Watching the 2022 World Series and wondering why Dusty Baker is called “Dusty” in the first place?
Wonder no more, we have the story.
First off, maybe you didn’t realize we’re talking about Johnnie B. Baker, the full name of the Houston Astros manager.
So how did he come to be known as “Dusty”?
“They call me Dusty because we had a big backyard that my dad planted, had grass everywhere,” he told reporters in 2016, via NBC Sports Washington. “It was like a football field, and then there was one dirt spot in the middle and that’s where I seemed to like to play. My mom didn’t want to call me ‘Dirty,’ so she called me ‘Dusty.'”
Here’s more:
“And then everybody in my family, the only thing they have called me is Dusty my whole life. The only guys that call me Johnnie are guys that I went to elementary and junior high school with that the teacher won’t call you by your nicknames. So, if somebody calls me Johnnie B, it kind of gets my attention. If they call me Dusty, I just wave.”
[vertical-gallery id=1028959]