CHICAGO.    In 2003, Cubs' manager Dusty Baker caused an uproar by saying that black and Hispanic players were better suited to play in the sun and heat than whites.  As the 2006 season enters the dog days of August, Baker is at it again.

His latest race-based claim?  "White people smell like wet dogs," the straight-shooting skipper told reporters outside the batting cage at Wrigley Field before today's game against the Cincinnati Reds.  And unlike his prior assertion, this time Baker says he has an expert to back him up.  "Go talk to my man up in Evanston," he said, referring to Allen Reynolds, a sociology professor at Northwestern University.

"Dusty's view is based on a stereotype, but like many prejudices it has a grain of truth to it," Reynolds said.  "Upper-class white people do smell like dogs favored by the affluent, such as black labrador retrievers and Jack Russell terriers.  The odor is caused by the natural fibers they wear--the people, not the dogs--and by their participation in privileged outdoor activities such as field hockey and lacrosse."  He noted that the phenomenon was especially pronounced among graduates of small liberal arts colleges.

Baker, who is African-American, was unapologetic at a post-game news conference.  "I'm not racist," he complained.  "Wet dog smell is a good thing."  Baker then compounded his original offense by telling a joke that some white reporters in attendance took exception to.  "How do you spot the bride at a WASP wedding?" he asked, then paused for effect.  "She's the one kissing the golden retriever!" he said to scattered laughter and a few groans.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was accused of a double standard when Baker made his initial comment in 2003, since John Rocker, a white Atlanta Braves pitcher, had previously been disciplined for insensitive racial remarks while Baker went unpunished.  Rocker was philosophical about Baker's latest gaffe.  "I think we've all got to loosen up a little bit and not be so thin-skinned," he said by telephone.  "After all, Bud Selig does smell like a dachshund."

Copyright 2006, Con Chapman