Sep 25th 2008 11:53AM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
When Dusty Baker was still managing the Chicago Cubs, he did a lot of things that Cubs fans just didn’t quite understand. One of the things Baker did that drove most of the Cubs fans I know crazy was his seemingly undying devotion to Corey Patterson. Patterson was touted as a five-tool superstar in the making as a Cub, but he never developed into one, and instead spent most of his time striking out on forehead high fastballs or flying out harmlessly.

It was enough to make some people wonder if Corey had some kind of dirt on Dusty, and was blackmailing him for playing time. Then when Baker went to Cincinnati to manage the Reds, guess who he brought with him? That’s right, Corey Patterson. Now after Reds fans were forced to watch Patterson play all season and hit .206 (not to mention the sparkling .241 OBP), they’ve come up with their own ideas for why Corey is sticking around. Rumors Dusty felt the need to refute publicly.There’s been a persistent rumor floating around the Reds that Baker’s 28-year-old daughter, Natosha, is dating and/or engaged to outfielder Corey Patterson.

Baker finally had enough when players on the Astros asked him about it.Continue Reading