Padres risk publicity fallout if Baker is hired
I'll start by being completely upfront: I don't know very much about Dusty Baker's managerial style. He seemed to do alright as the Giants' skipper, but Cubs fans grew to despise him. Now that Baker has parted ways with the Cubbies (who tapped Lou Piniella as their new manager), and Bruce Bochy has made his early exit out of San Diego, the Padres have announced that they will be interviewing Baker for their open managerial position.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise, not only because the Padres indicated that their search would not include former MLB managers, but also because Baker has suffered a significant tarnishing of his reputation at the hands of frustrated Cubs fans in the past few years. I haven't followed the Cubs closely enough to know is this is deserved, but regardless, San Diego would be taking on a serious marketing liability by hiring Baker. In this light, the only way that Baker can be brought on board is if San Diego's brass can convince Padres' fans that the Dusty era doesn't imply defeat by default.
Let's not discount Dusty's achievements: he has 3 NL Manager of the Year awards, and he got the Giants to the 2002 WS and the 2003 Cubs into the postseason. And don't forget that in 2003, Cubs fans were wearing "In Dusty We Trusty!" t-shirts. (How fickle the love of the public is.)
However, I think hiring Baker will send the wrong message out to the Padres' faithful. While the team came apart at the seams in the divisional series, 2006 was a good season, and fans want to see this success built upon to create a stronger 2007 campaign. Is hiring a manager who barely escaped the wrath of Chicago fans a move in this direction?
Padres GM Kevin Towers recently commented, "I think ultimately what the fans want is a winning organization and someone who can win year in and year out…" The question is, can Dusty Baker win year in and year out in southern California?
[…] I was disappointed that Joe Girardi pulled himself out of the running for the vacant managerial position with the Nats. I felt that his young age and fresh but tough managerial style would be the perfect fit for Washington's young team. After Piniella went to the Cubs, I was not impressed to hear that the Nationals were planning to interview Dusty Baker. Both Tony Pena and Terry Pendleton pulled themselves out of the running, and a few other unfamiliar names were added to the list of candidates. The situation was looking grim, until Manny Acta emerged as a potential candidate. […]