“I’ve always had kids around,” Baker said. “I’m Uncle Dusty. I’m Uncle Dusty to my own family. I’m the oldest cousin, son, whatever. I have 20-something nieces and nephews. It means a lot to these kids.
“It’s sort of like being a child actor, going on the set with your dad. Imagine how Martin Sheen feels or Donald Sutherland. You hope your son takes it to another level, but you don’t want to force them into this world.”
Baker said the kids love to play together.
“You ought to see them in the batting cages,” he said. “They’ve got their own games. They don’t need anybody. Just give them some water.”
Sunday is Father’s Day, of course, and Baker’s dad, Johnnie B. Baker Sr., died in 2009.
“I miss my father big time,” Baker said. “My wife’s going home tomorrow. I told her to make sure one of my sons puts flowers on my dad’s grave. I raise roses around my house. I don’t know how many roses I have. a hundred. I got that from my dad. He raised roses.
“When I was a kid, I read this article about Dick Allen, and Dick Allen uses to go hit the dead bulbs off the roses, the ones the petals fell off. Without disturbing a good one, he’d knock it off and learn by bat control. That sounded good to me. I had them all on the ground and my mom said, ‘Have you lose your mind? Wait until your dad gets home.’”
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