Friday, April 12, 2013

#165 - Dusty Baker


Who is the man: Dusty Baker had just completed his first (and only) season playing for the Giants. He signed as a free agent in February 1984 after eight years with the Dodgers.

My observation on the front: I remember looking at this card and thinking how old Baker looked suddenly. Of course, it's nothing compared with what Baker the manager looks like now. I suppose that's a downside of continuing to live in the public spotlight.

More opinion from me: This was the moment for us Dodger fans when Dusty turned over to the dark side. Signing with the Giants was lessened slightly by the fact that Baker was on the downside of his career. Of course, we didn't know at the time that there were rumors of drug use by Baker that supposedly prompted his release from the Dodgers. Baker continued to fight those rumors through the Pittsburgh drug trials in 1985 and afterward.

Something you might know: Baker was the man on deck when Hank Aaron hit his record 715th career home run.

Something you might not know: Baker is one of just four major leaguers to reach 1,500 hits as a player and 1,500 wins as a manager. The others are Joe Torre, Lou Piniella and Fred Clarke. I don't know who thinks up stat comparisons like these.


My observation on the back: Baker still wears the No. 12 as a manager. He's still got a little Dodger in him.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture and News categories are updated. Hello, McFly. Hello!

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