Dusty Baker Doesn't Care For Questions On Cubs' Domination: 'Why Do I Have To Measure Against Them?'
(CBS) At 39-24, Dusty Baker's Nationals boast the second-best record in baseball. It's questions about those MLB-best Cubs that he doesn't really care for.
As Washington prepares to host Chicago in a three-game series starting Monday night in the nation's capital, Baker wasn't much interested in hearing about the domination of the Cubs, who are 43-18 and boast a run differential of an absurd plus-162.
No, Baker made clear, he doesn't view this series as a "measuring stick," and the Cubs' four-game sweep of the Nationals back in May isn't on his mind either.
"Why do I have to measure against them?" Baker said. "They're the best right now in our league, but I don't believe in that (measuring stick talk). I believe in measuring against yourself -- like how can we get better? So no, I don't look at it like that."
"How do I approach it? I approached it last night, that's how I approach this series. I approach the series with a positive attitude and thinking about winning and no negatives. Because everything that (could go) wrong for us in Chicago (went) wrong and everything that went right in Chicago went right for them. But you can't bring it back. There's nothing we can do about that. All we can do is go forward. You can give them the pennant right now if you want to. It's up to you, but you still got to play."
Baker was the Cubs' manager from 2003 to 2006. He led them to the NLCS in 2003, when the Cubs were five outs from clinching the pennant in Game 6 against the Marlins before a late meltdown and an ensuing loss in Game 7.