‘Dusty Baker a Symbol of Perseverance’ Reflection

One of the famed managers in baseball, Dusty Baker has managed the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals and is presently with the Houston Astros

Dusty Baker is one of the longest-running faces in the sport of baseball. Many people know him from his accomplishments as both a player and a manager, but this story focused on the intricacies of his life. It begins by shedding light on his emphasis on prayer before diving into the details of his role at present in 2010 in Cincinnati. Rather than discussing his physical role, the focus is on Cincinnati itself and its location particularly in the years of slavery. 

The story then significantly turns and discusses his prostate cancer diagnosis and everything that came along with that. That story seems to come and go and the focus returns to baseball, the trials and tribulations of the home stretch of the season and the thrill of victory. Finally, the story ends with a personal look at Baker’s office and the lessons he has learned through his baseball career, cancer, as a father and more.

For a short story published on ESPN.com, this story really had it all. I enjoyed the way that the story was structured, detailing a few smaller stories within a longer story. This is very representative of the life of many in professional sports, different sagas of life with different teams and specific memories that stick out. Another key element that I really enjoyed were the brief anecdotes that were thrown in and really gave you an inside glimpse into his character. Three anecdotes that particularly struck me were when he said he was praying for Barack Obama, his discussion of wearing a diaper while he fought cancer and his mandate that people could take photos with him as long as they did not end up on Facebook.

Further, the use of stand-alone quotes in a few cases really strengthened the character development. One quote that really stood out to me was on page 223 after he received his cancer diagnosis and he said “It wasn’t a huge surprise because all the Baker-Russell men died early.” I found this quote to be almost jarring in a sense that he said it in such a nonchalant way. 

The quotes and dialogue surrounding the World Series where his son was on the field and people were talking behind his back also were powerful. While not explicitly saying it, being a manager is brutal and people say all sorts of things about you. The example of him keeping a toothpick in his mouth really said it all. “They said I kept a toothpick in my mouth so I could be noticed. I chew on a toothpick to try and quit tobacco,” and he continued on to discuss how his daughter dumps out his tobacco and his kids want him around forever. This was just another example of how laid back he seemed at really all points. Rather than getting upset about everyone discussing this about you, he calmly detailed why it was not the case, as he seemed to with everything else.

In sum, I think this was a very interesting story on who Dusty Baker really is. If you don’t know baseball, you really would not know the depth of his infamy throughout baseball. He made history in the beginning of his career as a player and is widely known as a problematic manager in the playoffs. My family especially remembers him from the Bartman incident that brought down the Chicago Cubs. Now, In his first year managing a National League baseball team, Baker is currently managing the Houston Astros at age 71. I would love to see how Bryant would continue to develop this story to the present day and encapsulate the rest of his historic journey.