SAN FRANCISCO -- Dusty Baker is going back to youth baseball.
This weekend, Baker will be the fill-in coach for 9-year-old son Darren's 10-and-under traveling tournament team, Hard 90 Pastime out of Roseville, Calif., near the Bakers' Northern California home.
The 59-year-old Baker spent his first season as skipper of the Cincinnati Reds this year working with a roster of youngsters, but this of course will be much different. He finally gets to coach his son -- and in the Bay Area, no less. The tournament will be in nearby Sunnyvale.
"The head coach is away for the weekend. I begged my dad to coach the team," Darren said. "I'm very excited because it was his dream to always coach me."
Baker's son became a household name six years ago when, working as a San Francisco Giants bat boy, he ran onto the field near home plate during the World Series and was quickly scooped up by J.T. Snow to avoid being run over.
Darren always figured he'd have to wait for his father to retire before getting to have him as a coach. Baker recently told his son, "It's a dream of mine to coach you."
The team is ranked fourth nationally, No. 1 in Northern California and is coming off a title last weekend, according to Darren's mom, Melissa. Darren is the second baseman and occasional outfielder.
"I am so shocked he agreed to do it. Darren sort of persuaded him," Melissa Baker said. "The funny thing is that Dusty just can't get over the goofing around that still goes on with these 9- and 10-year-olds. He wants them to always hustle and stay focused.
"He didn't think it would be this soon. He thought he would have to wait until he was retired to coach Darren. That's what he wants to do when he's out of the game."
Darren has been Baker's "Mini Me" in a matching No. 12 Cincinnati or Chicago Cubs jersey in recent years. He will be wearing No. 12 this weekend on his navy blue uniform.
Baker's Reds just endured their eighth straight losing season and he watched as slugger Ken Griffey Jr. was traded away, along with Adam Dunn.
Baker was fired by the Cubs after the 2006 season on the heels of an NL-worst 66-96 finish in his fourth year. That's after Chicago came within five outs of reaching the World Series in his first season.
They replaced him with Lou Piniella, whose Cubs were swept out of the first round of the playoffs last week by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Baker managed the Giants for 10 years from 1993 through their World Series loss to the Angels in 2002.
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