Baylor Takes Strong Approach With Cubs

MESA, Ariz. —  The rules are posted where they can’t be missed, in a spot every player visits daily--the entrance to the shower. Mustaches are OK, beards aren’t recommended, haircuts must be neat, no cutoffs or gym shorts on the bus and leave the earrings at home.

These are Don Baylor’s rules. This is his team.

It’s immediately clear from the way he strolls confidently across the practice fields of spring training, conferring with his coaches, his hands in his back pocket, his eyes shifting and making mental notes on the players he now commands.

Baylor’s huge presence is undeniable. His task is formidable. It’s one many managers have tackled and failed. Make the Chicago Cubs consistent winners.

“Groove is just groove,” catcher Jeff Reed says, calling Baylor by his nickname.

“He’s always been intense. He played the game and he played it aggressively. He stood on top of the plate and challenged the pitcher. That’s pretty much the way he manages,” said Reed, who also played for Baylor during his first managerial stop in Colorado.

Baylor’s rules are a way of showing respect for a game he played with passion for 19 years in the majors. There are other signs, as well.

In his spring training office, there is a picture of a failing Babe Ruth summoning his strength and making a speech at Yankee Stadium. Beside it is another large print of a blue pool with this inscription: “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

It’s the credo Baylor wants to impart to his new team. From the last man on the bench to superstar Sammy Sosa, who has hit 129 homers the last two years but will be called upon to develop a more well-rounded game on the bases and in the field.

“Sammy and I won’t have any problems,” Baylor said, answering a much-asked question about handling a star whose personality and performance often overshadow the team.

“What I expect from Sammy is what I expect from everybody else. Better baseball.”

Baylor was the first manager of the Colorado Rockies, led them to their only postseason berth and then was fired after a 77-85 season in 1998. He had a 440-469 record in his six seasons in Colorado.

Now, after a year with Atlanta as the Braves’ hitting coach, a time when he was credited with helping Chipper Jones develop into an MVP, Baylor is back running a team.

It’s one that lost 95 games last season, has a long history of bad records and has added some new players in Eric Young, Ismael Valdes, Joe Girardi and Damon Buford.

“I’m not going to do it the same way. I have a little bit more liberty to do certain things this time I didn’t have the time before,” Baylor says, comparing his new managing job to his old one.