Speaker 1: This is off season Dodger Talk. Get in on the
Speaker 1: show by calling eight six six seven s four hashtag
Speaker 1: Dodger Talk and now your host, David Basse.
Speaker 2: It is finally here, the week the Dodgers pitchers and
Speaker 2: catchers officially report to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. We
Speaker 2: will be out there beginning this Friday in spring training
Speaker 2: and we will have Dodger Talk and all the latest
Speaker 2: news from Arizona starting on Friday right here on AM
Speaker 2: five to seventy LA Sports your home of the back
Speaker 2: to back World Series champion Dodgers. We are taking phone
Speaker 2: calls tonight. I know our last show was heavy interviews.
Speaker 2: We are going to take phone calls tonight eight six
Speaker 2: six nine eight seven two five seventy. John Hartung, who
Speaker 2: is the most gracious and unselfish host out there. He
Speaker 2: is going to join us at seven third. He is
Speaker 2: going to come on and I am going to prove
Speaker 2: to you that he's not just another pretty face. He
Speaker 2: knows Dodger baseball. He knows what he's talking about, but
Speaker 2: serves it up for Jerry and No Mar and the
Speaker 2: rest of the gang at sportsnet LA. So looking forward
Speaker 2: to having John Hartung join us from Sportsnet LA at
Speaker 2: the bottom of the hour. But you know what dawned
Speaker 2: on me today and over the weekend. My wife actually
Speaker 2: brought this up to me. My wife, and it's been
Speaker 2: in the back of my mind. But basically, I've moved
Speaker 2: forward because that's the way he wants me to handle this.
Speaker 2: And that's the first time since covering the Dodgers and
Speaker 2: traveling with them and hosting Dodger Talk, this will be
Speaker 2: the first time I walk into the Dodgers spring training
Speaker 2: clubhouse and there won't be a twenty two locker. There
Speaker 2: will not be Clayton Kershaw for the first time, and
Speaker 2: I was asked, have you thought about that this will
Speaker 2: be the first time that you walk into that clubhouse
Speaker 2: and Kershaw will not be on the team, And you know,
Speaker 2: I have thought about it. I haven't posted any sappy
Speaker 2: Instagram reflection of the years from twenty twelve to twenty
Speaker 2: twenty five with Kershaw because that's not the way he's
Speaker 2: wanted to handle it. Just move forward. And if you
Speaker 2: go back to listen to the final interview that we
Speaker 2: did together or the second to last interview we did
Speaker 2: together while he was a member of the team. It
Speaker 2: was before Game seven of the World Series and he
Speaker 2: was our pregame guest, and what he said was, don't
Speaker 2: make it weird. And so that's been in the back
Speaker 2: of my mind, and that's why I've hesitated to do
Speaker 2: a Kershaw tribute show or a tribute on social media
Speaker 2: to Kershaw, because I don't want to make it weird.
Speaker 2: But here's the thing that I'm thinking about as we
Speaker 2: get closer to Friday and pitchers and catchers report to
Speaker 2: kemel Back Ranch for the first time in twenty years
Speaker 2: without twenty two Clayton Kershaw. And I know he's going
Speaker 2: to be out there training with the World Baseball Classic
Speaker 2: Team USA, but this is the first time he will
Speaker 2: not have a locker, that locker that was right next
Speaker 2: to the exit door to the weight room in the
Speaker 2: clubhouse at camel Back Ranch. First time since I've been
Speaker 2: hosting Dodger Talk. I'll walk in there and twenty two
Speaker 2: will not be at that locker. But here's the thing.
Speaker 2: And I feel like we've been swept up by the
Speaker 2: emotions of and rightfully so, back to back World Series championships.
Speaker 2: Things are going great for the Dodgers. They're on their
Speaker 2: way looking for a three pete. But this doesn't mean
Speaker 2: much inside the clubhouse as much as it does for
Speaker 2: a talk show like this. But now that Kershaw is
Speaker 2: no longer wearing the Dodger uniform and he's retired, who
Speaker 2: is the face of the Dodgers. Think about that. When
Speaker 2: you said Dodgers for the last nineteen years, Kershaw's name
Speaker 2: was the first one you thought about for the majority
Speaker 2: of the nineteen years, I would say since at least
Speaker 2: twenty eleven, maybe two thousand and nine. I know Matt
Speaker 2: Kemp had a spurt right there. Andre Ethier played all
Speaker 2: twelve of his major league career, all of his twelve
Speaker 2: years in the major leagues with the Dodgers. But Kershaw's
Speaker 2: the Hall of Famer. Kershaw's the guy that has three
Speaker 2: Cy Youngs, an MVP, and is on his way to
Speaker 2: the Hall of Fame in five years when he's eligible.
