Speaker 1: This is off season Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: Get in on the show by calling eight six six
Speaker 2: seven hashtag Dodger Talk and now your host, David Basse.
Speaker 3: Welcome to our final spring training edition or excuse me,
Speaker 3: off day edition of Dodger Talk. Spring Training Dodger Talk
Speaker 3: officially begins tomorrow. Tim Cats will be filling in as
Speaker 3: I will be traveling to Arizona and next week we
Speaker 3: will have three Dodger Talk shows from Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, Monday, Tuesday,
Speaker 3: Wednesday live shows from Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. And
Speaker 3: it should be a fun time as the Dodgers are
Speaker 3: getting ready for the three peat attempt, something that hasn't
Speaker 3: happened since the Yankees did it back in ninety eight,
Speaker 3: ninety nine, two thousand, are one championship away from matching
Speaker 3: those legacy teams from the Yankees to be able to
Speaker 3: not only repeat, but win three straight World Series championships.
Speaker 3: We got a lot to get to Tonight on Dodger Talk,
Speaker 3: our final offseason show of twenty twenty five, twenty sixth edition.
Speaker 3: Reggie Smith is going to join us. Yes, that Reggie
Speaker 3: Smith is going to join us. At seven point thirty.
Speaker 3: He is going to be inducted into the Legends of
Speaker 3: Dodger Baseball this upcoming season. August fifteenth is the date,
Speaker 3: and that should be a great night. And really, the
Speaker 3: Dodgers are the organization that they are because of the
Speaker 3: players that wore the uniform. And Reggie Smith was not
Speaker 3: a guy that was drafted by the Dodgers, but certainly
Speaker 3: made a huge impact after he was traded to the
Speaker 3: Dodgers during the nineteen seventy sixth season and went on
Speaker 3: to become a member of the first quartet on the
Speaker 3: same team to hit thirty home runs that was Reggie Smith,
Speaker 3: Dusty Baker, Steve Garvey, and Ronsay in nineteen seventy seven
Speaker 3: and in nineteen eighty one helped the Dodgers get over
Speaker 3: the hump and win the World Series in eighty one.
Speaker 3: It was the first time the Dodgers won the World
Speaker 3: Series since nineteen sixty five, so it had been quite
Speaker 3: some time since the Dodgers won the World Series from
Speaker 3: sixty five to eighty one. But nonetheless, Reggie Smith is
Speaker 3: going to join us. A guy that I respect and
Speaker 3: have so much reverence for, and so many people across
Speaker 3: baseball certainly feel the same way because he has touched
Speaker 3: so many of their careers and still to this day
Speaker 3: is a mentor to many of them. So looking forward
Speaker 3: to sharing Reggie Smith with you at seven point thirty tonight.
Speaker 3: Coming up in our next segment, you'll hear from Tanner Scott.
Speaker 3: He seems to have a fresh new outlook on life
Speaker 3: as a Dodger. A lot of that has to do
Speaker 3: with the fact that Edwin Diaz is here as the
Speaker 3: Dodger closer, taking a lot of pressure off Tanner Scott
Speaker 3: not to have to be that guy, but allowing him
Speaker 3: to be the Tanner Scott that excelled in Miami and
Speaker 3: with the Padres before the Dodgers signed him to that
Speaker 3: lucrative four year contract before last season. So you'll hear
Speaker 3: it in his voice and it feels like he understands
Speaker 3: what to expect. And also the weight of being the
Speaker 3: Dodger closer is not on his shoulders anymore. So the
Speaker 3: Dodgers are looking at a potential two headed monster at
Speaker 3: the back end of their bullpen. If Tanner Scott can
Speaker 3: give back to the Tanner Scott that the Dodger signed
Speaker 3: a couple of years ago, and also Jeff Passing, the
Speaker 3: so called national Voice of Baseball, wrote another I thought
Speaker 3: lazy story today. I will get to that in our
Speaker 3: next sea. But I'm sure by now you know about
Speaker 3: some of the Dodger moves that have been made in
Speaker 3: the last twenty four hours. Evan Phillips has been signed
Speaker 3: back for six point five million dollars. He won't be
Speaker 3: able to pitch until the second half of the season.
Speaker 3: He had Tommy John surgery last May. And look, we
Speaker 3: all thought when the Dodgers non tendered Evan Phillips that
Speaker 3: it was kind of a fit. It was. It was
Speaker 3: going to happen. It was just a matter of when
Speaker 3: that they were going to bring him back. But in
Speaker 3: the last couple of weeks it was not something that
Speaker 3: was a formality. I had found out that a few
Speaker 3: teams were very interested in signing Evan Phillips, even though
Speaker 3: he wasn't going to be able to pitch for them
Speaker 3: until the second half of the year, like it's gonna
Speaker 3: be with the Dodgers, but especially the Texas Rangers were
Speaker 3: considering signing Evan Phillips before they defaulted back to jordan
Speaker 3: My Montgomery. So they were among the teams that were
Speaker 3: interested in Evan Phillips. So Evan Phillips back with the
Speaker 3: Dodgers and certainly can provide a big time armed for
Speaker 3: the Dodgers in the second half of the season. Also
Speaker 3: with the Dodger bullpen kind of changing shape a little
Speaker 3: bit here this offseason, Anthony Bonda, who was designated for
Speaker 3: assignment last week, was traded to the Twins for international
Speaker 3: pool money. But you know, I understand the fans' affection
Speaker 3: for Anthony Bonda. But if you're gonna tell me Anthony
Speaker 3: Bonda was a fan favorite, and how could the Dodgers
Speaker 3: do this? Well, I could go through a few other
Speaker 3: fan favorites that were a lot more prominent in their
Speaker 3: careers when they departed the Dodgers. Cody Bellinger, Corey Seeger,
Speaker 3: Justin Turner, just to name a few. So save your
Speaker 3: tears for Anthony Bonda, who certainly had the two best
Speaker 3: years of his career with the Dodgers and certainly enjoyed
Speaker 3: every second of it. The Dodgers did use him a lot.
