Dusty Baker has lived an extraordinary American life. Now he's sharing his story
"Crossroads" is another word for intersection and Baker's extraordinary life has intersected with profound moments in history and with iconic figures: Hank Aaron, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Walsh, Barack Obama, Satchel Paige, Miles Davis.
Baker's path though the second half of the twentieth century and the first quarter of this one has twisted through sports, of course - he was the batter on deck when Aaron set the home run record in 1974 - but also the social movements and cultural moments of the times. His is the story of a uniquely American life, full of modern day challenges like divorce and financial pressures but also the beauty of living with a curious mind and open heart.
Baker always knew he had a story to tell.
"But if I was going to do it, I was only going to do it when I was done," Baker said over a recent lunch near Oracle Park. "People can hold grudges if you tell your version of the truth."
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It's hard to find a person with a grudge toward Baker, one of the most beloved people in all of sports. Spend a few hours with him and it seems that everyone knows him - the cooks in the kitchen, the parking attendants, the folks on the street - and feels a personal connection.
Baker turns 77 next week. He didn't write his book for revenge or to dish dirt but because he knows he has had extraordinary connections.
"My father always told me, ‘Son, the Lord didn't give you all this knowledge, let you learn from Hank Aaron and all these others, for you to not share that,'" Baker said. "He told me that it wasn't mine to possess but to share with others."
As a coach and teacher and now a writer, Baker has shared. His book will be released on Tuesday.
His story starts in post-World War II Riverside, born two years after Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues. Baker grew up in a diverse community, playing every sport and hoping to follow in the footsteps of local idol Bobby Bonds, whom Baker's father, Johnnie B. Baker Sr. coached in Little League. Baker's parents hosted NAACP meetings and taught their children about the civil rights movement.
When he was in high school, the family moved to Carmichael, just outside Sacramento. Baker and his brother were the only Black students at Del Campo High. It was a shock but Baker learned to fit in. The location allowed for frequent trips to the Bay Area and he experienced all that 1960s San Francisco had to offer, including music at Winterland and smoking a joint with Hendrix in a North Beach alley.
A star athlete, Baker was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1967. Though he feared going to the Deep South in the midst of racial upheaval, he signed a professional contract rather than accept a scholarship to Santa Clara. His parents had recently divorced and Baker felt a responsibility to provide for his family. Making his way through spring training and the minor leagues he faced Jim Crow discrimination for the first time. A year later he joined the Marine Corps Reserve to avoid being drafted.
All those experiences - diverse Riverside, white Carmichael, the south, the military, the music scene of the 1960s - molded Baker's point of view, his sense of empathy and his ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
"I've always tried to turn negatives into a positive," he said. "I just tried to keep my eyes open and recognize the things could be positives and opportunities."
Throughout his life he has trusted his mentors: his parents, Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Walsh, whom he met while he was still playing baseball and who became a trusted advisor. Before Walsh died he gave Baker a part of his personal coaching archives.
Baker had plenty of tough times. His brother struggled with mental illness and homelessness. His first marriage, which produced his daughter Tosh, ended in a divorce. His parents both ultimately suffered from dementia. He has dealt with racism, ageism. He has battled serious illness.
"Hopefully a few things that I went through that can help other people, because I've been through a lot," he said.
He played the last years of his All-Star career on an injured leg and when he was finished playing he felt a bitterness toward baseball. His name had been dragged through baseball's drug scandal of the early 1980s. The Dodgers, with whom he won a World Series in 1981, released him in 1984 when he still had plenty of talent. The final years of his career were spent in the Bay Area, with the Giants and the A's, and when he retired he planned to become a stock broker.
But then, in 1987, former Dodgers general manager Al Campanis caused a firestorm saying he didn't believe Blacks had the "necessities" to be managers or general managers. Badly embarrassed, baseball set about trying to make a correction. The Giants called hoping to hire Baker as a coach and groom him to be manager. After five years on Roger Craig's staff, he became the manager in 1993.
He loved his time in San Francisco.
"I was starting Dusty, Part II," he said. "This was where I was supposed to be."
It was an exciting time. The Giants signed Barry Bonds, whom Baker had held as a baby, and Baker hired his former childhood idol, Bobby Bonds, to be a part of his staff. The team won 103 games the first year. Baker married his current wife Melissa and had a son, Darren. Baker was named Manager of the Year, eventually three times. The Giants built a new ballpark.
"I can't believe it's been 25 years," Baker said, looking across McCovey Cove at his old workplace. "I may have a few bricks in there."
But things were also difficult in San Francisco. He was battling serious IRS problems that were finally resolved. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Giants lost a crushing seven-game World Series to the Angels. And then Baker left. His departure is another thing he doesn't dish about.
"It was just time," he said.
Baker went on to manage in four more places: Chicago, Cincinnati, Washington and Houston. In Houston, where he was the only figure who could repair the tarnished Astros' image, he finally won his elusive World Series.
"Baseball is similar to life," Baker said. "You get up every day and you have to persevere."
His baseball career, which was shaped a half century earlier by the wisdom and experience of men like Aaron, ended in a time when Ivy League front office executives dictated strategy.
"I was never against analytics," Baker said. "What I'm against is the idea that there are absolutes in this game. You've got to use both. The problem I have is if they want me to accept 100% of theirs and none of yours."
Baker worked diligently on his book with co-writer Steve Kettmann. He dug through his files and went through 10 different versions.
"It was hard to relive some of that stuff that I had suppressed," he said.
Now special advisor to the Giants, Baker spends a few days a month in San Francisco and also works with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. He has a wine business, Baker Family Wines. He follows Darren, currently in the minor leagues after reaching the majors in 2024. He plays with his grandchildren - Tosh's two sons - who live in Oakland.
He starts every day with some sort of reading. And music, which is still his passion. He finds serenity in fishing. He doesn't like to use GPS for directions, wanting to rely on his memory. He may be one of the few who still memorizes people's phone numbers.
"Willie Brown used to tell me, ‘Don't let the old man in,'" Baker said. "I like to think I'm part of every generation, that I can connect to all ages."
Connections, intersections and crossroads have shaped Baker's life.
"I still don't know the ultimate reason I was put on this earth," he said. "Why me?"
Who better?
June 8, 2026
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Ann Killion
Sports Columnist
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