Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - Dusty Baker wants to follow in Cito's footsteps

Dusty Baker wants to follow in Cito's footsteps

In Peter Gammons' recent article on teams that are training in Arizona and have new managers, Dusty Baker mentions Cito Gaston twice.

"Someone suggested that I sit out a year. Why? I don't want to be the next Cito Gaston. He won two world championships, took some time off after losing his job and hasn't managed again, and he was a great manager. This is a funny business."

"It still kills me that we didn't win the World Series. We were so close ... I want to win at everything. I hate to lose. I come to the park thinking about nothing but winning. And, beyond winning and the players, I wanted to win to be the second African-American manager to win a world championship, to be Cito's successor."

Obviously, Baker has a great deal of respect for Gaston - more than many fans in Toronto have. At best, Cito was thought of as a push-button manager who sat back and watched his players win; at worst, he has been credited (debited) with running Shawn Green and John Olerud out of town.

My opinion is that Cito was good at gaining the respect of his veteran players (which is not always easy to do, as Buck Martinez will no doubt tell you). He wasn't as effective with young players, and wasn't especially good at in-game strategy. But the Jays have been to the post-season a total of five times, and Cito was in charge of four of those teams (and the hitting coach on the fifth), and deserves credit for that.

What do you all think?

Posted by Dave Till on Monday, February 17 2003 @ 11:55 AM EST.

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Craig B - Monday, February 17 2003 @ 12:31 PM EST (#96119) #

Well, I think Cito was indeed unfairly maligned - he coaxed performances out of lots of players who were not as good before or after they were with him - and that his achievement in bringing the team through four straight rounds of playoffs is significant.

The steady hand never receives the credit it deserves, and the media love action; their meal ticket is the sound and fury. A quiet approach is anathema to selling papers or talk shows, which is why the sports media are usually found relentlessly stirring the pot trying to create controversy. If someone dedicates themselves to quelling that, you'll be ripped for it.

Cito needs to bear some responsibility for his inflexible approach that essentially cost the Jays two superstars. But all in all, if I could go back and change the decision to promote him in 1989, I wouldn't do it. We often forget that also made some brilliant player-development moves, like making David Wells a starter and preserving Duane Ward's increased role, and it was Cito's encouragement of a more selective approach that helped Roberto Alomar develop into a premier hitter.

Coach - Monday, February 17 2003 @ 12:52 PM EST (#96120) #

if I could go back and change the decision to promote him in 1989, I wouldn't do it.

Me neither. Gaston was the right man at the right time, and pushed the right buttons often enough to win. He doesn't suit a young team that needs development, and perhaps others could have won with those Jays, but Cito did it, and deserves credit.

_Spicol - Monday, February 17 2003 @ 01:53 PM EST (#96121) #

In my mind, Joe Torre today is a very similar manager to what Cito was. Both use leadership and motivation as their chief tools toward success. These are terribly underappreciated skills in baseball because they are so hard to measure.

Neither Joe or Cito are known for being tacticians but try and show me a manager who is a great tactician AND leader AND developer of skills, who is good with young and old players, both pitchers and hitters. Few, if any, managers have the entire package of skills I mentioned (Sparky Anderson perhaps but he wasn't a great in-game manager either). As others have said, Cito had the skills required for the Jays at that time. Joe Torre gets credit for piloting the Yankees in such a fashion...Cito deserves the same.

Dave Till - Monday, February 17 2003 @ 02:02 PM EST (#96122) #

Cito also gets credit for reviving Tom Henke's career. When Henke got off to a slow start in 1989, Jimy Williams buried him in the bullpen and used Ward as his closer. When Cito took over, he gradually worked Henke back into the mix. By the end of the season, Henke was dominant, and the Jays were on top.

By the way, how much blame does Cito get for the Green and Olerud situations? I've heard conflicting stories - does anybody have any authoritative references?

_Jordan - Monday, February 17 2003 @ 10:17 PM EST (#96123) #

Once I've wrapped up my piece on A-Ball pitchers (hopefully for Wednesday), I'll be starting work on a ranking of all the managers in the Blue Jays' brief history. I already have the final standings ready, and it would come as no surprise that Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox are in the top two positions. What will probably spark some debate is who's first and who's second. And my choice of (cue Comic Book Guy) Worst Manager Ever may raise a few hackles, too.

My overall take on Cito: criminally underrated.

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