Speaker 3: Bonda was one of those rubber arms and never said
Speaker 3: no when the phone rang. He threw one hundred and
Speaker 3: twenty nine innings the last year plus for the Dodgers,
Speaker 3: including the postseason in one hundred and thirty six games.
Speaker 3: So the Dodgers got a lot of use out of
Speaker 3: Anthony Bonda, who is basically a journeyman until he came
Speaker 3: to the Dodgers. So we like Anthony Bonda, but certainly
Speaker 3: there's been other fan favorites that have had better careers
Speaker 3: that the Dodgers have moved on from. And look, part
Speaker 3: of the reason why the Dodgers felt they could move
Speaker 3: on from Anthony Bonda is because they have a wealth
Speaker 3: of lefties in their bullpen that not many teams do.
Speaker 3: Alex Vesi is returning, Tanner Scott is back, Jack Dryer
Speaker 3: is emerging as a guy, and let's not forget how
Speaker 3: good Justin Robleski was as a multi inning reliever out
Speaker 3: of the bullpen during the regular season and how vital
Speaker 3: he was for the Dodgers in the World Series. So
Speaker 3: they have four lefties that are more than capable, and
Speaker 3: not many teams even have one lefty in their bullpen.
Speaker 3: So that's part of the reason why the Dodgers felt
Speaker 3: like they could trade Bonda. And the reality is the
Speaker 3: Dodgers have lost multiple draft picks each of the last
Speaker 3: two offseasons for signing big time players, including this year
Speaker 3: Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker. So the way they make
Speaker 3: up for losing those draft picks is making trades like this.
Speaker 3: And there could be a trade during spring training where
Speaker 3: they flip one of their guys and they get some
Speaker 3: top prospects back because they can't fit that player and
Speaker 3: they don't see a few sure for that player, so
Speaker 3: they decide to maximize it. Similar to Michael Bush, who
Speaker 3: is having a great career with the Cubs. But where
Speaker 3: was Michael Bush going to play? That was the dilemma.
Speaker 3: So the Dodgers tried to replenish their farm system with
Speaker 3: the Cubs sending Jackson Ferris and Zayir Hope to the
Speaker 3: Dodgers for Michael Bush. Now, it still remains to be
Speaker 3: seen whether or not either one of those guys is
Speaker 3: going to make a huge impact in the big leagues
Speaker 3: the way Michael Bush is making it for the Cubs.
Speaker 3: But that's the thought process behind it with a very
Speaker 3: stacked Dodger team. Eight six six nine, eight seven two
Speaker 3: five seventy is the phone number we are taking phone
Speaker 3: calls tonight. It's our last off season show as we
Speaker 3: make it official tomorrow with our first Spring training Dodger
Speaker 3: talk and being out there at camel Back Ranch starting
Speaker 3: next Monday. By the way, Max Munsey, where are all the
Speaker 3: Munseie haters that called in and the first couple of
Speaker 3: months of last year. Now everybody loves Max Mounsey when
Speaker 3: you always should have appreciated Max Mounsey. And the Dodgers
Speaker 3: have extended monseye into next season, a seven million dollar
Speaker 3: extension for next season and there's a ten million dollar
Speaker 3: club option in twenty twenty eight. Part of the reason
Speaker 3: why the Dodgers are keeping Max Monsey is because Max
Speaker 3: Mounsey will take team friendly deals instead of chasing every
Speaker 3: last dollar. That's why he's here, and the Dodgers obviously
Speaker 3: value that. Eight six six, nine eighty seven two five
Speaker 3: seventy is the phone number, and of course how could
Speaker 3: I bury the lead Key K a Hernandez is back
Speaker 3: for one year and four and a half million dollars.
Speaker 3: Key K a Hernandez likely will start the year on
Speaker 3: the sixty day IL because he probably can't play after
Speaker 3: undergoing left elbow surgery. Probably won't be able to play
Speaker 3: until June of this up coming season. At the very earliest.
Speaker 3: Eight six six nine eight seven two five seventy is
Speaker 3: the phone number. When we continue, you'll hear from Tanner
Speaker 3: Scott at seven point thirty. Reggie Smith and I have
Speaker 3: some real issues with the way some of these people
Speaker 3: just won't let it go about the Dodgers being really
Speaker 3: smart and being very aggressive to try to maximize the
Speaker 3: Otani era in LA. Don't go anywhere more Dodger Talk
Speaker 3: from the Sports Net LA studios right here on a
Speaker 3: F five to seventy LA Sports. David vass with you
Speaker 3: until eight o'clock here on AM five to seventy LA
Speaker 3: Sports our final off season Dodger Talk show. Spring training
Speaker 3: officially starts tomorrow for the Dodgers. Pitchers and catchers officially
Speaker 3: report to Camelback Ranch tomorrow and Tim Kats will be
Speaker 3: filling in on Dodger Talk tomorrow night at seven o'clock
Speaker 3: as I'll be headed to the desert, and we'll have
Speaker 3: Dodger Talk for you the rest of the way from
Speaker 3: camel Back Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. Coming up at the
Speaker 3: bottom of the hour, the Great Reggie Smith will join
Speaker 3: us as he is being inducted into the Legends of
Speaker 3: Dodger Baseball. We'll get to Tanner Scott in the fresh
Speaker 3: vibe that he has to himself in just a couple
Speaker 3: of minutes as well. But earlier today, Jeff Passon who
Speaker 3: I guess I like. He's not a bad guy. I've
Speaker 3: interacted with him during the postseason, and I do like him.
