dusty worth? Well, if the Mariners got a starting outfielder for Lou Piniella when he went to the Devil Rays and Randy Winn went to Seattle, the Cubs could certainly ask for somebody like, the calm, nuturing Milton Bradley.
These are rumors and nobody’s passing them along as hard facts, but you do kind of wonder. Joe Girardi made the Marlins wait three days before he took their job and all indications are he was looking at the Cubs as a possible destination. Speculation at the time was the Joe was thinking he could go back to the Yankees and wait a year for Dusty to finish out his contract with the Cubs, but maybe Joe had heard rumblings that the job was going to be open before that.
Thankfully, Grady Little has found new employment in Milwaukee, so he’s likely out of the picture.
Lou Piniella was scheduled to be in town tomorrow and Sunday, but a hurricane named Wilma is bearing down on his Tampa mansion and he’s battening down the old hatches and isn’t sure when he’ll get to his new Fox TV duties.
My only requirement for the Cubs’ manager is that he’s smart enough to play Matt Murton in left field and lead him off if (like last year) he’s their best option in that spot.
In the meantime, we’ll gaze adoringly at geeky Paul DePodesta and try to mentally convince him to hire the toothpick chewing dumbass.
Can we change the title to “Are the dodgers smart enough?” Let’s not give any negativity to this story.
I have Dusty signing with the Dodgers, and the Cubs getting Gagne as compensation. Does anyone else have this on their radar? JD Drew, possibly, as well…anyone? My sources say it will happen soon.
Damnit. They’re on to us. Well, time for another vote of confidence in Dusty Baylor. Don Baker. Which one is it again?
PLEASE BE TRUE!!!!
Thanks for the support Andy.
(adj.) Easily deceived or duped.
I have credible sources that saw Darren Baker in the Hertz Rent-A-Car parking lot today, wearing a Dodgers hat.
I’ll be the 30th anniversary of this event:
What happened to all that “Guillen will do more damage to the Sox in one year than Baker could ever do” talk?
Paul,
It’s called being wrong. We’re human. But take Dusty. Please.
the year’s not over yet, mang
no way, man. my sources tell me Dusty’s getting an extention and i’m never wrong
This is the real ‘Hoops’ writing in. The Cubs will send Baker to the Diamondbacks for tHom and Slumpbuster.
I think I’d be true if anybody here actually seemed to believe this was true.
But that photo certainly has me convinced! What was JT doing in LA? Darren is truly touched by an Angel.
And I don’t mean like those guys at the Castro who used to get touched by Jim Edmonds when he still played in Anaheim.
I wish Dusty nothing but the best when he leaves Chicago. He’ll be in a better place once he see’s Chicago in the rearview mirror.
You guys are lying!
Here at US Cellular, where I’m sleeping in the press box, word is that Dusty is going to sign a 12 year deal with the Cubs.
George,
Can you call my mom and tell her to let me out of the basement? I need to tell people on the radio this was Hendry’s master plan all along.
And I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids!!
My sources are telling me the sun will rise in the east tomorrow and likely, set in the west. Does anyone have this on their radar? My source will tell me more after he lets me out of the walk-in freezer here at the Quickie Mart.
You’re getting off easy, Sanjay.
As long as it’s not Joe Don Baker’s friend.
I HATE Tommy Lasorda.
This is MUCH better news than what was up here earlier today, BTW.
Next interview question: when you say “the backlash from his own players have put him in a situation where he is not happy” …
When has Dusty ever gotten backlash from the players?
I’ll handle this one, Paul.
I believe the “backlash from his own players” refers to Dusty getting tired of either getting blamed for all of the stupid crap his players do, or getting tired of coming up with lame excuses for them. I don’t think it meant his players being pissed off at him. They shouldn’t, he runs his team like it’s a goddamned day care center.
In fact, Todd Walker always raves about the little cartons of chocolate milk and saltine crackers covered in peanut butter that Dusty laid out before the games.
Oh good, that was right here on my list of attributes: doesn’t feel like being blamed for his team’s performance.
Next question, which is actually Dusty’s own question: if he’s so great, why is there a firedustybaker.com, huh? Other managers never get criticized on the internet. Why Dusty?
Please Leave! That is all.
Dusty’s number 1 reason for leaving, according to what I heard, is disagreements with management. I took that to mean management thinks he sucks, Dusty disagrees.
In this case, I will have to side with Cubs’ management.
Just a reminder, Dusty was not necessarily a favorite in the clubhouse this past season as he may have been in season’s past.
Some examples:
1. He had a weird relationship with Jerry Hairston Jr.
2. Todd Walker was critical of Dusty’s use of Patterson and Neifi and int he top spots in the order.
3. While Patterson’s opinion is hardly relevant anymore, there’s no question that he and Baker didn’t get along.
4. While Dempster would never say anything now, he did let everyone know that he was miffed about being shuffled around so much early in the season.