Speaker 2: So now that he's no longer, you're no longer going
Speaker 2: to have the five day routine, And that's what I'm
Speaker 2: going to miss most has seeing him out there giving
Speaker 2: up six runs or pitching a no hitter, being the
Speaker 2: first guy on the field the day after starting his
Speaker 2: five day routine. And for you, it'll be the first
Speaker 2: time every fifth day or sixth day that you don't
Speaker 2: see Kershaw on the mound or know that he's on
Speaker 2: the team. So who is the face of the Dodgers now?
Speaker 2: Is it Otani? Is it that simple of an answer?
Speaker 2: Is it Otani? Is it Mookie Betts? Who ever since
Speaker 2: came to the Dodgers. Say whatever you want, but the
Speaker 2: Dodgers have won three World Series since Mookie Betts was
Speaker 2: traded to the Dodgers. Let everybody in Boston know that
Speaker 2: after that Super Bowl yesterday? Or is it Freddy Freeman,
Speaker 2: who this side of Kirk Gibson has the biggest postseason
Speaker 2: moment in Dodger franchise history. I would argue Freddy Freeman's
Speaker 2: walk off Grand Slam against the Yankees is the greatest
Speaker 2: postseason moment the Dodgers have had since Kirk Gibson's walk
Speaker 2: off home run in nineteen eighty eight. A moment, not
Speaker 2: a game, not a sequence of games, but a moment.
Speaker 2: And then you follow it up with Freddie Freeman's walk
Speaker 2: off home run in Game three of this year's World
Speaker 2: Series to become the first player in baseball history to
Speaker 2: have two walk off home runs in the World Series.
Speaker 2: So who is it in your mind when somebody says
Speaker 2: Dodgers or you're thinking about buying a jersey now, or
Speaker 2: your son or your daughter wants you to buy a
Speaker 2: jersey their first Dodger jersey? Who is it? Is it
Speaker 2: automatically Otani? Is it that easy? I'm wondering. I'm wondering
Speaker 2: how you feel about it. I think it is a
Speaker 2: slam dunk. In some ways that Otani now is a
Speaker 2: is a generational figure. He's a crossover figure for the
Speaker 2: game of baseball. He was on Access Hollywood. Not too
Speaker 2: many players and transcend the game the way Otani as.
Speaker 2: So in a lot of ways, it is Otani. But
Speaker 2: to me, Freddie Freeman is certainly right up there in
Speaker 2: Mookie Betts. I would say those three, to me are
Speaker 2: the first three names that come to mind when you
Speaker 2: think about who is the face of the Dodgers now
Speaker 2: without Clayton Kershaw wearing twenty two in that Dodger blue
Speaker 2: eight six six nine, eight seven two five seventy is
Speaker 2: the phone number. As we get closer to Friday. The
Speaker 2: Dodgers have a really good team. So we're poking some
Speaker 2: holes in a Juggernaut. Let's get that straight. But for me,
Speaker 2: the biggest question as far as the Dodgers pitching staff
Speaker 2: surrounds two Blake's Blake Snell and Blake Trinan. Which Blake
Speaker 2: Trinan are we going to get this year? Does Blake
Speaker 2: Trinan have anything left in the tank or did he
Speaker 2: empty the tank during the twenty twenty four World Series.
Speaker 2: I know we always seem to get about the twenty
Speaker 2: four World Series and what happened between the comeback in
Speaker 2: the fifth inning and Walker Buehler being the hero to
Speaker 2: close out the game. Well, that was Blake Trinon who
Speaker 2: threw more pitches to set up Bueller Soroics than he
Speaker 2: ever pitched in any single game. So does Blake Trinon
Speaker 2: have anything left? If he does, the Dodger bullpen is
Speaker 2: that much better with Tanner Scott and Edwood Diaz at
Speaker 2: the back end of it, with Alex Vesia coming back,
Speaker 2: Bruce Star Graderol coming back at Gardo Enriquez, another year
Speaker 2: of experience, the arms of Will Climb, Kyle Hurt. You
Speaker 2: have to imagine Will Klein is a different guy coming
Speaker 2: into camp with a lot more confidence than he had
Speaker 2: a year ago at this time Jack Dryers sophomore season,
Speaker 2: you got Brock Stewart, Kyle Hurt, Ben Casparius, maybe some Robleski.
Speaker 2: And the other big question is Blake Snell. Blake Snell
Speaker 2: is behind other pitchers because he's only throwing one hundred
Speaker 2: and twenty feet and talked about how his shoulder was
Speaker 2: barking and how he is taking it a little bit slower.
