Ah, Dusty Baker. Ah, on-base percentage. The unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. Batman vs. the Joker. Eamonn vs. mayonnaise. These are the great rivalries of our century.

While I may never surrender in my fight against mayo (if I tell you no mayo, do not look at me funny, just don't put that disgusting goop on my sandwich, OK?) we're making headway in the fight between Dusty and OBP. Seriously. In justifying why he's keeping Adam Dunn (very good at baseball) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (good at baseball) in the lineup, Dusty actually cited on-base percentage, his longtime foe. Whatever happened to "walks clog the bases"?

"Their averages are low, but their on-base percentages are still high," Baker said. "Their on-base percentages are higher than some of the guys who are hitting. I know they can hit, but it also helps to get on base and put a pitcher in the stretch. That's the thing. Most starters don't like being in the stretch."

As FJM points out, the notion that the reason why OBP is beneficial is because it puts pitchers in the stretch and not because it means people, you know, aren't making outs is incredibly, totally weird. But it's Dusty. And it's on-base percentage. Whatever the nonsensical means, we should be happy with the end: progress.