Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan.
It is almost spring, and I am in a baseball frame of mind. Even now as I write this debate and snow is falling outside my window, my heart is warmed by the fact that somewhere in Florida the New York Yankees are preparing to defend their championship. Just thinking about the approaching baseball season is enough to lift my spirit through even the most soul-crushing of assignments.
Recently, I had an interesting thought – What must the approach of the MLB season feel like for fans of teams that don’t have the same hope entering the 2010 season? I began to wonder, do Royals fans hate spring training and the impending heartbreak sure to follow? Do Nationals’ season tickets holders start collecting paper grocery bags for masks to last them the whole season through? I honestly can not say for sure, but today’s debate puts me in the shoes of disappointed fans such as these, as TSD takes on the question of who is the MLB manager sitting on the hottest seat.
When I first considered which manager has outlived their effectiveness and deserves the boot the most, Terry Francona came to mind immediately. After a moment I reconsidered, based on the fact that I was clearly letting my extreme bias against all things Boston cloud my judgment. Next I considered targeting Ozzie Guillen because of his infamous mouth and the fact that the Chicago White Sox have certainly slipped since winning the World Series in 2005. It did not take long for me to let that idea go, because I can not help but like Ozzie. In many respects he is a lot like Babe Ruthless. He is funny, entertaining, and certainly controversial. Then I thought of explaining why the Braves should oust their incumbent fossil Bobby Cox, but I did not want to get a thousand enraged emails from Loyal Homer. Then it finally came to me like a bolt right out of the blue…or in this case red—Dusty Baker.
Baker is done. He has been done for a while, as evidenced by his losing managerial record over the last half decade. He fled to Cincinnati in 2008 and the crowd went mild. Now I know many readers are starting to get defensive thinking I’m being unfair to Dusty, because after all we are talking about the Cincinnati Reds. Did anyone expect him to be a miracle worker? Certainly not, but I’m sure the Reds thought that a $10.5M, three-year contract might lead to something better than Fourth and Fifth place finishes in the National League Central Division. This is especially true considering the impressive roster of young players with huge potential that Cincinnati has assembled recently.
The Reds lineup offers a mix of talented young thumpers, like Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce, and experienced veterans like Scott Rolen and Orlando Cabrera. Cincinnati has given Dusty Baker a team that has a fighting chance to contend for the NL Wildcard if not the division itself, but we have seen no marked improvement thus far. On top of that, the Reds have equipped Dusty with a talented stable of hurlers that have the potential to escalate the team to the next level. Young pitchers like Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey have plenty of potential. They just need the right manager to cultivate it, and that does not appear to be Dusty Baker.
The Cincinnati Reds fans should not have to endure any more of his losing ways. They deserve to see the potential their team possesses realized. Mr. Baker you are on notice – There are younger, hungrier managers out there just waiting for an opportunity. If you don’t make a big change soon, it will be happy trails for Old Dusty.