Speaker 2: Now do I believe that there's anything significantly wrong with
Speaker 2: Blake's Now? I would say he's continuing to maintain there's not.
Speaker 2: But when he says opening day is the goal, I'm
Speaker 2: sure it is the goal. But I don't see any
Speaker 2: way that he's on the Dodgers opening day roster. He's
Speaker 2: at least three weeks behind everybody else. I mean, you
Speaker 2: don't just start throwing one hundred and twenty feet a
Speaker 2: week before spring training. And honestly, the Dodgers we saw
Speaker 2: last year. You know, want to be sure with these
Speaker 2: guys that they are at their healthiest when it matters
Speaker 2: the most. Think about last year, the Dodgers barely won
Speaker 2: the NLS by three games. They did not have a
Speaker 2: first round by, they did not have home field advantage
Speaker 2: in any one of their playoffs series outside of the
Speaker 2: Wildcard against the Reds. They were the road team against
Speaker 2: the Phillies in the NLDS, they were the road team
Speaker 2: against the Brewers in the NLCS, and Game seven was
Speaker 2: in Toronto. So they proved that what matters most to
Speaker 2: them is not having the best record or winning one
Speaker 2: hundred and five games, but having their pitchers at their
Speaker 2: healthiest and pitching their best when it matters the most.
Speaker 2: So that's why I'm not sounding the alarm on Blake
Speaker 2: Snell and being a little slower than the other pitchers.
Speaker 2: But to me, if you had to ask who are
Speaker 2: the two biggest question marks, it's the two Blakes, Blake
Speaker 2: Trinin and Blake Snell. Eight six six nine eight seven
Speaker 2: two five seventy is the phone number when we continue
Speaker 2: on Dodger Talk your phone calls. We have three lines
Speaker 2: open at eight sixty six nine eighty seven two five seventy.
Speaker 2: When we continue, I'll let you know which former Dodger
Speaker 2: World Series hero is still incredibly not signed with a team. Also,
Speaker 2: we'll get into the Dodgers promotional calendar and how you
Speaker 2: may get a glimpse of your Dodgers in spring training.
Speaker 2: So got a lot to get to your phone calls First,
Speaker 2: John Hartungue at seven point thirty right here on a
Speaker 2: F five to seventy LA Sports. David Vasse with you
Speaker 2: until eight o'clock tonight here on AM five to seventy
Speaker 2: LA Sports. It's time for Dodger baseball. Ain't that the truth?
Speaker 2: As baseball season is right around the corner. Dodgers pitchers
Speaker 2: and catchers report this Friday at Camelback Ranch officially Showani
Speaker 2: and Roki Sasaki, among others already at camel Back Ranch
Speaker 2: getting ready for the season. And in case you were wondering,
Speaker 2: I got some messages on social media about when fans
Speaker 2: can start to line up and check out the Dodgers
Speaker 2: practicing on the backfields. Well, fans are allowed starting Friday
Speaker 2: to go back there at Camelback Ranch on the backfields
Speaker 2: and be able to catch a glimpse of their Dodgers
Speaker 2: starting this Friday. And look, everybody always asks me like, hey,
Speaker 2: what's the best way of getting an autograph? How do
Speaker 2: I get close to these guys? Number One, I always
Speaker 2: feel like they're phishing for me to offer an autograph,
Speaker 2: which I'm not going to do because I don't even
Speaker 2: do that for my kids. Number two, the best way
Speaker 2: to get a photo opportunity or an autograph by a player,
Speaker 2: A best chance to me is going to spring training
Speaker 2: and be out there on the backfields. The earlier the better. Weekdays,
Speaker 2: less crowded than weekends, of course, So that's that's my
Speaker 2: tip to you. And the first day you can be
Speaker 2: back out there on the backfields is this Friday. The
Speaker 2: first Dodger Cactus League game is a week from this Saturday.
Speaker 2: If you can believe that February twenty first Dodgers Angels
Speaker 2: at Tempe Diabolo Stadium, you'll hear that live right here
Speaker 2: on five to seventy LA Sports. And opening Day coming
Speaker 2: up on March twenty sixth against the Diamondbacks. It's a
Speaker 2: five point forty game that I believe is going to
Speaker 2: be broadcast on Peacock, and it's kind of official. I
Speaker 2: guess that Clayton Kershaw is going to be broadcasting for
Speaker 2: Peacock this year. My understanding is it's not going to
Speaker 2: be a full load of games. I wouldn't expect to
Speaker 2: see Kershaw every Sunday night for Sunday Night Baseball on
Speaker 2: NBC and Peacock, but he'll be involved, and I could
Speaker 2: tell you he'll be at Ring Day for the Dodgers
Speaker 2: on Tuesday, likely to be the second day of the
Speaker 2: regular season, March twenty seventh. If the Dodgers do what
Speaker 2: they did last year, have Opening Day and the pomp
Speaker 2: and circumstance of that day, and then have another great
Speaker 2: celebration day with Ring Day game two home game number two.
