The nasty feud that ended with Dusty Baker's departure from the Giants is remarkable for many reasons, but to grasp the sheer inanity of it, consider this: Both parties chose to make bad decisions in the interest of saving face. They chose vanity, or at least personal pride, over the common good.

	If it weren't for everyone's "me first" attitude, Dusty Baker would still be a Giant.

There's no doubt Baker would have been better off staying in the Bay Area, where he is adored above any athlete -- yes, even Barry Bonds. His occasionally offbeat in-game decisions are mostly viewed as endearing personality quirks. The lack of serious media criticism perfectly suits his thinning skin. His feel-good, inclusive style of managing was ideal for such a loose, diverse region.

There's no doubt the Giants would have been better off keeping Baker as manager. He took them to within eight outs of a World Series title, but that was only the beginning. He was the face of the team, a man with a thoughtful and welcoming air who offset Bonds' brooding brilliance. Baker made it easy to pull for the Giants.

But this episode was destined to prove that the fight for "props" isn't limited to the guys who do the playing. Giants honcho Peter Magowan resented the credit Baker received for the team's success, constantly using his platform to remind the world that he saved the team (a dubious claim) in 1992 and then built the world's greatest ballpark (true, but not for purely philanthropic reasons.)

So they both lost. Baker is off to Chicago, presumably, to face a far more jaundiced media corps and a grab-bag roster of has-beens, prospects and Sammy Sosa. The Giants might hire Jim Fregosi.

It's a neat trick, really: Both sides took three steps back, then fell on their faces and called it progress.

This Week's List

Here's an idea that'll clear the clubhouse: Barry Bonds, player manager.

"Well, Manny, we believe your value to the club would be greatly enhanced were you to adhere to the principles espoused by the concept of Win Shares": The Red Sox hired statistical guru Bill James as a consultant.

It was bad enough already, and then Danny had to go and rub it in my face like that: In the final seconds of the Pistons' 89-63 win over the Nuggets on Thursday night, Danny Ainge asked, "Is anybody watching this game?"

A study conducted by the Houston Rockets has determined the two most difficult words to translate from Chinese to English: Yao's open.

Neither unproven nor unsuccessful, Baker simply isn't the right guy: Mariners GM Pat Gillick explained to reporters that Dusty Baker is not the "right fit" for his club, and in case you missed it the finalists for the Mariners job are Jim Riggleman, Sam Perlozzo, Buddy Bell and Bob Melvin.

The NFL's worst trend, and one it's going to have to deal with before it gets any further out of hand: The idea, best exemplified in Oakland, that being a "big fan" of your team means you prove it by getting liquored up and being as vile and vulgar as possible.

And, oh yeah: Being a "big fan" is not merely about how much you like your team but how much you hate the other team -- and its fans.

Yeah, yeah he's the greatest, but what about me?: Pedro Martinez publicly congratulated Barry Zito, saying Zito deserved the Cy Young, then went about the rather extensive business of questioning the motives of those who voted for Zito over him.

Pedro wouldn't … would he?: The father of a New Brunswick junior hockey player is suing the league for $300,000 because his 16-year-old son wasn't named the league MVP even though he led the league in goals and assists.

The down side to fielding a team of teen-agers: Headline in Chicago on Thursday claimed "Blowout loss has Bulls looking for leadership."

Elsewhere on your favorite diversionary website fans chose the top 10 NBA team cancers, and I read the whole thing without seeing the man against whom all team cancers should be judged: Chris Washburn.

Apparently Steve Young didn't answer the phone: The Dolphins have expressed indirect interest in Troy Aikman.

In other words, a year's worth for Ben Wallace: Kobe took 47 shots against the Celtics on Thursday night.

With pitch counts like that: It's obvious Phil Jackson has no faith in his bullpen.

The five most frequently used words on TNT: "Followed by 'Dumb and Dumber.'"

It figures to be one fan-tastic spring, as we all watch it head down to the wire: Kings and Lakers, sport's hottest new rivalry, battling it out for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in the West.

This week's venture into revisionist history: Thanks to a guy named Ed Martin and a five-year whitewash of the program's records, it turns out Michigan had the worst college basketball team in the country in the '90s.

Just for the heck of it, active division: Lou Piniella and his Devil Rays hired Lee Elia as their hitting coach.

As it should be, I guess, because if there was considerable overlap we've both have some rethinking to do: After reading the latest issue of The Magazine I can safely say my listening Playlist has nothing in common with Kenyon Martin's.

When the topic is the allegedly underachieving Miami Hurricanes, it looks like this: They're as good as they need to be.

And finally, it's a good thing Ivy League schools now place greater emphasis on "Life Experience": The son part of the father-and-son team that attacked Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa apologized, and Gamboa, in accepting, said, "I sure hope he turns out okay."

Tim Keown is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at tim.keown@espnmag.com.