Dusty Baker said what?

Dusty Baker is a tough guy to get a handle on.

Yesterday the Reds manager dove head-first into theJohnny Cueto-Matt Garza feud by saying that he thinksplayers should settle disputes by locking themselves in a room and fighting until “somebody hits the ground.”

Then later in the same afternoon he publicly criticized his team’s best player, Joey Votto, for using curse words after striking out. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes:

Baker wasn’t happy with Votto’s outburts.

“I understand (his frustration),” Baker said. “I have a son that idolizes him. Sometimes an open display of displeasure is not a good example, whether you come through or not later. Joey is the face of baseball. I’d like to see him temper it a little bit.”

So swearing is a no-no because “I have a son that idolizes him” and it’s “not a good example” but suggesting that two baseball players go into a room and beat each other up to settle an on-field issue is a great idea. I’m sure there’s some “old-school” reasoning for why naughty words are terrible and violence is wonderful, but the juxtaposition within the same afternoon sure seems odd.