WEBVTT - Dave Roberts (4-18-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.

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<v Speaker 1>We're in the office of the manager that has won

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<v Speaker 1>three World Championships, including back to back titles, and his

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<v Speaker 1>team is off to the best start in Dodger history

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<v Speaker 1>since nineteen seventy seven. That's the one and only Dave Roberts. Dave,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks a lot for allowing me into the office.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Dave, it's always good catching up with you, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>we're off to a good start. And you know it's

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<v Speaker 2>interesting is yesterday we were in the midst of snow

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<v Speaker 2>and today it's clear skies and it's seventy degrees.

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<v Speaker 3>Dave.

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<v Speaker 1>One thing that I'm not sure everybody can wrap their

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<v Speaker 1>head around. You're the manager. You're never feeling comfortable no

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<v Speaker 1>matter how good the record is. How do you handle

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<v Speaker 1>this with the team playing as well as it has.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's a good question.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that there's a realistic perspective of presence in

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<v Speaker 2>the sense of appreciating that you're winning more than you're losing,

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<v Speaker 2>which is good. But I think as a manager you're

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<v Speaker 2>always mindful of trying to keep things on the rails

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<v Speaker 2>and moving forward, so you know, whether it's player staff,

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<v Speaker 2>how we play, you know, the mindset, the mechanics part

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<v Speaker 2>of it, and just trying to have a pulse on that.

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<v Speaker 2>So but again still being positive and appreciating the start

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<v Speaker 2>we're off.

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<v Speaker 1>At this time last year, the defense was a little inconsistent,

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<v Speaker 1>the bullpen was a little leaky. How big had those

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<v Speaker 1>two areas contributed to having the best record to start

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<v Speaker 1>the year both both.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that certainly the bullpen has done a fantastic job.

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<v Speaker 2>There was obviously, you know, going back to last year,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a lot of questions with the pen, and then

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<v Speaker 2>you know, coming into the spring, how the spring some

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<v Speaker 2>of these guys had. There were some questions kind of

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<v Speaker 2>coming into the season, but all those questions have been

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<v Speaker 2>answered up to this point, and you know, so I'm

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<v Speaker 2>really excited about what they're doing. And the starting pitchers

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<v Speaker 2>have done a fantastic job. And obviously we saw what

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<v Speaker 2>Tyler did last night, and hopefull Emmitt can build on

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<v Speaker 2>what he's done the last couple outings and the defense,

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<v Speaker 2>and so I think that for me, it's what Andy's

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<v Speaker 2>done at in center field, what Max has done at

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<v Speaker 2>third base, and obviously, you know you expect the shortstop

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<v Speaker 2>play to be really good even without Mooki out. But

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<v Speaker 2>I think Tao's done a great job. I think Tuck's

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<v Speaker 2>played a really nice defense and a nice right field,

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<v Speaker 2>and Freddy's done well. So across the diamond, we're playing

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<v Speaker 2>well and it's good to see.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it fair to say it feels like the pieces

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<v Speaker 1>are fitting a little better defensively this year?

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<v Speaker 2>They are, they are, but I just feel that we're

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<v Speaker 2>also playing better. I think that you know, Max looks

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<v Speaker 2>a lot better, He's in better shape. I think that

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<v Speaker 2>Freddie's done a lot to work on his mobility, which

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<v Speaker 2>has helped, and obviously adding Tucker, I think Tucker's done

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<v Speaker 2>a nice job in right field, and then I think

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<v Speaker 2>Tao's inspired and he's playing really good left field, and

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<v Speaker 2>he's getting off the ball really well. And Andy continues to

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<v Speaker 2>make stride, so it's fun to see. And at second base,

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<v Speaker 2>Alex Fri one of the things that we asked him

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<v Speaker 2>to do is play good defense, and he's done that

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<v Speaker 2>and getting Hayes on Kim in the mix. He's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>been a wonder at second and a shortstop. So across

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<v Speaker 2>the board it's been fun to watch.

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<v Speaker 3>It's so unique.

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<v Speaker 1>You come off back to back championships, yet individually, it

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<v Speaker 1>seems like some of your better players are still playing

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<v Speaker 1>with a chip on their shoulder. Have you have you

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<v Speaker 1>experienced anything like this? How unique it is for so

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<v Speaker 1>many guys that have won but are acting like they

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<v Speaker 1>haven't won yet.