Speaker 3: I do like him. But he's got to turn the page.
Speaker 3: And I don't know who's influencing him to continue to
Speaker 3: write about how bad of a spot the sport is
Speaker 3: in because of the Dodgers. Look in this same story
Speaker 3: where he says that owners want a cap. Really, they've
Speaker 3: wanted a cap since the beginning of time, since free
Speaker 3: agency started. Yes, that's not new news. And then he
Speaker 3: says fans are outraged, not just on social media but
Speaker 3: in group chats. Jeff, are you in every fans group chats?
Speaker 3: I mean, seriously, he wrote this in a whole big
Speaker 3: story about and by the way, it was way too long.
Speaker 3: It was a novel about the same stuff that we
Speaker 3: have heard about at nauseum since October. Enough. We don't
Speaker 3: want to hear about this anymore. I don't think it's
Speaker 3: fair to even the fans that you're supposedly sympathizing with
Speaker 3: to continue to throw in their face that their owners
Speaker 3: stink and they aren't trying to win this year. In
Speaker 3: the same story that Jeff Passing said, group chats of
Speaker 3: fans aren't angry. Yeah, I'm sure there are, Jeff, Way
Speaker 3: to go out on the limb owners want a salary cap?
Speaker 3: Oh really? Okay, yeah, yeah, that's breaking news. He also
Speaker 3: said the sport is in a renaissance in this same story,
Speaker 3: in a renaissance the last two years. Do you know
Speaker 3: what has happened in the last two years? The Dodgers
Speaker 3: being in the World Series, the Dodgers and Yankees on
Speaker 3: in the World Series in twenty twenty four, the Dodgers
Speaker 3: in the Blue Jays, giving us the best World Series
Speaker 3: arguably in baseball history. You know who nobody is still
Speaker 3: talking about is who was in the World Series three
Speaker 3: years ago? Do you know who that was? It was
Speaker 3: the so called small markets of the Rangers and the Diamondbacks.
Speaker 3: And the Rangers spent a lot that year. So here's
Speaker 3: here's a tip. If you spend smartly and you have
Speaker 3: a farm system to any certain extent, you have a
Speaker 3: very good chance of winning. If you don't spend, and
Speaker 3: you blow draft picks after having top ten after top
Speaker 3: ten pick, like the Pittsburgh Pirates, You're not going to win.
Speaker 3: It's really simple. Now Here is something that we all
Speaker 3: understand as well. Steve Cohen of the Mets, the Mets owner,
Speaker 3: and Mark Walter in the Guggenheim Group certainly have quite
Speaker 3: a bit more dollars at their disposal than other teams
Speaker 3: because they are in the world of making a lot
Speaker 3: of money. That's what they are. They're billionaires. And if
Speaker 3: Major League Baseball didn't want them in their club, they
Speaker 3: shouldn't have approved the sales of the teams to those guys.
Speaker 3: But the Dodgers have nothing to apologize for. Mark Walter
Speaker 3: has been great for the Dodgers, and he's been great
Speaker 3: for the game. This revenue sharing, where is all that
Speaker 3: revenue sharing going to. It's going to the Marlins of
Speaker 3: the world, the Pirates of the world. Everybody is making
Speaker 3: money and thriving in the sport because of the Dodgers
Speaker 3: being as good as they are. There's nothing to apologize for.
Speaker 3: And my point is, can we just move on? This
Speaker 3: is such a tire topic. The game is in such
Speaker 3: a great place. There are so many different teams that
Speaker 3: have a lot of storylines, compelling storylines that first take
Speaker 3: could be talking about, or Jeff Passing could be writing about,
Speaker 3: why are we defaulting to this very lazy baseball topic
Speaker 3: that the Dodgers are bad for baseball when in fact
Speaker 3: they are the best thing that has happened to baseball
Speaker 3: in the last three years. Can we just stop with that?
Speaker 3: Hopefully we can turn the page after today if you're
Speaker 3: Jeff Passing and start writing about a lot of great
Speaker 3: things happening around the league, and even some not so
Speaker 3: great things happen around the league that involve play on
Speaker 3: the field, like Nick Castianos admitting on Instagram today that
Speaker 3: he brought a beer into the dugout after he was
Speaker 3: taken out of a game in Miami for defensive reasons.
Speaker 3: I mean, that is compelling stuff. How about Kennley Jansen
Speaker 3: starting anew in Detroit. You could talk about that, the
Speaker 3: guy that's on his way to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3: I don't know, There's a lot of other things to
Speaker 3: talk about other than the false narrative that the Dodgers
Speaker 3: are bad for baseball. And I still refuse to believe
Speaker 3: that they are going to miss games next year, and
Speaker 3: that's next year. Let's worry about that next year at
Speaker 3: the end of this season. That's not a cloud baseball
Speaker 3: fans want to continually be reminded about during this year.
Speaker 3: Sorry they don't. And who I'm gonna say this, and
Speaker 3: I think it should be said Jeff Passing. And some
Speaker 3: people people can live in some areas and some people
Speaker 3: want to live in certain cities. But the reality is
Speaker 3: Jeff Passen was the Royals beat rider, and Jeff Passing
Speaker 3: still lives in Kansas City, who did go to the
Speaker 3: World Series two years in a row and won it.
Speaker 3: So it's not always about money. Let's go out to
Speaker 3: Teluca Lake. Dave. You're on Dodger Talk.
Speaker 4: How you doing, Dave, Hey, Dave great. A couple things.
Speaker 4: First of all, congratulations as a vital part of the
Speaker 4: organization on another World championship, you contribute a heck of
Speaker 4: a lot, not only from a journalistic standpoint, just your
Speaker 4: upbeat spirit is infectious. So congratulations on that, Dave.
Speaker 3: Oh, it's been a great ride, Dave, It's been a
Speaker 3: great ride, right.
