Before Cubs manager Dusty Baker left for a brief All-Star break, a defiant Baker sat down for a conversation about his image, his relationship with General Manager Jim Hendry and his role in the Cubs’ downfall.
With his team 20 games under .500, here are a few highlights from the conversation. For the complete interview, pick up Tuesday’s Chicago Tribune.
Do you regret coming to Chicago?
Oh, no. I don’t regret nothing. I’ve learned a lot. I was strong before, I’m even stronger now. I learned a long time ago … like my dad says, ‘Don’t look backward. Make your decisions, stick with them, and don’t look backward.’
Regardless of what happens, I’ve had tremendous support from the front office, from the people who hired me. They’ve backed me and supported me on different things and issues where they didn’t have to. No, I have no regrets.
Would you change anything you’ve done?
Yes, I’d change us winning the World Series. Other than that, no, I wouldn’t change anything, because I’m happier now than I was at the end of those 15 years, when I was at the end in San Francisco. It’s more than me–it’s me and my family. [Coming to Chicago] was what we talked about and what we chose as a family. I didn’t make this decision by myself. No, I don’t have any regrets.
Why have you not been embraced in Chicago the way you were in San Francisco?
I was there longer. We won more. We won my first year there, big-time, then had a tough three-year stretch and then we won for the next six years. Quite honestly, this is very similar to my tenure there. We have a different team than when I got here, and when I was there, there was a different team after the first year. In ’94, we started trading guys, and I had a young general manager in Brian Sabean, and a young GM here in Jim Hendry. We scuffled in year 3 and year 4, made some key acquisitions and then got back to the top.
One of the biggest complaints about you is that, unlike Ozzie Guillen, you never criticize a player, even when it’s merited.
Publicly. That’s the difference–publicly. I criticize them to them. I am the way I am. I’m not going to be like Ozzie. Why am I going to start being like anyone else at this point in my life? I’ve done pretty good being Dusty. I don’t criticize ’em publicly.
Do you feel as though you’re unfairly portrayed or unfairly blamed? Do you accept some part of the blame?
Yeah, naturally I accept some part of the blame. Definitely. I’m the boss. That’s how it is. But look back and see how many guys have had their best years my way, from the very beginning, from when I was a batting coach in ’92 till I was a manager [in San Francisco] to today. Look it up–D-Lee, Michael Barrett and all the way back.
There have been a bunch of them. Look at Billy Swift, John Burkett, Robb Nen, Rich Aurilia. … You can go way on and on. And I wasn’t yelling and screaming at them publicly. I got on them privately, when necessary. I am the way I am.
What’s the biggest misperception about you?
I don’t know, probably that I’m not a disciplinarian and too nice. Go ask my daughter, my wife, my nephews, my players … understand? I’m firm, but fair. I was raised strictly. They say you end up being like your parents were.
Go ask the people who know me. Go ask my godchildren who gets in their face, in my own family structure. If someone is acting bad, it’s, ‘I’m going to go tell Uncle Dusty.’ They know I’ll jack ’em up in a minute.
