As published in The County Times (countytimes.somd.com)
By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get
through this thing called life.”
That’s the opening line to Prince’s classic song “Let’s
Go Crazy”, a you-can’t-sit-still-to-this, guitar-drenched pep talk about taking
life’s punches and returning a defiant and overwhelming flurry in return.
Last year, the Nationals could have used The Purple One’s
encouragement - regularly.
Even by D.C. sports standards, the Nats’ 2015 season
was a disaster. The dead favorite to win
the World Series, they failed to make the playoffs. The campaign ended, essentially, with Jonathan
Papelbon choking teammate Bryce Harper. Officially,
the Nats finished second in the NL East, but the meltdown was so disgusting
that it cost skipper Matt Williams, the 2014 NL Manager of the Year, his job.
The Nationals tapped Dusty Baker, a 20-year managerial
veteran, to replace Williams. Forensic evidence indicates he wasn’t the first
choice - that honor likely goes to Bud Black, former San Diego Padres
manager. But after reportedly offending
Black with a low-ball contract offer and subsequently failing to come to terms,
the Nats turned to Baker, the new top candidate, all baseball and financial
factors considered.
Procedurally and politically, the selection was
awkward, but nearly a month into the 2016 season, Baker’s on his the way toward
changing the label on Nationals’ brass from “cheap and dysfunction” to “shrewd
and brilliant.” While April series’
against Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami and Minnesota haven’t represented the
stiffest competition, Baker nonetheless has Washington in first place in the NL
East with a 14-4 record through last Sunday.
A team’s record is, of course, its ultimate judgment,
but there’s more going on in Washington than just wins and losses. Williams won 96 games in 2014, his first as a
major league manager. But after losing
in the first round of the playoffs that year and facing massive expectations in
2015, Williams lost his way and, ultimately, the team. As the 2015 season disintegrated, Williams remained
poised, professional and supportive of his players (all positive traits), but
his inability to emotionally connect with players and build strong
relationships – the kind that will survive a 162-game schedule and inevitable
adversity – was apparent. Despite
obvious baseball acumen, Williams was a sterile leader, a man far more like Mr.
Spock than Captain Kirk. Simply put, baseball
in D.C. wasn’t what baseball should be: fun.
Enter Dusty Baker, a master communicator with a
natural way with people – the anti-Matt Williams.
He wasted no time getting to work.
At his introductory press conference, Baker donned a
Nationals jersey and struck a few playful model-on-the-runway poses. When asked about his age, he offered this
gem: “I don’t know how old I am sometimes – and it really doesn’t matter. Not to sound cocky or nothing but I don’t see
a whole bunch of dudes that look better than me now.” Somewhere a perplexed Williams must have
raised a curious brow.
With the “endearing humor” block checked, Baker got
more substantive.
When asked about his approach to winning, Baker cited
advice he received from Bill Russell and Bill Walsh. “They told me a team has to be close. I can bring X’s and O’s…they said love was
the key. I want to get this team together as soon as possible, top to
bottom. The great teams that I have been
on and organizations I’ve been in…everybody had a positive attitude.” It was a nameless acknowledgement of
Williams’s greatest fault and exactly what Nats fans wanted to hear.
And boy has Baker delivered to date. Nearly 20 games into the season, the Nats are
playing loose, cheering teammates and routinely hugging Baker in the dugout (yes…hugging). They are together. They are positive. They are winning. In six months on the job, one man – Dusty
Baker – has flipped an organization’s mood.
He’s human serotonin.
Every now and then life intersects with an individual
who shines a little brighter than the rest.
They break down barriers, bring people together and generally make any situation
more fun. Prince’s music had that
effect. He wore purple. Dusty Baker has the magic too, and right now,
he looks fabulous in red.
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