Another addition to the Dusty Real nikka Chronicles. Astros are in are playing the Braves this weekend and yesterday he stopped by one of the best soul food spots in the city. Hank Aaron used to take him there. And over the years he took all his teammates there when they'd play Atlanta. Of course he's cool with the owner 
ATLANTA — More than 50 years after Dusty Baker’s first visit to The Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta, back when he was a young Braves outfielder with Hank Aaron as a mentor in the early 1970s, Baker keeps coming back. The Busy Bee is a soul-food institution, an American classic, as is Baker. Both are beloved, revered and brimming with old-school charm.
So when Baker, manager of the World Series champion Houston Astros, stopped by the Busy Bee on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on Saturday to pick up lunch for himself and many Astros players and coaches, you would’ve thought a relative returned home for the holidays. An immensely popular relative.
Smiles, hugs and laughter abounded, as the hippest, most ebullient septuagenarian on the planet regaled restaurant staff with updates on himself, his team and family members including son Darren, who used to visit the Busy Bee as a small child and is now a minor leaguer hitting .368 with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate.
“They know me when I call,” Baker said, smiling. “They’re like, ‘Hi Dusty!’ Miss (Julia) Mae used to be there. She was there for years. She’d take care of me. We went to the same church.”
The restaurant, which opened in 1947, has been owned by the Gates family since 1981, and Baker is close with owner Tracy Gates.
“Remarkable guy,” Gates said. “He has been — personality-wise, friendliness — the same person always. Win the World Series or don’t win the World Series, Dusty is just a good ol’ country boy. He’s getting oxtails, and he said, ‘You got some corn?’ I had to find out when Houston’s coming back to town because I have to have him fresh corn. We accommodate Dusty, because we’re just happy to see him, glad he’s healthy, glad he’s still in baseball. Dusty’s good for baseball.”
Gates added, “He still eats like he always has. Hasn’t gained weight or anything. He’s still Dusty. He looks great.”
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ATLANTA — More than 50 years after Dusty Baker’s first visit to The Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta, back when he was a young Braves outfielder with Hank Aaron as a mentor in the early 1970s, Baker keeps coming back. The Busy Bee is a soul-food institution, an American classic, as is Baker. Both are beloved, revered and brimming with old-school charm.
So when Baker, manager of the World Series champion Houston Astros, stopped by the Busy Bee on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on Saturday to pick up lunch for himself and many Astros players and coaches, you would’ve thought a relative returned home for the holidays. An immensely popular relative.
Smiles, hugs and laughter abounded, as the hippest, most ebullient septuagenarian on the planet regaled restaurant staff with updates on himself, his team and family members including son Darren, who used to visit the Busy Bee as a small child and is now a minor leaguer hitting .368 with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate.
“They know me when I call,” Baker said, smiling. “They’re like, ‘Hi Dusty!’ Miss (Julia) Mae used to be there. She was there for years. She’d take care of me. We went to the same church.”
The restaurant, which opened in 1947, has been owned by the Gates family since 1981, and Baker is close with owner Tracy Gates.
“Remarkable guy,” Gates said. “He has been — personality-wise, friendliness — the same person always. Win the World Series or don’t win the World Series, Dusty is just a good ol’ country boy. He’s getting oxtails, and he said, ‘You got some corn?’ I had to find out when Houston’s coming back to town because I have to have him fresh corn. We accommodate Dusty, because we’re just happy to see him, glad he’s healthy, glad he’s still in baseball. Dusty’s good for baseball.”
Gates added, “He still eats like he always has. Hasn’t gained weight or anything. He’s still Dusty. He looks great.”
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