One very bad week clinched Dusty Baker's fate. The Cincinnati Reds decided they weren't going to bring him back. Not after they ended the season with six losses in a row, including the wild-card playoff game. Not after they failed to get past the opening round of the playoffs for the third time in a row. Not with all the booing at Great American Ball Park. Instead of keeping Baker around for one more try, the Reds fired him on Friday, parting ways with the manager who led them to their best stretch of success since the Big Red Machine but couldn't get them deep into the postseason.
