Listen to any radio sports show between here and Kentucky and it takes about five minutes for a host or caller to gripe about Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker.

As polarizing figures go, it’s almost as if Baker should be running for office, except his supporters aren’t nearly as vociferous as his detractors — even today, with the Reds surging and threatening to run away with the NL Central.

You know the themes by now.

“Gotta bench Drew Stubbs.”

What, you didn’t like those home runs in the Atlanta series?

“Why isn’t Aroldis Chapman starting?”

Because he might be the best closer in baseball and nobody wants to stand in there against him in the ninth inning.

“Dusty hates young players.”

Really? If that were true, he wouldn’t have kept Stubbs in the lineup.

“Dusty burns out pitchers.”

OK, so he hung Aaron Harang out to dry a couple of years ago and may or may not have had something to do with the eventual demises of Cubs pitchers Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

But that was ages ago. Get over it.

I’m thinking even if the Reds win the World Series, the one person destined to receive less than his due for the achievement will be their manager.

So I’m rooting for them to win the pennant sort of as an experiment, just to see whether this rabid anti-Baker faction of the fan base (mostly Bill James acolytes and Sparky Anderson worshipers, it seems) finally will admit that the manager knows a little bit more than they do about running a baseball team.

I’m not optimistic.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com.