At approximately 7:05p CST tonight the Devil himself, Dusty Baker, will arrive at Wrigley Field again. It is unknown as to whether or not he will sacrifice a virgin, wipe out rows of Wrigley spectators by simply moving his arms while chanting some indecipherable language, or make a pentagram in the clubhouse with pine tar while drinking pig’s blood from a hemlock cup before, during, or after the game but it would not surprise me. He may even eat a puppy during the pre-game show and publicly state his undying servitude to the “Almighty Dark Lord.”
In spite of the dual forces of hindsight and Moises Alou’s recent admission, many will still believe that Steve Bartman is the primary reason for the cursed trajectory the Cubs took in the 2003 NL Championship series. If that is what you believe then that is fine, but like Verbal Kint says in The Usual Suspects, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.” It was Baker, not Bartman, who allowed Mark Prior to stay in the 8th inning when the Marlins had started to get on base, and it was Baker, not Bartman, who decided to not use well-rested starters Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano in Game 7 to match Marlins manager Jack McKeon’s use of starters for bullpen relief.
The Cubs were leading in Game 7 and McKeon wasted no time getting Josh Beckett warmed up to take over in the 3rd or 4th inning (I forget which). When the Cubs fell behind Baker was apparently content with letting Kyle Farnsworth, Dave Veres, and Mike Remlinger hold the fort down even though McKeon used a total three starters (Mark Redman, Brad Penny, and Josh Beckett) before letting Urbina close it out.
Once Game 7 started I pretty much forgot all about the Bartman stuff as it didn’t apply to anything anymore. It was an anomaly; a bad anomaly but an anomaly nonetheless. What really mattered was Game 7 and Baker completely pissed it away—he kept Kerry Wood in too long (Prior and Wood pretty much owned the #1 and #2 spot on the “Most Innings Pitched” board in 2003; stands to reason he should’ve been more conservative with them), and he consciously decided to not keep pace with McKeon’s bullpen decisions. All in all, I really hate Baker and I believe that he cost the Cubs that series and he certainly cost the Cubs any chances repeat playoff chances in 2004 by mindlessly sticking with Sosa up high in the lineup and clutching to a less-than-stellar bullpen (I mean, we all knew LaTroy Hawkins was damaged goods during the second week of the season).
My only advice to Reds fans is be prepared to have your heart ripped out by Baker as he will no doubt kill your starting pitchers (I’d be worried if I were Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo right now), cling to pedestrian bullpens (hey, look, David Weathers and Kent Mercker have jobs!), and create a clubhouse environment that’s conducive to insulated ass-kissing to the point that no local media can critique the team and, if things really get bad, Baker will talk to the media with his kid present so that the questions don’t get too tough. After Game 7, when the media should have been grilling Baker for his grossly idiotic coaching gaffes, Baker answered questions with his son on his lap. It was the definition of cowardly.
Maybe if the Cubs eventually win a World Series my feelings toward Baker may change but until then he is the Devil who killed all of the joy that I had bottled up over the years at the thought of a Cubs World Series victory. Since 2003, I’ve had to endure watching the Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals all celebrate a World Series victory which makes me hate Baker even more.
So, you can still have your hang-ups about Bartman but I know who the real villain is and he chews on toothpicks and wears glasses. He looks non-threatening and seems nice and cordial and the people who work directly with him seem to be fiercely loyal to him. Sounds like the Devil incognito to me.