Speaker 2: So if they stay true to form with that, Ring
Speaker 2: Day would be on March twenty seventh. Eight six six nine,
Speaker 2: eight seven, two five seventy is the phone number. Let's
Speaker 2: go out to Pomona, Danny. You're on Dodger Talk. How
Speaker 2: you doing, Danny?
Speaker 3: Very good?
Speaker 4: Thanks day for the opportunity. If I had to pick
Speaker 4: one player right now, that signifies the commitit to the team.
Speaker 4: Will Smith to me, Will Smith is going to be
Speaker 4: or is should already be the face of the franchise.
Speaker 4: Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Speaker 2: Doesn't talk much, though, Danny, how can he be the
Speaker 2: face of the franchise. You got to be out in
Speaker 2: front as well.
Speaker 4: But let me ask you this. He keeps the battery moving,
Speaker 4: He keeps those guys in line, those new pitchers, the
Speaker 4: even your veterans, yes, Mookie and Freddie and even Showy too,
Speaker 4: except they have all their accolades. But from other teams, well, Danny.
Speaker 2: I'm with you. I'm with you on all that with
Speaker 2: Will Smith. But to be the face of the team,
Speaker 2: to be the face of a league, and to be
Speaker 2: the face of a franchise, you got to be out
Speaker 2: there more. And Will Smith, he just came out of
Speaker 2: hibernation during the Chris Taylor and FanFest weekend. We haven't
Speaker 2: even heard from him since the parade. He's not a
Speaker 2: guy that wants to be out in front. Now, you
Speaker 2: may be describing what I said on Sports and at
Speaker 2: LA last week that he is the most important player
Speaker 2: on the team, a guy they cannot afford to lose
Speaker 2: because we saw last year how big of a drop
Speaker 2: off it is offensively without him in the lineup.
Speaker 4: You're right, You're absolutely right. He is the most important
Speaker 4: piece that we have to to puzzle. But when I
Speaker 4: see everything as far as the commitment this guy does he.
Speaker 2: Okay, our definition of the face of the team is
Speaker 2: a little bit different, but I agree with everything you
Speaker 2: said as far as Will Smith goes. Thanks for the
Speaker 2: phone call. Danny Hey. I even told Will Smith, I've
Speaker 2: had to be the Marching Chowder Society for Will Smith
Speaker 2: this offseason because he's not talking that much. He doesn't
Speaker 2: like to do interviews. And this guy hit the go
Speaker 2: ahead in eventual rent winning home run in the eleventh
Speaker 2: inning of Game seven of the World Series. Yes, the
Speaker 2: heroics of Miguel Rojas were incredible and improbable, with the
Speaker 2: Dodgers down to their last two outs of the season
Speaker 2: and Miguel Rojas and Will Smith teaming up in the
Speaker 2: ninth inning defensively, but it was Will Smith and Miguel
Speaker 2: Rojas who homered and made incredible defensive plays in the
Speaker 2: ninth inning to give the Dodgers the World Championship. Speaking
Speaker 2: of Game seven, Jack in Santa Clara wants to let
Speaker 2: us know where he was for Game seven.
Speaker 5: How you doing, Jack, I'm doing great, DV.
Speaker 4: How about you?
Speaker 2: Awesome. I had a reset weekend, my last weekend without
Speaker 2: the Dodgers, and ready to go, ready to go and
Speaker 2: get this thing started with a possible three peat, very
Speaker 2: real possibility.
Speaker 5: I can't wait. I'm chopping at the bit to start
Speaker 5: baseball season. I wanted to talk real quick about where
Speaker 5: I was in my game seven. So usually I'm watching
Speaker 5: the broadcast, the Fox broadcast, but something about me is
Speaker 5: I get stressed out a lot. And so ninth Inning
Speaker 5: comes on. Tell my roommate, you know what, I gotta
Speaker 5: put on the radio. I got to listen to Rick
Speaker 5: and Steven in case they need to let me down.
Speaker 5: I need to do something. So I went out on
Speaker 5: a walk, and I'm walking those same streets that I
Speaker 5: walked during game seven, kind of just reminiscing right now,
Speaker 5: and Kei k Hernandez makes it out and my head's down.
Speaker 5: Miguel Rojas comes up and he hits that home run,
Speaker 5: and I throw my arms up in the air. I'm screaming.
