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He may have turned the Cubs around this year, getting them to the NLCS after losing 95 games last year (though I credit most of that to the players, not the manager), but he really sucks in the postseason. Leaving Mark Prior in there in the 8th inning was just the next in a long string of bad postseason decisions by Dusty Baker. Sure, the fan in the outfield stands, and Alex Gonzalez deserve some of the blame, but most of it belongs on the shoulders of the manager here. The bullpen should have been busy when Prior went out there for the start of the 8th. As soon as anyone got on base, he should have been pulled. As simple as that.
Other recent postseason blunders by Baker, off the top of my head:
1. Starting Livan Hernandez instead of Reuter in game 7 of the World Series last year. Incidently, I was there, to see the Giants lose.
2. Leaving Mark Gardner in to bat for himself in the top of the 5th inning of the 2000 NLDS, against the Mets. With the bases loaded, two down, and the Giants having only gotten one hit off Bobby Jones all game, the pitcher bats for himself, and pops up. He would come out of the game in the bottom of the inning, anyway. Bobby Jones went on to throw a one-hit shutout. Oddly enough, I was at that game at Shea, too.
The major difference this time, I guess, is that I was rooting for Dusty’s team, not against it.
PS: I hate the Yankees. Boston better win two in a row in New York.
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baker sucks and has for years…his horrid decision making in 2002 helped the giants to lose the world series. his lack of moves in the 2003 nlcs cost us the series after being 5 outs away!
here is a short list of why he should’ve been gone after 2004 season!
1) not pulling prior in the 8th of game 6
2) not coming out n settling down prior after bartmann ball (which alou would’ve had and it was fan interference)
3)not having clement or esp. shawn estes (who shinned at end of season and was a left with good control and playoff experience ) in the bullpen ready to go throughout games 6 & 7.
4) not pulling woody after the top of the 5th inning of game 7 when he started to completely lose it!
5) for earlier in the year not fining or suspending sosa for his lying and racist remarks about getting caught with cork in his bat.
6) for letting sammy be sammy (bad)
7) for EVER using alfonseca in relieft after he blew 10 saves in 2002 and blew another dozen leads as a reliever and being even worse in 2003 with an almost 6.00 era. (and people wonder why prior and esp. wood had only 13 & 14 wins his 2 cub seasons..there’s a big reason why!)
8) for missusing the bullpen and starters throughout 2003 and 2004.
9) for letting sosa saga to ruin team morale.
10) for having no discipline on team and trying to be everyones’ buddy
11) for having one of the worst fundemental teams in all of baseball for the past 3 seasons!
12) for batting corey patterson in the leadoff spot for 94 games and a bunch more in the 2 hole after he kept getting worse.
13) for putting nefi perez with 2nd worst obp in baseball (next to coreys 1st worst) in the 2 hole for much of the season
14) for using la troy hawkins as the closer at the start of the 2005 season even though he was a bad closer in 2004 proving he can’t do the job and then goes out and blows 5 of 8 saves to start the year when everyone was pointing too starter ryan dempster as the closer everyone else wanted!!
15) closer #2 chad fox. baker killed his season and possibly his career when early on in the 2005 season after fox was named closer cubs were up 7-1 and baker had fox (who has had a number of arm troubles) to go out for another inning with a 9-1 or 2 lead in the bottom of the 8th..of course fox got hurt..season over!! thanks dusty!
16) for continuing to play corey patterson in august and sept as his average, obp, defense and all around game got worse every day!
17) for not giving derrick lee and burnitz a few days off here n there and burning them out (esp. lee who has tanked at the end of both his cub campigns)
18) for fighting with steve stone ex-cubs announcer and letting his players taunt,threaten, yell and blame stone and chip carrey for the teams choking of 2004 playoff hopes!
And….for just being busty faker, a liar, racist, drunk, and a truely player ass-kissing moron!
dusty, this was the hottest spring/summer on record must be why the team lost right???