Sportswriter names ‘coolest guy in sports’

Noted sportswriter and author Jeff Pearlman continues to share stories and insights from his writing career on his TikTok channel.

He’s talked about the “grossest human being on the planet” and the “biggest ***hole” in baseball. Now, he’s flipping the script and talking about the coolest person he’s ever covered in sports.

Turns out, it’s longtime Major League Baseball manager and 2022 World Series winner Dusty Baker.

@jeffpearlmanauthor♬ original sound – Jeff Pearlman

“So, the coolest guy I ever dealt with in sports, pure cool, insanely cool, by far, Dusty Baker,” said Pearlman. “I was doing a lot of Giants when Dusty Baker was the manager there. He was just awesome.

“First of all, you could walk into his office, he’d know who you are, he’d be very polite, ‘have a seat,’ no powerplay bull**** like a lot of managers did. Just really cool, really chill. He’d know your name. He’d oftentimes know the name of your kids…he always knew who you worked for.

“Also, he had a lot of d**** on those teams. He had Barry Bonds, very tough. Jeff Kent, very tough. Never threw any of them under the bus. He would kinda acknowledge that they were difficult, but he would never talk **** about them, which really was kinda honorable.

“He would walk in, his feet would be up on the desk, he’d have a toothpick in his mouth or a lollipop or something. And he was just, it was a delight to deal with him. Always a delight. And I’ve truly never met anyone just singularly more cool. He was like the Fonzie of baseball. Still the coolest guy I’ve ever met in my life.”

Baker retired as a manager following last season. Between stints with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros, he compiled a 2,183-1,862 record (.540), and took three teams to the World Series, winning one of them. He also made three World Series appearances as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was part of their 1981 championship squad.

[Jeff Pearlman]