Speaker 5: I start sprinting back to my apartment, and all the
Speaker 5: while I scare the living daylights out of this. This
Speaker 5: Uber Eats delivery driver who was just walking along the
Speaker 5: sidewalk delivering some food and suddenly he sees some guy
Speaker 5: turn around and start screaming and sprinting at him, and
Speaker 5: so I ran back. I high five my roommate, and
Speaker 5: then I said, you know what, I got to stay
Speaker 5: back outside. I'm superstitious like that. So the game kept
Speaker 5: going on and I stayed outside for the next hour
Speaker 5: hour and a half. I don't even I don't even
Speaker 5: know how long that was, but I heard the will
Speaker 5: Smith home run stayed out there, and it was It's
Speaker 5: a night. I'll never forget.
Speaker 2: What part of LA do you live in.
Speaker 5: I don't live in LA. I live in Northern California,
Speaker 5: believe it or not. I was raised by La natives,
Speaker 5: So I'm an enemy territory up here.
Speaker 2: Okay, I mean, hopefully you got your ten thousand steps
Speaker 2: from the ninth inning.
Speaker 3: On, oh I had to have.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, Jack, Santa Clara, which is not San Francisco.
Speaker 2: Even though the forty nine ers try to still claim
Speaker 2: they are the San Francisco forty nine ers, they are
Speaker 2: more like the San Jose forty nine ers. Do you
Speaker 2: agree with that?
Speaker 5: That is one hundred percent accurate. It's about an hour
Speaker 5: drive from San Francisco to Santa Clara.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I heard with everybody that went up
Speaker 2: there for Radio Row and the Super Bowl. The secrets
Speaker 2: out where that stadium is Levi Stadium. It's nowhere near
Speaker 2: San Francisco. So all right, Jack, glad we settled all that.
Speaker 2: Thank you for calling in and calling anytime.
Speaker 5: Yeah, thank you and shout out David Vasse. You do
Speaker 5: a great job. And all the folks at A five
Speaker 5: seventy Thanks Jack.
Speaker 2: Appreciate it. Thank you for listening. And I'm sure Steven
Speaker 2: and Rick are flattered to know that you decided to
Speaker 2: turn off Joe Davis and the Fox National broadcast and
Speaker 2: let them paint the picture for you. So hopefully you
Speaker 2: do that. I'm not gonna say for every game this year,
Speaker 2: but I would say we want at least fifty games
Speaker 2: of you taking walks around your neighborhood and getting those
Speaker 2: ten thousand steps. Speaking of the upcoming season, the Dodgers
Speaker 2: announced their giveaway schedule or partial giveaway schedule. I love
Speaker 2: the giveaways that they got the bobbleheads ice cube in
Speaker 2: his low Rider car Otani's home run in the NLCS.
Speaker 2: They got some Game seven World Series moment bobbleheads with
Speaker 2: Yamamoto celebration, Miguel Rojas's game tying home run and Will
Speaker 2: Smith stoic go ahead home run. I love that they
Speaker 2: have a Shaquille O'Neal bobblehead this year. I hope shaq
Speaker 2: comes out to the ballpark for that. But here's the
Speaker 2: one that they missed, and they did leave the door
Speaker 2: open for more giveaways and additions to their promotional schedule.
Speaker 2: How about the bobblehead of Andy Paz making the catch
Speaker 2: over keyk Hernandez in the World Series. How great of
Speaker 2: a bobblehead would that be? I mean, that's the bobblehead
Speaker 2: that needs to happen. I love the Yamamoto one, the
Speaker 2: celebration with the hat off and all that. I love
Speaker 2: these other ones, but you know, the one that everybody
Speaker 2: would love to have, that I believe would be as
Speaker 2: popular as the ice cube or the Otani bobbleheads would
Speaker 2: be Paz knocking Keik to the ground for the catch
Speaker 2: in Game seven of the World Series. I mean, that's
Speaker 2: one of the iconic moments of Game seven. I would
Speaker 2: love to see that bobblehead. They made Christmas ornaments out
Speaker 2: of it. How about a bobblehead of that incredible moment
Speaker 2: as well. Let's go out to Chino. Jimmy, you're on
Speaker 2: Dodger Talk with David vasse Hi.
Speaker 3: Jimmy, Hey, what's up David? A couple of things. Brad
Speaker 3: Paisey him on a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I
Speaker 3: didn't get to make the call. But have you always
Speaker 3: talked about him coming up with a baseball song like
Speaker 3: center Field?
Speaker 2: Yes, he has thought talked about it. But I feel
Speaker 2: like he does have a baseball metaphoric song that he
Speaker 2: came out with a couple of years ago. He should
Speaker 2: check it out. So many summers. That is about a
Speaker 2: father and son, and what is more baseball than passing
Speaker 2: it down to your son. So listen to that song,
Speaker 2: and I feel like if you listen to that song,
Speaker 2: you could put it up with any montage of baseball highlights.
