South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Baker chasing elusive crown
Johnnie B. Baker Jr. — he answers to Dusty — has built a lifetime of memories by bearing witness to some of baseball’s significant moments.
It might be more appropriate to call him Forrest Gump.
When Hank Aaron hit his 715th homer, Baker was kneeling in the on-deck circle.
When Steve Bartman reached over a Wrigley Field railing in an ill-fated pursuit of that foul ball, Baker watched in stoic disbelief from the dugout.
He was there, too, for epic pennant races and champagne-soaked celebrations from coast to coast. Yet one thing — and it’s a biggie — has eluded baseball’s Renaissance man.
A World Series championship as a manager.
At 73, Baker may be staring at his last — and probably best — chance to fill in that one glaring omission on his resume.
He’s close with a stellar Astros squad that chalked up 106 victories during the regular season, more than any team in a nearly three-decadelong managing career that should carry Baker to Cooperstown.
Dusty puts a philosophic spin on his quest.
“You can’t rush it before it gets here, because it ain’t here yet,” he said. “So you’ve just got to put yourself in a position to do it.”
His players made it clear that giving Baker one of the few things he doesn’t have is one of their most potent motivators.
“We love going out there every single day and competing for him,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “He loves this team. He loves winning. He loves the game of baseball. And a hundred percent we want to win for him.”
With age comes wisdom, and he’s learned that ever single day is to be cherished. For a guy with far more days behind him than in front of him, there’s no need to hasten the journey.
“I’m just taking it one game at a time and just living my life,” Baker explained. “You can’t live too far in the future or else you’re not really enjoying today.”
Baker got a glimpse of what he was in for as a manager in his very first season at the helm.
The year was 1993, and Baker took over a Giants team that went 72-90 the previous season but had signed the game’s best player, Barry Bonds.
With a not-yetbulked-up Bonds leading the way, the Giants won 103 games. They also happened to play in the same division as the Braves, who won 104. In the last season before the wild card, the Giants sat at home with the game’s second-best record.
And so it’s gone for Baker ever since, plenty of regular-season joy mixed with staggering postseason heartbreak. He’s managed five teams. All of them have won division titles and reached the playoffs, making Baker the only manager to accomplish that feat with so many clubs. He’s just the ninth manager to win pennants in both leagues. He also ranks ninth on the career wins list with 2,093 (plus 45 in the playoffs).
But here’s the thing: No manager has won so many games without capturing a title. And it’s hard to find one who’s endured so much October misery.