Should Dusty Baker be fired?

[crazyforbaseball]

Rynos been here and there.....he's a done a few things for the Cubs and also did some previews for SI and Yahoo before the year started.

Looks like Girardi might be available at seasons end....if the Marlins owner is stupid enough to fire him...

[joviyach]

The guy took the Giants to the World Series and the Cubs within a couple of outs of the World Series. I don't think someone suddenly gets dumb/worthless overnight.

Look it wasn't Dusty's fault that management hitched their hopes on Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. They gave Hendry an extension for that. Dusty didn't break Derrek Lee's wrist. He didn't stick himself with Dempster as a closer. Sure they had the payroll, and if you look at it on paper, you say "How in the World did this guy end up in fourth place in the anemic NL Central?" but look at who they were paying...

I do blame Dusty for sticking Neifi Perez out there everyday, and not breaking his foot off in that slug of a third baseman's rear end when he failed to hustle, and some of the things that were under his control, but maybe those things can be fixed. Aramis Ramirez is most likely going to be someone else's problem next year, and I hope to God he ends up with someone like Larry Bowa. [/i]

[stevethumb]

good first post and welcome to the cafe.....BUT...dusty baker has to go and he will be a liability to whatever team picks him up

[tal1286]

Cubs fans bitched and moaned for a legitimate leadoff hitter.

And we still don't have one.

Dude, Juan Pierre is the best leadoff hitter in the game. Christ! What more do you want than a .300 hitter who steals 50 bases? Why does he suck so bad this year? I'd say it's a mix between the long infield grass at Wrigley (which has supposedly been cut shorter), and Dusty Baker's incompetence as a manager. Possibly also something having to do with a goat.

I'm sorry but that's just wrong. Pierre is absolutely NOT the best leadoff hitter in the game and probably nowhere near the top.

1. Statistics have shown that stealing bases is only worthwhile if you can do it at a 75% clip. Pierre is nowhere near that.

2. His OBP is really low to begin with. It isn't high enough. Now, adjust his OBP for the amount of times he has been caught stealing and his OBP is something like .300. That is truly awful.

There are different philosophies for who you want leading off but I think that no matter whether you want a speedy guy or a slower guy who gets on base, you want someone who has a high OBP. Speedy guys who can't get on base hardly ever belong high in the order. If they have any value starting they should be low in the order and if not starting, pinch running.

[crazyforbaseball]

Well, look like Lou will be the man for the next 3 years. I'm hearing all these promises from upper management, I have been for 28 years.

Let's see what happens

[Pogotheostrich]

You know I've really enjoyed Dusty on ESPN. I'm almost hoping he doesn't get a new managerial gig and keeps doing analysis.