Astros manager Dusty Baker upset with Texans' firing of Lovie Smith: "Hurt me when they fired my boy Lovie without giving him much opportunity"
Dusty Baker managed the Houston Astros all the way to a World Series title this year. His NFL counterpart, Lovie Smith, couldn't do the same with the Houston Texans.
The Texans were bad all year and have been for a few seasons, unlike the Astros who have enjoyed a prolonged run of success. The Texans fired Smith after just one season, something that bothered Baker.
Astros manager Dusty Baker discusses his favorites to win the Super Bowl. Adds that it "kind of hurt me when [the Texans] fired my boy Lovie [Smith] without giving him much opportunity." https://t.co/sOigNGFmVG
Smith was asked about making a Super Bowl prediction. He initially chose the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills to face off in February, but was then reminded that Patrick Mahomes can easily carry a team to the Super Bowl.
A reporter joked that the fellow Houston team, the Texans, would not be winning. They finished with the second-worst record in the NFL. Baker wasn't pleased with their decision to move on from a friend of his at head coach:
"That kind of hurt me when [the Texans] fired my boy Lovie [Smith] without even giving him a chance."
Smith was obviously not the long-term coach the Texans wanted and they were quick to remove him after one season in which he had very little talent. There wasn't much he could do.
As Dusty Baker said, they didn't really give him a chance. Alas, bad teams often try to get the best draft picks they can, which may be why they hired Smith in the first place. They knew he couldn't turn the team around, which is exactly what they wanted.
What is Dusty Baker's record as a manager?
Dusty Baker is one of the oldest managers in the game. He's been managing teams since 1993 when he took over the San Francisco Giants. He debuted with 103 wins that year.
He spent 10 years with the Giants, six with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Chicago Cubs, three with the Houston Astros and two with the Washington Nationals.
He has a cumulative record over those 25 seasons of 2093-1790, good for a .539 win percentage. It is expected that, as long as he continues to manage this Astros team, those numbers will get even better.