Dusty Baker says he's "ready to do more with more"

The Nationals introduced Dusty Baker as their new manager at a news conference Thursday morning at Nationals Park. Baker becomes the seventh manager in the club's history since arriving in D.C. in 2005.

"This is a big occasion in my life and in my family's life," Baker said. "My son and daughter and wife are very, very excited. It was my wife and my son that really helped me make up my mind to accept and take this job because I had their total blessing.

"They know that I had a burning desire to succeed in my heart that wasn't filled in my life and you hate to have voids in your life. You can live without them, but I'd rather not. I've always thought about possibly managing here in the District and Washington, D.C."

Baker said he felt comfortable taking the job in the nation's capital and that the Lerner family, which owns the Nationals, made him feel right at home.

"It's like a family. It's like coming home to a family," Baker said. "This is what the Lerners are all about. It's about family and I'm about family, sticking close together and a common goal and a common end. I'm looking forward to it to come into this area. I'd like to thank the Lerner family for accepting me and making me feel very comfortable here in Washington."

Baker said this will be his final go-around as a manager and he is thrilled to be able to direct a team that already has a good amount of talent already on its roster.

"This is my fourth and final team, and beyond compare, this is the best talent - that's why I was excited about coming here," Baker said. "Most of the other teams that I had were either on the bottom or near the bottom and (I) had to rebuild them from the bottom. I asked a friend of mine, Al Attles, who's with the (Golden State) Warriors, I said, 'Al, how come I always get teams and have to build them up?' He said, 'Dusty, you do more with less'. I told him I was ready to do more with more.

"They have some great talent here. They have young talent here. They have some mixture of youth and experience at the same time. I've always liked that formula. The youth gives you energy, they do crazy stuff and like your kids. They give you energy. And hopefully the veteran players can give some of the wisdom and knowledge that they've acquired over the years both on the field and off the field."

Baker made himself right at home in D.C. On Wednesday night, he attended the Wizards' thrilling last-second win over the Spurs at Verizon Center. He said he knows the city commands attention and offers up a unique mixture of people and cultures from all over the world.

"I do know quite a few politicians, namely from the president down," Baker said. "It's a perfect fit because of the culture here, the educational system here. I'd like to turn my son on to the diversity that's here. Because last night, I went to a basketball game and I saw people from all over the country and all over the world.

"I'm used to diversity. This is probably the most diverse setting and the most diverse town that I've been in."

Baker also embraces the fact that he is the only African American manager in the big leagues.

"I felt a sense of responsibility the whole time I've been managing because there (have) never really been many managers of color," Baker said. "My parents were heavily involved in the NAACP when I was a kid and I was in the Junior NAACP. My mom always stressed education and pride in our family."

Much has been written about Baker's philosphy as a manager. Having been out of the game for two years, has he changed any of his style?

"The great Bill Walsh ..., who was also one of my mentors, told me every once and awhile you have to recreate yourself as a man and a person," Baker said. "I like to think that I'm in the middle of a recreation now. I'll let you know when I get a finished product."

Baker, who had a small stroke and dealt with an irregular heartbeat in 2012, said he is in better health and has been "strengthened" since he left the Reds in 2013. That provides him with confidence that he can take the daily grind of a lengthy baseball season.

"I had a conversation with my son last night and I said, 'Hey man, you think you (are) a chip off the old block?' " Baker said. "My dad worked two jobs for 36 years and took a 20-minute break in between jobs and he was never sick. I don't know when he got sick, I mean ever. I've tried to adhere to that work ethic."

"I have high hopes and dreams and aspirations and I just know that they will be filled here."