Speaker 5: Absolutely.
Speaker 4: Secondly, I think that training of Anthony Bonda, he might
Speaker 4: be the most popular player ever that I can remember
Speaker 4: with the ladies, so that's a big loss for them,
Speaker 4: not for me so much. I think you make a
Speaker 4: good Salie point about Bonda. Great guy, did a great
Speaker 4: job for us and wish him the best. Have there
Speaker 4: been I got you questions. Question one is have there
Speaker 4: been any changes within the coaching staff, whether it's the
Speaker 4: hitting coach or pitching or bullpen or anything with the
Speaker 4: Dodgers this year? I haven't really paid a lot of
Speaker 4: attention to that. And the second one is if you
Speaker 4: could touch on what the other teams in the N
Speaker 4: West have done to improve or decline, or any interesting
Speaker 4: signings that maybe you can shed some insight on. That's
Speaker 4: what I got, Dave.
Speaker 3: Thanks a lot, all right, Dave, I appreciate the phone call. Well,
Speaker 3: the Padres are basically the same team as they were
Speaker 3: a year ago, minus you, Darvish and minus Dylan Cease.
Speaker 3: They and minus Luisa Rice, who actually signed with the Giants.
Speaker 3: The Giants, I would say, have improved defensively quite a bit,
Speaker 3: and I believe Louisa Rice is going to do great
Speaker 3: in that ballpark in San Francisco. And the Giants also
Speaker 3: signed Harrison Bader to play center field. So they did
Speaker 3: not add to their starting staff. A lot of people
Speaker 3: believe they were gonna sign Zach Gallon, and Zach Gallen
Speaker 3: is still a free agent, so is Walker Buehler, and
Speaker 3: there's a lot of indication that the Padres have a
Speaker 3: lot of interest in Walker Buehler. It just feels like
Speaker 3: the Padres are still really good. Nobody's talking about them.
Speaker 3: They still have Mason Miller, they still have Manny Machado,
Speaker 3: Xander Bogart's Fernando Tattis junior. But their pitching is their
Speaker 3: starting staff is a little thin, which obviously means a
Speaker 3: lot during the one sixty two marathon, and that's what
Speaker 3: may hurt them during this regular season. I don't see
Speaker 3: them being within three games of the Dodgers this year
Speaker 3: like they were last year. But the Giants seem to
Speaker 3: be a bit improved. They have good defense, and they
Speaker 3: seem to have I like Luis a lot in that lineup.
Speaker 3: Eight six six, seven, two five seventy is the phone number.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 3: The Dodgers last year did not win one hundred games.
Speaker 3: They lost a lot of games late because their bullpen
Speaker 3: was not one of the best in baseball, and Tanner
Speaker 3: Scott had a disappointing season as the Dodger closer, but
Speaker 3: the Dodgers rectified that by signing Edwin Diez, who is
Speaker 3: a bona fide big time closer, which allows Tanner Scott
Speaker 3: to go back to being a lethal left handed relief
Speaker 3: option in the seventh inning or in the eighth inning,
Speaker 3: and the Dodger bullpen has the potential of having a
Speaker 3: two headed monster, and Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott had
Speaker 3: a chance to catch up with a fresh outlook from
Speaker 3: Tanner Scott at Dodger Fest.
Speaker 2: I was sitting in the bullpen watching, waiting, hopefully we
Speaker 2: got to hoist Trophan millye row tied of the game,
Speaker 2: and then we'll.
Speaker 1: Take us to the Promised Lands.
Speaker 3: Yeay, dad.
Speaker 1: I was just sitting there watching Kershaw throw.
Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, that was his last technical bullpen in
Speaker 2: the playoffs.
Speaker 1: So that was cool.
Speaker 3: What was that like? Because after it was all said
Speaker 3: and done, he said he had no idea you won.
Speaker 2: He was warming up, and uh I was, I mean,
Speaker 2: I was just watching it. I was like, it's one
Speaker 2: of the greatest ever.
Speaker 1: Do it right there? Dodger legend.
Speaker 3: So did you see Mookie turned the double player? Or
Speaker 3: were you watching kursho It was like it was like
Speaker 3: a head turn. So I saw it, But uh, did
Speaker 3: you leave the bullpen or did you let him know?
Speaker 1: Hey we won?
Speaker 2: No at that moment, we just want to I know
Speaker 2: I was I didn't know what you're still throwing, kind
Speaker 2: of just left my body and just swept.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Hey, I was telling people, everybody's talking about Tucker. Everybody's
Speaker 3: it's great. Everybody's talking about your great offense, your great
Speaker 3: starting pitching. But now with Edwin Diaz and Tanner Scott
Speaker 3: in the same bullpen, the Trumpets, I can't wait to
Speaker 3: hear him Timmy Trumpet, are you ready for that? Yeah,
Speaker 3: Timmy Trumpet, I can't.
Speaker 1: Wait to hear it.
Speaker 3: Hopefully we get like the actual live to do it
Speaker 3: like they did, and yes, that would be cool. Hey,
Speaker 3: I know last year did not go the way that
Speaker 3: you wanted it to. Yees. So how how have you
Speaker 3: cleaned the slate? What's your off season been like?
Speaker 2: Off season was good, hang out with my family, spending
Speaker 2: time with them. Looking back at twenty twenty five, realizing
Speaker 2: I threw too many strikes in the zone and two
Speaker 2: strikes and uh, I mean, I'm i should put away
Speaker 2: that guy, and uh, I left too many the ball
Speaker 2: over the heart of play and that's never good.
Speaker 1: I mean I think I could take myself deep at
Speaker 1: that point. I don't know.
Speaker 3: It says a lot.
Speaker 1: I don't.
