OF ALL THINGS
Long-time Richmond Braves’ trainer Sam Ayoub celebrated his 89th birthday last Friday (Nov. 10). Among the many calling to wish him well was Dusty Baker, who played for the local AAA franchise (1970-71) en route to becoming a guaranteed Hall of Fame inductee. He recently resigned as manager of the Houston Astros after taking them to three straight World Series … winning it all in 2022. Most accounts followed the party line, saying Baker, 74. retired ... but he has told anyone who asks that isn’t necessarily so. So why did the former outfielder who played for Atlanta and the LA Dodgers for most of his 19 major-league seasons leave the Astros? For the record ... some of his reasons included fan behavior and ongoing negative feedback from social media. It says here he walked away because of front-office meddling with day-to-day operations … which we’re told has become modus operandi throughout MLB. It’s no secret Baker clashed with Astros’ general manage...