Dusty Gets His Ring and Other Thoughts for Thanksgiving Week
Including way too many Pennsylvania topics and a pizza/history discussion
Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker, Jr.; World Series Champion
Thank You, Readers
A few weeks ago I wrote about my father-in-law Larry, who was a devoted Philadelphia Phillies fan. First of all, thank you for the many kind words, and welcome to my new subscribers. It wasn’t easy, but the writing ended up being cathartic, and I hope it was an appropriate way to honor his memory.
Philly Gut Punch
As you know by now, the Phillies lost to the Astros in game six of the World Series. Certainly that was a gut punch for Philadelphia fans. But even more remarkable, earlier in the day the Philadelphia Union - their Major League Soccer club - lost a heartbreaker in the MLS Cup, meaning the city lost two championships in one day!
I’m not bringing this up to be cruel to Philly fans, but rather to comment on this astonishing confluence of events. In fact, I’ve started doing some research to see if this ever has happened to a city before - most likely it would be in the NBA and NHL due to their longer history of overlapping schedules. It’s certainly possible a city has been eliminated from the postseason twice in the same day, but has it occurred in the finals? So far I haven’t discovered another example. I will report back if I do, and I welcome any assistance from readers.
On a positive note for Philly fans, the Eagles are 9-1, so things are going alright in the City of Brotherly Love.
Dusty Gets His Ring
While I was disappointed for my family and friends who were rooting for the Phillies, Houston’s victory had its own shine for me. After nearly 3,900 games in the dugout (and more than 2,000 victories), Astros manager Dusty Baker finally won a championship.
I was really happy for Dusty, who has led five clubs over his 25-year managerial career, including my Cincinnati Reds for six seasons. He has taken every franchise he’s managed to the playoffs at least once (his teams have won the division nine times) and he took two of them - the Giants and the Astros - to the World Series. Yet Dusty’s clubs always came up short, and - fairly or unfairly - that had a negative impact on his reputation. The Cubs’ legendary meltdown in the 2003 NLCS (which was not Steve Bartman’s fault) is the most notable, and on a personal note, the 2012 playoff collapse by the Reds was one of my more difficult moments as a fan.
But Dusty persevered, and now he is a World Series Champion - a well-deserved accomplishment for an excellent manager and, by all accounts, a great guy.
In addition to his managerial prowess, Dusty is known around baseball as a gregarious figure, and I once had my own memorable run-in to prove it. He was managing the Reds at the time, and my girlfriend (now my wife) and I went down to Baltimore to see them play the Orioles. It turned out we were staying at the same hotel as the team, and as we were leaving on Sunday morning we found ourselves in the elevator with Dusty. He saw my Reds cap and immediately engaged us in a brief but memorable conversation. He was very charming and it was a nice moment I’ll always cherish as a baseball fan, especially when you consider he’s now a guaranteed Hall of Famer.
Congratulations, Dusty.
Steel Corrosion
Since I’ve spent a lot of time writing about Pennsylvania lately, let’s double down and move to the western part of the commonwealth. There was a time when I had a huge chip on my shoulder when it came to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They always played dirty, but often during that period (approximately 2005-2019) so did the Bengals. The Steelers-Bengals January 2016 playoff game, which regrettably I attended, is the most emblematic moment. It was embarrassing for both franchises. And of course, whenever it mattered most, the Steelers came out on top.
I don’t spend much time watching or thinking about the Steelers anymore. The Bengals have clearly surpassed them in terms of on-field quality, becoming a disciplined team that can compete for a championship each season - the way the Steelers always did. Simultaneously, it feels like the Steelers have spiraled into a bottom-dwelling team that feeds off undeserving bluster and bad behavior.
One of the final plays during yesterday’s nice Bengals victory highlighted how far apart these two franchises are at the moment, especially when it comes to class.
Winning can hide a team’s warts (“they’re not dirty, they’re competitors” or ”they simply find a way to win”) and it’s my belief that is what happened with the Steelers for so many years. Now, without the veneer of victory, plays like the one above are nothing more than dirty, undisciplined flaws that will continue to be corrosive to their franchise.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but right now I sort of feel bad for their fans (who typically don’t do much to garner sympathy). Sports are cyclical, and teams like the Steelers don’t stay down for long. At some point Pittsburgh will find their quarterback of the future (they might have him already, although I’m skeptical), and they will be annoyingly successful again. But I believe the climb will be much harder without a philosophical change. In the meantime, I do enjoy watching them lose.
Alright, stepping down from my soap box…
History/Pizza Topic
On Friday I decided to get a Red Baron frozen pizza for dinner. As I was enjoying a slice, it occurred to me how preposterous it is that we have a major food brand named after a German fighter pilot from World War I. No additional commentary from me on the topic, but something for you history and/or pizza buffs to chew on. Just make sure to let it cool first or you’ll burn the roof of your mouth.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the family, friends, food, and football (both versions).