Speaker 2: I don't think Wand could bump me though, so we'll
Speaker 2: go with that. But no, they just reflected on the year.
Speaker 2: It wasn't the greatest year for me, but I mean
Speaker 2: we walked away over the ring and three peat for me,
Speaker 2: I'll take that.
Speaker 3: And then you were trying to come back and then
Speaker 3: you had that freak sickness injury infection. How do you
Speaker 3: want to describe it?
Speaker 1: Something?
Speaker 2: Yes, something that put me put me in a hospital bed.
Speaker 2: So it wasn't great. I mean I was fighting my
Speaker 2: wife going to the hospital because I was like, I
Speaker 2: can get through it. I can get through it. It
Speaker 2: was a point where I was skipping too bad. We
Speaker 2: didn't want to go into like whatever.
Speaker 1: Sepsis right, Yes, that's dangerous. Yeah, so thank my wife
Speaker 1: for that.
Speaker 3: You have such great energy this year. Just walking in here,
Speaker 3: I could feel like the energy the vibe for Tanner Scott,
Speaker 3: yes was over. Like I looked at my wife. I
Speaker 3: love it.
Speaker 1: On New year's we don't make it to the ball drive.
Speaker 1: That's too late. We got a sign too way too late.
Speaker 1: So she looked at me, she goes new year.
Speaker 3: Yes, perfect, Yes, indeed. I mean think about that Tanner
Speaker 3: Scott and his wife watching the ball drop on the
Speaker 3: East coast and immediately say, let's forget about twenty twenty
Speaker 3: five and going back to the Dodgers' power as far
Speaker 3: as wealth and their payroll goes. That's actually the difference.
Speaker 3: And many people are missing the point when they just
Speaker 3: point to the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker and that's the
Speaker 3: end it end of it. You know, they went too far.
Speaker 3: It's signings like Tanner Scott last year where he doesn't
Speaker 3: perform up to that big contract and the Dodgers can
Speaker 3: still overcome it. The Dodgers can overcome contracts that don't
Speaker 3: work out well because they do have the resources. That's
Speaker 3: what separates them to a certain extent in free agency.
Speaker 3: If they do sign one bag contract, it's not going
Speaker 3: to handcuff them from adding another player to try to
Speaker 3: rectify that player not performing up to the contract that
Speaker 3: he was signed to. That's the difference, and the fiscal
Speaker 3: power the Dodgers have that most teams don't have. It's
Speaker 3: not signing Kyle Tucker. It's not signing you know, Taoscar Hernandez.
Speaker 3: It's signing players like a Tanner Scott that doesn't perform
Speaker 3: up to that contract and still being able to win
Speaker 3: the World Series. That's the difference. Eight six six nine
Speaker 3: eight seven is the phone number. Let's take one more
Speaker 3: phone call before we get to Reggie Smith. Aaron in Hollywood.
Speaker 3: You're on Dodger Talk. How you doing? Erin?
Speaker 5: Hey, good Dave, how are you doing?
Speaker 3: Doing great?
Speaker 5: Great? Hey? I just wanted to say thank you for
Speaker 5: all of your covers last year, and I'm looking forward
Speaker 5: to next year and remembering last year. I'm really thinking
Speaker 5: that during the ring ceremony, when the all the players
Speaker 5: come out, I'm assuming that Yamamoto will be the last
Speaker 5: player to get his ring since he was the MVP, right.
Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know how they do that. Erin,
Speaker 3: I'm not sure.
Speaker 5: Well, I mean my thought is just to be out
Speaker 5: of like totals.
Speaker 3: Is that how you want it? You want Yamamoto to
Speaker 3: get be the last, save the best for last.
Speaker 5: That's the last I would think because he was the MVP,
Speaker 5: and then I would just think, at least when he's
Speaker 5: getting his ring, I would want all of the other
Speaker 5: Dodgers to kind of like going to semi circle run
Speaker 5: them and just bow as a kind of a not
Speaker 5: to his culture and respect out of him, and that
Speaker 5: we just.
Speaker 3: Okay. I mean, that's fine. I think this is a
Speaker 3: first world problem, Aaron. I mean, Jeff Passing and every
Speaker 3: other small market person out there would be very upset
Speaker 3: with you worrying about this when they they barely can't
Speaker 3: afford their payroll. I mean, major league owners can't afford
Speaker 3: their payroll. All right, Aaron, thank you for the phone call.
Speaker 3: I mean, isn't that ridiculous. It's not a right to
Speaker 3: own a major league team, and uh, you know, there's
Speaker 3: a lot of different things that go into it. But look,
Speaker 3: I understand the frustration with some of these fan bases,
Speaker 3: but that frustration should not be pointed towards the Dodgers.
Speaker 3: It really shouldn't. The Dodgers should be a beacon of
Speaker 3: hope for every other fan base out there. I mean, really,
Speaker 3: that's what every fan base should expect from their owners.
Speaker 3: To a certain level, there should be a certain level
Speaker 3: of that I'm not saying that the Reds can have
Speaker 3: or be what the Dodgers are payroll payroll wise, But
Speaker 3: here's something else to consider when it comes to that
Speaker 3: Major League Baseballs, regional sports networks, the bubble burst, and
Speaker 3: a lot of them that don't own their networks, like
Speaker 3: the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Cubs, the Dodgers. They're
Speaker 3: in limbo right now. So when you talk about team valuations,
Speaker 3: get that settle like Rob Manfred wants to do, and
Speaker 3: then let's talk about it. But I understand that there's
Speaker 3: a lot of revenue from TV that teams were expecting
Speaker 3: that's no longer there. That has put them in a
Speaker 3: bad business position. I understand that. But Rob Manford is
Speaker 3: trying to work that out, and once it's worked out,
Speaker 3: teams should be in a much better place to get
Speaker 3: the valuation that you know, they obviously keep saying they're
Speaker 3: not getting right now because they don't have a salary cap.
