In defense of Dusty
Brantley, players like Reds' choice of Baker
BY JOHN FAY
Dusty Baker, who will be announced Monday as the 60th field manager in Reds history, is known as a players’ manager.
Just ask Reds radio announcer Jeff Brantley, who played for Baker in 1993.
“I love Dusty,” Brantley said Sunday. “I’d play for Dusty anytime.”
Baker will formally be announced Monday at noon and has a three-year contract with the team through the 2010 season.
The choice has already drawn criticism from some Reds fans. Almost as soon as Baker emerged as the leading candidate for the job last week, message boards and sports talk show phone lines lit up with unhappy fans.
Much of the criticism centers on how Baker handles pitchers. Critics say he ignores pitch counts and tends to leave pitchers in games too long.
Brantley, who played for Baker in San Francisco, knows all about the raps on the man he considers a good friend. He has a different perception of Baker.
“He took the blame for the injuries to (Cubs star pitchers) Kerry Wood and Mark Prior,” Brantley said. “I don’t think that was his fault. I never had a problem with the way Dusty handled me when I pitched for him.”
Baker, who played for 19 seasons with the Braves, Dodgers, Giants and Athletics, has established a solid track record as a manager.
He’s been named the National League manager of the year three times by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and has taken his teams to the playoffs four times.
His Giants made the World Series in 2002, where they lost in seven games to the Anaheim Angels.
Baker left San Francisco for the Chicago Cubs after the 2002 season. He guided the Cubs to within five outs of a World Series appearance in 2003, and his club won 89 games in 2004.
But the Cubs slipped to 79-83 in 2005, and 66-96 in 2006, and Baker was fired.
Brantley said Baker took the hit for a weak Cubs bullpen.
“Dusty had a terrible bullpen those years,” Brantley said. “He took the fall for that.”
Current Reds ace Aaron Harang, who went 16-6 in 2007, has heard the knocks on Baker and isn’t worried.
“It’s not a concern for me,” Harang said. “I’ll tell (current Reds pitching coach Dick Pole) how I feel. I’ll tell them whether I can go another inning or not. It’s all about communication.”
Harang heard the news about Baker while watching the American League Championship Series.
“From what I’ve heard, guys really like playing for him,” Harang said. “He has a good reputation as a manager.”
Part of that reputation comes from Baker’s ability to manage personalities. In San Francisco, he kept the team together despite the ego of slugger Barry Bonds. He did the same with the Cubs, where Sammy Sosa ruled the clubhouse.
“He had two of the most high-profile players ever to play the game when they were going through rocky times,” Brantley said. “I’m talking about (Barry) Bonds and (Sammy) Sosa. Dusty handled them both well.
“That’s the key. It ain’t going to be the pitching staff. It’s going to be about how he handles (Ken Griffey Jr.).”
Rich Aurilia, the former Red who played for Baker in San Francisco, doesn’t think Baker will have problems in Cincinnati.
“Dusty knows how to get the most out of guys,” Aurilia said. “He’s like having another player. He’d go out and play if he could.”
Aurilia said Baker still calls him and asks how he’s doing.
“Dusty gets to know you off the field,” Aurilia said. “A lot of managers don’t do that.”
Ken Griffey Sr. is a friend of Baker’s. They got to know each other from playing against one another.
“He’ll do an excellent job,” Griffey said. “He’s patient. He understands players from playing for 20 years. He lets players play.”
Another criticism of Baker is that he has a thin skin and doesn’t like to be second-guessed. Whether that’s valid doesn’t matter to Marty Brennaman, the lead radio announcer for the Reds who is not one to keep his opinions private.
Brennaman said he’ll continue to ask the tough questions.
“Most pregame shows tell you nothing because the questions are softballs,” Brennaman said. “If he does something that backfires the night before, I’m going to ask him about it. I’ve done that with all the mangers.
“If he bristles at that, then somebody else is going to be doing the show.”
Brennaman’s partner, Brantley, said that Baker has the ability to learn from his mistakes.
“Dusty’s a very intelligent baseball person,” Brantley said. “He knows his strengths and weaknesses.”