5. And I’ve always had the impression that Prior thinks Dust-Bag is a dick.
Add to that the constant questioning by the Chicago media, and you have the kind of atmosphere that a laid-back aw-shucks guy like Dusty would like to leave behind him…so he can enjoy the smog and blasse sports attitude of LA.
I was just on 570 AM talking about what a good manager Oral Herschier would make.
Mmmm, oral hershey bars…
I miss Rupert Murdoch.
“5. And I’ve always had the impression that Prior thinks Dust-Bag is a dick.”
You’re correct on this one. I’ve heard Prior himself say that he hates Dusty.
Really Dave? When was this? I would love to hear that story…
Yeah #30, but I love me some Rothschild…
I hate Rev. J.B. too.
To #13-
Please Chicago, take Gracie out of Arizona now! For a few used baseballs, broken bats, ANYTHING! Spare us all here in AZ from hearing any more idiocy like “The Padres are so close we can taste them! LET’S EAT!” and “Tony Clark is hitting like a dog in heat”! And would you like to take a few of his Phoenix media sycophants too, especially the guy from the Republic who wrote today that if he ran the Diamondbacks, the King of the Slumpbuster would be manager? Please?
I get all tingly hearing about a fellow homersexual talk about his love of oral hershey bars
Racism is cool!
Yawn…
I’m thinking we offer him a 2 year extension much the same way that we offered a contract to Chippy – an insulting lowball offer
The Sports Guy said something today that is appropriate.
“I’m starting to think that the Baseball Gods just plain hate the Cubs.”
Watch, the Dodgers will agree to take Dusty on, but then when the Cubs decide they want the Dodgers’ #2 prospect instead of their #3 prospect, the Dodgers back out. With the damage done to Dusty by almost letting him go, the Cubs have to fire him. Scoop Jackson will write his 239th consecutive bad article for ESPN.com, and the 238th consecutive article in which he blames racism when racism had nothing to do with the decision. ESPN’s “Booyah” TV operations pick up the story, talking about it for a good week or so, and the TribCo gets stuck in the mud of being accused of supposed racial discrimination. Finally, Hendry is forced to hire, as the new manager of the Chicago Cubs…
Gene Clines
Who am I?
I’ll even take Milton Bradley, the board game dude/conglomerate whatever it is, for Dusty… Just as long as he’s not back.
That Pinella could get Tampa Bay to win at all shows that he still has something left… I think he could be the guy for the job.
And no offense to Girardi – I really like what he’s done and think that he’s a smart baseball guy – I think that going with someone with no managerial experience would’ve been a really questionable call. And besides, I want a manager that has shown he can work w/ young kids, like Lou did in TB. And he’s guaranteed for a few eruptions during the year. I miss having someone who is actually emotional and cares about winning on the Cubs’ bench.
I’d trade Dusty for a case of Dodger Dogs and a six-pack.
I am puzzled as to why you guys are so excited about Dusty leaving. There is no reason to believe it would really happen. Besides, you should save your wrath for Hendry – he’s the idiot who hired Dusty in the first place. We could have the greatest manager in the world and it still won’t matter, as long as that Jim Hendry continues to run the show. Only an idiot like Hendry would build a team around young starting pitching and then get rid of a defensive catcher (Miller) in exchange for a horrible defensive catcher (Barrett). I am fed up with stupid Cub fans who think Dusty is our only problem. Dusty is horrible, but the real problem is our crappy roster. Hendry must go.
That was clever #42.
#40…
I am finding the biggest, nastiest, fattest broad, and you put the wood to her to come out of your slump.
I am also known as jumping on a grenade for the team.
I am this.
I’m over…sox in 4.
The astrolls played like me tonight, especially the great Roger Clemens.
Have you ever seen a team capitalize on more breaks that their loser opponents gave them? The astrolls are a joke, us in 4.
Who has ten years of the most obnoxious fucks in baseball lording their World Series win over hapless Cub fans on their radar screen? Anyone? My source tells me Mayor Daley is beating off to his posters of Bill Melton and Stan Bahnsen as we speak.
I would like to confirm this article. I’ve spoke to Pauly and I’ll be signing on the dotted line tomorrow. Good bye, Chicago!
God, I hope so…
Dudes, you can’t run me outta town like this. I’m making Neifi the team captain in 2006 and having him hit cleanup. It’s all under control.
Why would we want Dusty to leave. He’s even made an instructional video about hitting so he must be good. http://www.allstats.com/dbaker/
Krustys website talked about fundamentals, thats funny, I wonder who talks about them for Krusty. nobody probably, as he doesn’t know of one.
Do I look more like a young James Earl Jones, or like a skinny Tracy Morgan?
I look like Condi Rice.
Definitely Tracy Morgan, I thought the same thing when I saw that card earlier