Speaker 3: It's not because of the salary cap, because their TV deal,
Speaker 3: regional sports network deals blew up in a lot of ways,
Speaker 3: and now the Commissioner's office is trying to rectify that.
Speaker 3: And that's something that certainly will be worked out in
Speaker 3: the next year, hopefully for all those teams. Eight six, six, nine,
Speaker 3: eight seven, two, five seventy is the phone number. Reggie
Speaker 3: Smith is coming up next right here on AM five
Speaker 3: to seventy LA Sports. Welcome back to Dodger Talk. David
Speaker 3: Vase with you until eight o'clock tonight here on AM
Speaker 3: five to seventy LA Sports. And earlier this week, the
Speaker 3: Dodgers announced some promotion dates. But this is more than
Speaker 3: just getting a bobblehead. On August fifteenth, the Dodgers are
Speaker 3: going to honor a man that certainly has had an
Speaker 3: impact on many generations, whether it's on the field or
Speaker 3: off the field. The Dodgers are honoring the great Reggie
Speaker 3: Smith by inducting him into their pseudo Hall of Fame,
Speaker 3: the Legends of Dodger Baseball before the August fifteenth game
Speaker 3: at Dodgers Stadium. Reggie Smith played seventeen seasons in Major
Speaker 3: League Baseball, six of those with the Dodgers. He was
Speaker 3: a seven time All Star, three of those playing for
Speaker 3: the Dodgers, and he won the World Series and was
Speaker 3: a huge part of the dodgers a run from nineteen
Speaker 3: seventy seven to nineteen eighty one, and certainly the reason
Speaker 3: why the Dodgers are inducting Reggie Smith is not just
Speaker 3: about how great he was on the field, not just
Speaker 3: about his two thousand hits, not just about his three
Speaker 3: hundred and fourteen home runs or his two eighty seven
Speaker 3: lifetime batting average. It's the legacy that lives on through
Speaker 3: so many teachers across Major League baseball, Minor league baseball,
Speaker 3: and youth baseball, because that's the type of impact Reggie
Speaker 3: Smith has had on so many people, and the great
Speaker 3: number eight. Reggie Smith joined us on Dodger Talk. Reggie,
Speaker 3: thank you so much and congratulations on getting this honor.
Speaker 6: Thank you very much, David, and thank you for the
Speaker 6: kind words and introduction there. I truly appreciate it.
Speaker 3: What does it mean to you, Reggie, when Lon Rosen
Speaker 3: and the Dodgers called you to let you know that
Speaker 3: you were going to be part of the legends of
Speaker 3: Dodger Baseball. What was your first reaction.
Speaker 6: I was humbled, almost to the point of being a
Speaker 6: little emotional, to receive that kind of recognition and knowing
Speaker 6: that you know all of the great players, and let
Speaker 6: alone great players, the great men that have put on
Speaker 6: and warned that Dodger uniform that you know, to be
Speaker 6: selected amongst that, it's quite a humbling experience, and I'm
Speaker 6: sure it will be August fifteenth. But again, having grown
Speaker 6: up in the Los Angeles area era area here, it's special.
Speaker 6: It's a special feeling.
Speaker 3: When you were growing up in the Ala area, did
Speaker 3: you ever have dreams of playing for the Dodgers?
Speaker 6: I did, you know, and mainly because I was a
Speaker 6: Dodger before I became a Dodger, you know, having listening
Speaker 6: to games when in school, when the Dodgers were back
Speaker 6: in Brooklyn and you were in the World Series back
Speaker 6: in nineteen fifty five and fifty six, and then go
Speaker 6: and behold in nineteen fifty eight, they're playing here. But
Speaker 6: because of you know, Jackie Robinson, who was my boyhood
Speaker 6: hero in baseball, already stood for that, you know what,
Speaker 6: I wanted to play for the Dodgers. Yes, I would have,
Speaker 6: but it was just like anything else. It was a
Speaker 6: little boys dream that was fortunate enough to have come true.
Speaker 3: Reggie going to Centennial High School in Compton has it
Speaker 3: come full circle?
Speaker 6: It has, you know, because fortunately by the time I
Speaker 6: got to high school, the Dodgers were well entrenched here
Speaker 6: in the Los Angeles area, but at the time when
Speaker 6: I was in high school, it was more I was
Speaker 6: thinking of playing football at that time and pretty much
Speaker 6: had thought that that's what I was going to do,
Speaker 6: to hopefully go to college and play college football. But
Speaker 6: like they say, life intervened in that being my dad
Speaker 6: got sick, and it was an opportunity for me to
Speaker 6: help the family because at that time, you know, you
Speaker 6: could sign with any team. There was no draft, and
Speaker 6: I was fortunate enough to get signed and ultimately developed
Speaker 6: the skills enough so that when I did come back,
Speaker 6: ultimately got traded to the Dodgers. I came home when
Speaker 6: I was in the prime of my career, and my
Speaker 6: parents got to see me what I'd like to think
Speaker 6: when I was at my best, and certainly being a
Speaker 6: part of the Dodger organization who had so much tradition
Speaker 6: and winning, that I was able to help and participate
Speaker 6: in World Series with them, which is every little boy's
Speaker 6: dream or every baseball player's dream. I think of playing
Speaker 6: in the World Series and winning.
Speaker 3: And you certainly did in nineteen eighty one with those
Speaker 3: group of Dodgers. Reggie Smith's first full season back home
Speaker 3: in La he only hit three h seven and only
Speaker 3: slugged five seventy six with an ops of one thousand,
Speaker 3: making the All Star team for the first of three
Speaker 3: times in Dodger Blue, now Reggie during that period of time,
Speaker 3: we always obviously celebrate the infield that came up together
Speaker 3: through the minor leagues. But for those that remember, it
Speaker 3: was when al Campanis acquired yourself, Dusty Baker, and Rick
Speaker 3: Monday in the outfield that seemed to really change the
Speaker 3: fortunes of the team. What do you remember about coming
Speaker 3: in with those four or five guys with Jaeger included,
Speaker 3: to really become kind of the leaders of the team.