Speaker 2: Major League Baseball is missing out not to have that
Speaker 2: song as some sort of as a theme song this summer.
Speaker 2: Take a listen to it. It applies to any summer,
Speaker 2: and baseball is summer. So listen to that song.
Speaker 3: Awesome. And then second question, you mentioned in the past
Speaker 3: that Freddie would be your guy if you need a
Speaker 3: hit in a key situation bomb and ninth, what would
Speaker 3: be your game Staven picture if you needed somebody you've
Speaker 3: seen lots of dogs are great?
Speaker 2: Hey, Jimmy, I mean, is there any other answer other
Speaker 2: than Yamamoto?
Speaker 3: Oh? I want to see how law yours is?
Speaker 1: Now?
Speaker 5: Zilla?
Speaker 3: David not right?
Speaker 2: Now it would be Yamamoto. It would be Yamamoto. I mean,
Speaker 2: snell Zilla is only throwing one hundred and twenty feet
Speaker 2: right now, but snell Zillah stood tall in Philadelphia, Jimmy,
Speaker 2: without him pitching the way he did in Game one
Speaker 2: of the NLDS, the Dodgers don't win that series.
Speaker 3: Why did you pick your brain? Damma, You're great at
Speaker 3: what you do.
Speaker 2: Man, Appreciate you all right, Jimmy, thank you, Appreciate you too. Yeah,
Speaker 2: check out so many summers. I mean, i'll I came
Speaker 2: clean with Brad. I don't know his catalog that well.
Speaker 2: I would say my favorite songs are the ones that
Speaker 2: have come out in the last two years. Uh, those
Speaker 2: are my favorite Brad Paisley songs. And that one is
Speaker 2: one of them. And another one was a metaphor for Kershaw.
Speaker 2: I thought, last year, let's see if that truck still works.
Speaker 2: I would just burst out in song when Kershaw would
Speaker 2: walk by me last year in the dugout, and it
Speaker 2: would embarrass him. And I loved every moment of it.
Speaker 2: All right, another guy that I love to embarrass at
Speaker 2: moments in time on sports net LA is going to
Speaker 2: join us next John Harttungue is coming up next. And
Speaker 2: also we still will let you know which former Dodger
Speaker 2: has still not be has not been signed by a team,
Speaker 2: is still a free agent. How is that possible? You
Speaker 2: tell me. Dodger talk until eight o'clock right here on
Speaker 2: AM five seventy LA Sports. David Vass with you until
Speaker 2: eight o'clock tonight here on AM five seventy LA Sports.
Speaker 2: We are gonna take more of your phone calls. In
Speaker 2: a moment, we will let you know which former Dodger
Speaker 2: World Series hero is still a free agent as pitchers
Speaker 2: and catchers are reporting around the league. But first we
Speaker 2: are joined right now by the voice of Sports net LA,
Speaker 2: the man that has been anchoring the studio show since
Speaker 2: day one at Sports net LA, the most unselfish and
Speaker 2: giving host out there in Los Angeles television, and that
Speaker 2: is the one and only John hartung Heart Tongue. Great
Speaker 2: to have you on the radio show. Appreciate it. Oh
Speaker 2: oh oh sell hell are you there? Heart Tongue? All right,
Speaker 2: there we go with it. Sheesh, where are you in
Speaker 2: the six to sixth one?
Speaker 3: Going on? There?
Speaker 2: I mean, we're we're we're doing we're in civilization out here.
Speaker 2: In the San Fernando Valley. We're now in the Santa
Speaker 2: Clarita Valley. Wherever you may be.
Speaker 1: Heart tongue, that's true. My location is still a mystery
Speaker 1: as we speak. But good to you. I haven't talked
Speaker 1: to you in a few days.
Speaker 2: I know. I feel like this has been a great uh,
Speaker 2: a great routine to see you every week. And I
Speaker 2: guess the biggest thing you're always asking the questions. I'll
Speaker 2: ask you some of these questions as we look at
Speaker 2: this juggernaut of the Dodgers. I mentioned that my two
Speaker 2: biggest pitching question marks are the Blakes, Blake Trining and
Speaker 2: Blake's Now, do you have any questions about this pitchaching staff?
Speaker 1: Well, you probably have more insight on Blake Snell than
Speaker 1: I do. But I've certainly concerned once I heard that
Speaker 1: maybe the shoulder was still barking late in the postseason there,
Speaker 1: I guess in the World Series after he missed four months.