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<v Speaker 3>I've never seen anything like this, you know.

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<v Speaker 2>It seems like every year I say, this is the

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<v Speaker 2>best group of men I've ever been around, And this

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<v Speaker 2>is the best group I've ever been around. And it's

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<v Speaker 2>the character, it's how they work, the focus, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I think that these guys understand the opportunity we have

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<v Speaker 2>as far as the chance to win three in a row,

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<v Speaker 2>something that's unprecedented in the National League, and they want

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<v Speaker 2>to make their marketing baseball on Dodger history. So but

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<v Speaker 2>with that, you still got to go out there every

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<v Speaker 2>day and and play the right way. And that's what

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<v Speaker 2>I really marvel at, you know, because I think that

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<v Speaker 2>there's no talk of a let down, a hangover, because

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<v Speaker 2>I do think that you know yourself, and people that

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<v Speaker 2>are familiar with our ball club know that that's not

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<v Speaker 2>who we are, and we're showing that with the start

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<v Speaker 2>that we've had.

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<v Speaker 1>Dave Roberts is our guest in front of first pitch

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<v Speaker 1>between the Dodgers and Rockies. Here's another thing I'm curious about.

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<v Speaker 3>You have so.

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<v Speaker 1>Many really good players, and you know this. You have

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<v Speaker 1>to have a certain level of ego to be as

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<v Speaker 1>good as some of these guys are. How have you

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<v Speaker 1>found a way How have they found a way to

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<v Speaker 1>check their egos at the door, because there's other teams

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<v Speaker 1>out there that have a big egos and they can't

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<v Speaker 1>seem to do that.

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<v Speaker 3>Starts with Freddie Freeman.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that he's you know, he's going to be

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<v Speaker 2>a first ballot Hall of Famer. There's there's not an entinement,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a there's a gratitude, there's a responsibility. I think

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<v Speaker 2>that you know, with our guys, this game doesn't need

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<v Speaker 2>any of us. And I think our guys have that

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<v Speaker 2>appreciation the responsibility to go out there and play a

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<v Speaker 2>certain way. And I do think that with success comes

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<v Speaker 2>an inflated ego. And you know, the media, the fans

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<v Speaker 2>telling you how good you are, but you can't let

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<v Speaker 2>that bleed into your psyche because I do believe that,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, the saying, you're never as good as they say,

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<v Speaker 2>and you're never as bad and so our guys have

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<v Speaker 2>that even keeled mindset and that grinder mindset. And when

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<v Speaker 2>you take a lot of talent, like minded talent and

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<v Speaker 2>you perform the way we do and prepare the way

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<v Speaker 2>we do, that's why we have something special.

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<v Speaker 1>You can appreciate this more than most being a UCLA

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<v Speaker 1>Bruin going to college there with Coach Wooden being around,

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<v Speaker 1>his famous saying was make every day your masterpiece? In

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<v Speaker 1>other words, do you feel like you and your players

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<v Speaker 1>try to make every day your masterpiece without getting too

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<v Speaker 1>far ahead?

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<v Speaker 2>I love that and I love that, and I think

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<v Speaker 2>for me it's every day's a test, you know, and

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<v Speaker 2>I think that you know, what you did yesterday doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>you know, matter today, and so it's hard to you know,

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<v Speaker 2>to make a masterpiece. But I respect what Coach Woulden

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<v Speaker 2>said I and I love that mindset, that idea, and

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<v Speaker 2>me being a Bruin as well, I love it. And

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<v Speaker 2>I think for me it's just to add on to

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<v Speaker 2>that is you know, every day's a test. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you're you're trying to prepare and you know you got

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<v Speaker 2>to pass a test and nothing is owed to you.

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<v Speaker 2>So very similar and for me to be even mentioned

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<v Speaker 2>in the same breadth as coach Wood and is something

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<v Speaker 2>that's truly humbling for me.

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<v Speaker 1>All Right, Dave, thanks a lot for the time. It

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<v Speaker 1>is incredible to watch this run of success that you've

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<v Speaker 1>had since you've taken over managing the Dodgers since twenty sixteen.

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<v Speaker 1>And we'll make today our masterpiece.

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<v Speaker 3>Love it. Thanks Dave.