Speaker 6: Well, when when this trade was made for me coming
Speaker 6: over from Saint Louis, al Campanis at the time said
Speaker 6: that he believed that I was that missing piece. Dusty
Speaker 6: had come in a trade that in winter, and I
Speaker 6: came during June that summer during the the trade deadline
Speaker 6: there and Monday came in that that winter. So what
Speaker 6: it was and those pieces that between Baker, myself and
Speaker 6: Monday they believed were the missing pieces that and it
Speaker 6: worked out well because uh we jailed and all had
Speaker 6: a similar uh mindset and goal to be the best
Speaker 6: that we can be and win ball games. And it
Speaker 6: was fun because, like I said, those key pieces were
Speaker 6: already there with the players they say, Garvey, Loaves, Russell Jaeger,
Speaker 6: and further those those pieces were there, The pitching was
Speaker 6: already there. We just came in and filled than that
Speaker 6: outfield to make one probably one of the most potent
Speaker 6: lineups that had been in Dodger history at that time,
Speaker 6: so that we could compete against anyone. And you look
Speaker 6: making up almost twenty games or thirty games between the
Speaker 6: years before to where we started to dominate against the
Speaker 6: Reds and other teams in the National League.
Speaker 3: Yeah, back in the day, it was the big Red
Speaker 3: machine in the NL. Lasting they were dominating up until
Speaker 3: nineteen seventy seven, which happened to be Tomu Lasorda's first
Speaker 3: year as the manager of the Dodgers. What do you
Speaker 3: remember the most about the seventy seven season? And A,
Speaker 3: I know the World Series did not go the way
Speaker 3: you guys wanted, but for the first time in a while,
Speaker 3: it wasn't about the Reds. It was about your Dodgers.
Speaker 6: Well, it was you know, you had the big Red
Speaker 6: machine and we became the big Blue wrecking crew, you know.
Speaker 6: So uh, the the fact that we were able to
Speaker 6: have eight guys on that field at any time nine
Speaker 6: You know that I had not only the desire the
Speaker 6: skills to win, but the desire to win and and
Speaker 6: and make it happen. We were We were eight strong,
Speaker 6: and the motivation of Tommy during that off season had
Speaker 6: UH spoken to each one of us and it was
Speaker 6: the first time I ever had a manager ever say
Speaker 6: to me, I need you and this is what I
Speaker 6: would like to see you do for this bafflab. But
Speaker 6: he had that same conversation with all the other players,
Speaker 6: and we made the commitment to doing just that. That
Speaker 6: we were going to win, and we were going to
Speaker 6: go to spring training. And one of the sayings that
Speaker 6: I like to tell a guys, because I even said
Speaker 6: the same thing to mister O'Malley at the time, that look,
Speaker 6: we're not coming here to spring training to prepare to
Speaker 6: play the season. We're coming to spring training to prepare
Speaker 6: to play in the World Series and win. And that
Speaker 6: was our philosophy at that time. And that's what Tommy
Speaker 6: inspired and expected of us, and that's that's what we did.
Speaker 6: We went out and did just that that. The World
Speaker 6: Series didn't turn out like we like. You know, it's
Speaker 6: a short series and just the case where the best team,
Speaker 6: I believe doesn't always win, because baseball is that kind
Speaker 6: of game. But we got there, and we got to
Speaker 6: the World Series and doubt didn't. We didn't accomplish that
Speaker 6: mission until nineteen eighty one, and that was to win.
Speaker 3: That is the pillar of strength. Voice Reggie Smith, who
Speaker 3: is going to be inducted into the Legends of Dodger
Speaker 3: Baseball this season August fifteenth. You want to get there early.
Speaker 6: Now.
Speaker 3: Reggie not only had a great playing career, but his
Speaker 3: legacy is going to live on because of how great
Speaker 3: of a person he is and how many lives he
Speaker 3: has touched. He currently runs the Reggie Smith Baseball Academy
Speaker 3: and Encino. My ten year old son has fallen in
Speaker 3: love with it because Reggie has done a great job
Speaker 3: of teaching the teachers. And Reggie coached for the Dodger
Speaker 3: organization from nineteen eighty nine to nineteen ninety eight and
Speaker 3: still has had an impression on Major leaguers like Max
Speaker 3: Free to this day. With all that being said, Reggie
Speaker 3: and your playing career speaks for itself. But does it
Speaker 3: mean more to you to have this lasting impact on
Speaker 3: so many people even when you're eighty years old and
Speaker 3: you can't play baseball anymore.
Speaker 6: You know, my who I said was Jackie Robinson? And
Speaker 6: what did Jackie say? You know, the legacy? If there
Speaker 6: was anything he wanted to do that was important to him,
Speaker 6: was the impact that it had on other lives. Well,
Speaker 6: if that was Jackie's philosophy and how he wanted to
Speaker 6: be remembered, that's what I wanted to do. So being
Speaker 6: off the field also a little more to me than
Speaker 6: what accomplishment stair than what I accomplished on the field,
Speaker 6: because to give individuals hopes and instill confidence and the
Speaker 6: things in them that they need to hopefully read the
Speaker 6: productive life. Rather, it's through how the things that they
Speaker 6: attained attained through education or having baseball as a vehicle
Speaker 6: to be able to attain those things. I feel that
Speaker 6: that has been my purpose and my goal in life
Speaker 6: is to help others be able to, especially in baseball,
Speaker 6: play this little boy's game and have fun doing it.
