The Tribune has the best Dusty Baker quotes from every season he was with the Cubs.
Some highlights:
- On Antonio Alfonseca as his closer:
That closer is the guy with the black hood on that's pulling the rope on the guillotine to take the last breath out of the opposition for a loss, and to take the last breath out of anything is tough. I'm a hunter, and I'll shoot a dove or a quail, and right before I'm about to wring his neck, it'll peck me one more time. He can't do anything to me, but he's fighting for his last breath.
- On seeing a billy goat before Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against Florida (middle right):
I was on Madison Street in front of the Billy Goat Tavern, and there was that dude out there with a billy goat and a camera crew. I just said, `Oh, Lord.' I waved to 'em, but they didn't know it was me. He was a pretty handsome old goat though. He's not your normal, can-eating, tied-up-in-the-back goat. He was a handsome goat. This goat looked like he came right off a goat contest.
- On not showing emotion during a losing streak:
I remember (former Braves manager) Eddie Mathews turned over a food spread once. What good does that do? What's that? To get your blood pressure up and you can die of a heart attack? After Eddie turned it over one time, it was hot dogs, and we thought it was ridiculous. We even went and washed the hot dogs and ate 'em.
http://www.stblogs.org/scgi-bin/mv/mt-tb.cgi/20134