Speaker 1: So that's certainly a concern, And obviously after the season
Speaker 1: Blake Trinon had that's a concern as well. I'm always
Speaker 1: concerned about health, especially the way we've seen injuries rack
Speaker 1: up with the pitching staff. Really the last three years
Speaker 1: or so. But I'm also interested to see how some
Speaker 1: of the guys bounce back as well, the guys like
Speaker 1: Bruce Dark Rattarol, the others that are coming back, River Ryan,
Speaker 1: Gavin Stone. We have so many guys coming back from
Speaker 1: injury this year. I'm more interested to see how those
Speaker 1: guys look. And I am about being concerned with the
Speaker 1: pitching staff at this point.
Speaker 2: When you look at the Dodgers starting staff, is there
Speaker 2: a guy that we're overlooking? Is it Roki Sasaki, the
Speaker 2: guy that came in with so much hype year Now
Speaker 2: you're not hearing much of anything about a guy that
Speaker 2: kind of saved the Dodgers playoff hopes last year.
Speaker 1: He absolutely did. And I was asked this last week
Speaker 1: in a podcast whom my breakout Dodger would be for
Speaker 1: twenty six and I went with Roki Sasaki. I think
Speaker 1: he's gained a lot of confidence by the way that
Speaker 1: he did kind of save the Dodgers Bolton late in
Speaker 1: the season and closing out games in big spots, because
Speaker 1: we weren't sure after watching him to start the year
Speaker 1: whether he was mentally ready for this assignment at the
Speaker 1: big league level. But he showed all of us so
Speaker 1: much with the way he threw the ball, the way
Speaker 1: he stepped up, the way he looked fearless, he looked
Speaker 1: confident at times, and I have a feeling we're going
Speaker 1: to see a big season from Rokie and hopefully he
Speaker 1: does have that third and maybe a fourth pitch added
Speaker 1: to his arsenal.
Speaker 2: John Hartongue, the man, the myth, the legend that never
Speaker 2: gets to shine and show how much he knows about
Speaker 2: Dodger Baseball and instead just dishing like he's magic. Johnson,
Speaker 2: the point guard for sports and at LA to Jerry
Speaker 2: Harriston Junior and Nomar and Oral Herscheizer. I guess before
Speaker 2: we go further with more Dodger Baseball questions, John, what
Speaker 2: can you tell us behind the scenes about what it's
Speaker 2: like to work with Nomar and Jerry and Oral Herscheiser
Speaker 2: among the others.
Speaker 1: It is my absolute favorite part of the job, and
Speaker 1: I love the fact that I get to cover the Dodgers,
Speaker 1: a team that I've loved since the nineteen seventies, and
Speaker 1: really they were my first love in life was Dodger baseball.
Speaker 1: But it's all about the people for me and Jerry
Speaker 1: and Oral and all of them. They're not just co workers.
Speaker 1: All of them have become good friends and sometimes we
Speaker 1: travel together. We played golf together, we go to dinners together,
Speaker 1: we drink wine together. Yes, there's some shenanigans that go
Speaker 1: on behind the scenes, which also makes a lot of fun,
Speaker 1: as you can probably imagine having gotten a chance to
Speaker 1: know those guys as well. But just great friendships and
Speaker 1: relationships that I've been able to establish is probably the
Speaker 1: best part of this job for me. And all those
Speaker 1: guys that you mentioned are the reasons why John.
Speaker 2: Can you you know, I've been having fans call in
Speaker 2: during the off season and opening that door all season
Speaker 2: long about their stories of where they were for Game
Speaker 2: seven of the World Series. What was it like being
Speaker 2: in the studio and watching Miguel Rojas hit that home run?
Speaker 2: Can you describe the scene in studio?
Speaker 1: I can, And actually we made our way down to
Speaker 1: the studio around the eighth inning, so we were in there.
Speaker 1: Obviously it was kind of somber at the moment because
Speaker 1: the Dodgers were down too, and then Max Monthy hits
Speaker 1: the home run, and I have to say, Jerry Hairston
Speaker 1: Jay Hare was sitting over in and you know, that
Speaker 1: the studio really well, you know that set really well,
Speaker 1: and how things are orchestrated in there. So he's open
Speaker 1: the clubhouse area, sitting in one of the chairs while
Speaker 1: I'm on the desk and no more and Oral Aer
Speaker 1: on the desk. We didn't realize for a while that
Speaker 1: Jerry's seed was actually ahead of the seed we had
Speaker 1: in studios, and I don't know how he had that.
Speaker 1: But when Miguel Rojas hit the home run to tie
Speaker 1: the game, all of a sudden, he starts jumping up
Speaker 1: and down and yelling go ball, go ball, and screaming
Speaker 1: and we haven't even seen Rojas hit the ball yet, Like,
Speaker 1: what are you doing? So we're losing our minds at
Speaker 1: that point, and I said, Jerry, stop doing that. You're
Speaker 1: ruining it for everybody else. But then good things kept
Speaker 1: on happening. He kept it on his phone, wasn't reacting.