Speaker 6: And you know, if anything, just be a good person,
Speaker 6: teak people like you want to be treated, and the
Speaker 6: rewards that I've received of seeing my students and the
Speaker 6: people that I've touched be successful and enjoy the game.
Speaker 6: And more importantly, I ask him if there's anything that
Speaker 6: you can give me gives bath and share the things
Speaker 6: that were shared with you, because as my mother taught
Speaker 6: me a long time ago, the only way to keep
Speaker 6: a gift is that you have to share it. So
Speaker 6: that's that's what I endeavored to do. And the reward
Speaker 6: is thing and having kids enjoy Like you said your
Speaker 6: son that it made me really feel good that he
Speaker 6: said that he had fun there and he wants to
Speaker 6: come back. So then what else do you want? What
Speaker 6: else can can you expect? To have a child and
Speaker 6: have someone have fun and enjoy with their dinner and
Speaker 6: hopefully take those lessons that they've learned in baseball and
Speaker 6: use them throughout their lives.
Speaker 3: I think that's the greatest compliment Reggie. A ten year
Speaker 3: old kid and ten year old kids that show up
Speaker 3: to the Reggie Smith Baseball Academy that never saw you
Speaker 3: play know who Reggie Smith is and are proud to
Speaker 3: say they went there. And I think that's a testament
Speaker 3: to you and the way you've taught your coaches, that's
Speaker 3: a special gift.
Speaker 6: Well, thank you. I appreciate it, and it's sharing a
Speaker 6: gift that was shared with me. And as long as
Speaker 6: I'm able to do that, and I will continue to
Speaker 6: offer that because as a blessing, because I was blessed
Speaker 6: with the ability to do it.
Speaker 3: Reggie Smith is our guest. Reggie, I got to ask
Speaker 3: you a baseball question with what's going on even before
Speaker 3: a single game is played in spring training? We've had
Speaker 3: superstars like Corbin Caro, Francisco Lindor Jackson holiday fracture the
Speaker 3: handmade bone. What do you make of that? It doesn't
Speaker 3: seem like it's a coincidence, is it because of the
Speaker 3: training of these players during the offseason? What do you
Speaker 3: make of three big time players breaking their handmade bone
Speaker 3: before spring training?
Speaker 6: I would venture to say that they are probably overlapping
Speaker 6: on the little finger on the bottom hand of the
Speaker 6: hand that the bat is the extension ups. In other words,
Speaker 6: they might be overlapping where either that little the pinky
Speaker 6: finger is resting on the knob or just below it.
Speaker 6: And what that does. That puts the pressure on the
Speaker 6: hamdmate bung in the hands. It's actually probably a more
Speaker 6: common injury than the people know. But I don't know,
Speaker 6: but sure I would have to see how these guys
Speaker 6: are gripping the bat. But I believe that to be
Speaker 6: the cause of it because of that that pressure. You see,
Speaker 6: the grip of the bat is mainly held in the
Speaker 6: the bottom three fingers from in from the middle finger,
Speaker 6: ring finger, on the pinky finger. That's where most of
Speaker 6: the pressure is applied to strength in terms of the
Speaker 6: grip of the bat, so that if you put the
Speaker 6: knob of the bat on that little finger there, it
Speaker 6: positions it perfectly on that handmade both and to cause injury.
Speaker 3: That's a great explanation from one of the best hitting
Speaker 3: coaches you will ever find. Extended. Tim Wallack's career brought
Speaker 3: Mike Piazza back to camp and he went on to
Speaker 3: have a Hall of Fame career. To mention just the
Speaker 3: two of the many impacts that he has had as
Speaker 3: a coach and as a teammate, Reggie, look forward to
Speaker 3: celebrating you at Dodger Stadium. Hopefully we can do this
Speaker 3: before then, but you know how many people are really
Speaker 3: happy that you're going to be celebrated, and rightfully so
Speaker 3: I can't thank you enough, and everybody has so much
Speaker 3: reverence for you. So thank you so much for your.
Speaker 6: Time, Thank you, and thank you for the recognition and
Speaker 6: certainly for Lon and the Dodgers to bestowing this dis
Speaker 6: prestigious honor on me. And again I'm truly humbled and
Speaker 6: appreciative of it. Thank you for having me on Dave.
Speaker 3: All right, there is Reggie Smith. Appreciate him taking as
Speaker 3: much time as he did to share a lot of
Speaker 3: stories and memories and just what makes Reggie Smith so
Speaker 3: respected and why he has affected so many people in
Speaker 3: the game of baseball, and also you know, doing what
Speaker 3: he's done with the Reggie Smith Baseball Academy out there
Speaker 3: and Encino. So thank you to Reggie for his time
Speaker 3: and looking forward to celebrating him on August fifteenth when
Speaker 3: he is inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball. That'll
Speaker 3: do it for us tonight on Dodger Talk. Tim Kats
Speaker 3: will be filling in tomorrow night at seven o'clock for
Speaker 3: our first spring training edition of Dodger Talk. As tomorrow
Speaker 3: is the first official day Dodgers will report to camp,
Speaker 3: although many of them are there already, Tomorrow's the first
Speaker 3: official day and we will be out there at Camel
Speaker 3: Back Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, with Dodger Talk beginning Monday
Speaker 3: night right here on AM five seventy LA Sports, your
Speaker 3: home of the back to back world champion Dodgers and
Speaker 3: don't ever apologize about it. Thanks to Ronnie Foscilo for
Speaker 3: all his help, Thanks for listening. In case you missed
Speaker 3: any of the show or our conversation with Reggie Smith,
Speaker 3: you can find it on the iHeartRadio app. Have a
Speaker 3: great rest of your night. We'll talk to you from
Speaker 3: the desert. See you