Month: November 2022

The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros announced Wednesday that manager Dusty Baker has agreed to a one-year contract extension with the organization.

The 73-year-old Baker told reporters at a news conference that it is “to be determined” if he will return in 2024, but added, “I’m happy to be back. I had an idea I’d be back, but I wanted to complete the task we had at hand.” Astros owner Jim Crane said: “We are certainly excited to have Dusty back. It was a great season. … He has really done a lot for the team.”

Hired by the Astros in 2020, Baker led Houston to a 230-154 record over three seasons. The Astros reached the postseason in all three and appeared in the last two World Series. In 2022, Baker led the Astros to 106 regular-season wins, the second-most in franchise history.  They went 11-2 this postseason, including their World Series triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

Baker was a two-time All-Star and 1981 World Series champion over a 19-year playing career. He spent eight seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, eight with the Atlanta Braves, two with the Oakland Athletics and one with the Giants. In his playing career, the former Gold Glove outfielder hit .278 with 242 home runs and 137 stolen bases over his playing career.

Baker was a manager for 24 seasons before his first World Series win, first serving as manager of the San Francisco Giants for 10 seasons. He also coached the Chicago Cubs for four seasons, the Cincinnati Reds for six seasons and the Washington Nationals for two seasons. Baker has 2,093-1,790 record over his nearly three-decade managerial career.

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On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets announced they have named Jacque Vaughn as their head coach, replacing Steve Nash.  Vaughn, a Nets assistant since 2016, was named acting head coach after the Nets parted ways with Nash following a 2-5 start. Vaughn, a former college star who spent 12 seasons in the NBA as a player and has coached in the league since 2010, began his coaching career as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich.

Vaughn was previously a Nets interim head coach in 2020 and was head coach for the Orlando Magic for two-plus seasons from 2012-2015. Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement: “Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward. He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”

The appointment of Vaughn officially ends rumors that the franchise planned to hire suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka. Udoka had been immediately identified as Nash’s likely successor, but that news was met with backlash among media and fans who wondered why the Nets would be so quick to hire a coach who was suspended by the Celtics on Sept. 22 for “violations of team policies.”  Reports says that Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with a team staffer.

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