How he felt is what he would say, but he’d say it in such a way that it didn’t hurt you.” That matter-of-fact tone that people can misread, that’s how (Mr. “Dusty is a chip off the old block, so when you see Dusty, that’s Mr. “When I showed Dusty that I did this, he was short on words - which is not easy for Dusty,” Mims said. The Father’s Day wristbands use a design Mims initially made last year for the Topps 70th anniversary project. When Baker began managing the Astros in 2020, he added “Jr.” to the back of his jersey to honor his dad.
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His father, smiling warmly, looms over his left shoulder, dressed in a suit with a matching wide-brimmed hat.īaker often credits his father, who died in 2009, for teaching him discipline and how to move through the world as a Black man.
His signature toothpick hangs out of his mouth. The wristbands are based on a photo from Baker’s time managing the San Francisco Giants and embroidered with painstaking detail. Baker for what he meant to me in the time I had known him, and I know how important that is to Dusty,” Mims said. “I don’t know if this is going to be Dusty’s last year, but what I do know is I wanted to pay homage to Mr. When the Astros host the White Sox for a game on Father’s Day, Baker will pay tribute to his late dad by wearing custom wristbands made for him by close friend and legendary baseball vendor James Mims. This weekend, the Astros skipper hopes to make a memory combining a personal inspiration with one of his favorite accessories. Throughout his long career as a baseball player and manager, Dusty Baker has maintained a consistent image built around unique values and style. Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 7 of7Īn array of customized Mimsbandz major league player wristbands designed by James Mims. He's one of a dozen Hall of Famers to wear Mimsbandz. Reggie Jackson, now a special adviser to Astros owner Jim Crane, was a customer of baseball vendor James Mims during his playing days. Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 5 of7Īfter showing Dusty Baker his wristband prototype, James Mims presented him with this adjusted version. This wristband featuring Dusty Baker was the Mimsbandz prototype developed in 1986, when Baker was about to embark on his final season as a major league player with the Oakland A’s. Courtesy photo Show More Show Less 3 of7īaseball vendor James Mims, left, and Astros manager Dusty Baker have a friendship that dates to 1976, when Mims was 12 and Baker was in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the background is his father, Johnnie Baker Sr. On Father’s Day, Astros skipper Dusty Baker will wear this customized wristband based on a photo from his time managing the San Francisco Giants. Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of7
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Astros manager Dusty Baker sports one of his signature wristbands during Game 2 of the 2021 World Series at Minute Maid Park.