Dusty Baker Quotes

Everyone has a budget, I don't care who you are. But they said if we are in a pennant race in the middle of the summer they are going to get some help with added payroll.

You can tell your uncle stuff that you could not tell your dad. That is kind of the role of an uncle. I feel very much like a father sometimes but sometimes I feel like a teammate.

On-base percentage is great if you can score runs and do something with that on-base percentage. Clogging up the bases isn't that great to me. The problem we have to address more than anything is the home run problem.

I have a lot of interests.

So I let them be responsible for there particular areas. Then by the time it gets to me that means that there is a problem. I have my eyes open and I need to know something about every department but you don't want to micro manage any particular department.

I love watching American League games, you know what I mean?

Everybody knows something, and nobody knows everything.

The only people I ever felt intimidated by in my whole life were Bob Gibson and my Daddy.

I think we match up with anybody because our pitching. In a short series you run your big three out there or four out there. That generally is what wins a series - pitching and defense. If we can catch the ball and not give away any runs like we do sometimes.

I'm not sure where my career is going here in Cincinnati.

Let them police themselves, and then it goes another step past them to my coaches and there a coach that is responsible for a different area and different category on the field.

I think walks are overrated unless you can run... If you get a walk and put the pitcher in a stretch, that helps. But the guy who walks and can't run, most of the time they're clogging up the bases for somebody who can run.

I'm a strong man, and usually I get over hurts and it makes me stronger when I come back.

It's like fishing -- you got to get that first one in the boat. Once you get that first one, the skunk is off the boat and everything's cool from then on. You've got to get that first one. Once he gets the first one, I know he'll be fine.

When you have an opportunity to take the lead and you don't, most of the time something bad happens.

Managers are never 100 percent in control. You're at the mercy of the players. When you're a player, you're driving. I'm the navigator. I hardly ever think about driving anymore, unless there's two out in the bottom of the ninth.

Everyone has a budget, I don't care who you are.

The fundamentals of baseball haven't changed, but how we can teach those fundamentals has. With an e-book, learning can be more rewarding and fun.

That's the reality of it. Everybody has a big two or three. The health of those big two or three ... there's a lot riding on it.

I love my daughter, but she had me on couscous and fixed me pastas and made me eat oatmeal every morning. Turkey burgers, turkey bacon and that kind of stuff. She wants her dad to live a long time, and I do, too.

That's what baseball is all about right there, a matter of will.

The only thing that's in my control is to win ballgames and God is always taking care of me.

I'm not a guy that sits around and does nothing.

You don't want to get beat, number one, and you hate getting shutout, number two, and even worse, no hits.

I love sharing my knowledge of hitting with others. Now coaches and players at all levels can learn my systematic approach to hitting a baseball with more consistency, mental strength and accuracy.