Speaker 1: But then the play at the plate in the bottom
Speaker 1: of the ninth inning, he starts reacting ahead of what
Speaker 1: we're seeing. So again I'm like, just actually, you know,
Speaker 1: just keep doing it, Jerry, because good things are happening
Speaker 1: when you're watching ahead of us. And when Will Smith
Speaker 1: hit the home run, in the eleventh inning and then
Speaker 1: the double play to end the game. Jerry is starting
Speaker 1: to react and you could actually see when they recorded
Speaker 1: us in studio watching the final out, Jerry and I
Speaker 1: are already circling and starting to celebrate. Before the big
Speaker 1: monitor in the wall there has a mookie fielding the
Speaker 1: ground ball right before the before stepping on second base.
Speaker 1: So that part was really cool in a way that
Speaker 1: we were both watching two different feeds in the studio,
Speaker 1: but it was just pure mayhem. We were jumping up
Speaker 1: and down, hugging each other and celebrating, you know, like
Speaker 1: we were fans, because at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: we are fans on top of being the host and
Speaker 1: or analyst in studio.
Speaker 2: Yes, so I saw. There's no doubt Jerry's a fan,
Speaker 2: a no doubt about that. Now, John, you guys usually
Speaker 2: pop champagnes the last two years and in twenty twenty
Speaker 2: as well. Whose idea was that? And where do you guys?
Speaker 2: I mean, who brings in the champagne? Who brings in
Speaker 2: the dom?
Speaker 1: First of all, it's not dumb, it's not anywhere close
Speaker 1: to that. I will say, it's someone who works behind
Speaker 1: the scenes, someone's very, very nice who always buys champagne
Speaker 1: for us, And this goes back to twenty seventeen. They
Speaker 1: bought a bunch of bottles in, actually some really nice bottles,
Speaker 1: and Nomar brought some nice bottles in as well. He
Speaker 1: brought some nice bottles of vouve in twenty seventeen ahead
Speaker 1: of Game seven against the Astros, and obviously that game
Speaker 1: did not go well and it was looking ugly very
Speaker 1: early in that game. So no Mare turns to one
Speaker 1: of our bosses and said, can we just drink the
Speaker 1: champagne right now? We got this game for the next
Speaker 1: couple of hours, and they actually said, yeah, you can
Speaker 1: go ahead and do that. So it actually goes back
Speaker 1: to you know, twenty seventeen in the World Series, and
Speaker 1: we had some props on set when they would have
Speaker 1: Clinch Knight in twenty fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen that we
Speaker 1: wouldn't drink anything from the only time we ever had
Speaker 1: some champagne would be when they won the World Series.
Speaker 1: We did it in twenty twenty and just kept on
Speaker 1: doing it in twenty four and again this past year
Speaker 1: in twenty five.
Speaker 2: Hopefully John Hartongue and the rest of the crew at
Speaker 2: Sports and at La pop the Bubbly again at the
Speaker 2: end of twenty twenty six. Now, John, this is the
Speaker 2: first time since you've been doing this and I've been
Speaker 2: doing this, that Clayton Kershaw will not be at spring
Speaker 2: training wearing twenty two. Has that hit you or will
Speaker 2: it hit you once you get there? And the other
Speaker 2: player of all this is it as simple as saying
Speaker 2: that show Hey Otani is the face of the franchise.
Speaker 1: Now, I mean, I think it's safe to say that
Speaker 1: Shohey is the face of the franchise because the man
Speaker 1: is the face of baseball. I mean really globally worldwide,
Speaker 1: he's the face of baseball. So yeah, he's really become
Speaker 1: the face of the Dodgers franchise. And obviously it's going
Speaker 1: to be very strange to not have Clayton Kursa there
Speaker 1: at spring training, although we might see him because he's
Speaker 1: getting ready for the WBC. He's going to be on
Speaker 1: that team USA and the World Baseball Classics, So who knows,
Speaker 1: maybe he'll be out there working out throwing some bullpens
Speaker 1: or pop in and say hello to some of the guys.
Speaker 1: But on a day to day basis throughout the season,
Speaker 1: we're used to seeing him out there in the outfield
Speaker 1: grass with his son Charlie throwing baseball to him or
Speaker 1: doing his side work, and it's just going to be
Speaker 1: strange not to have Kersh around. I know they're going
Speaker 1: to have his Bobblehead night and he'll probably pop back
Speaker 1: in a few times, but on a day to day basis,
Speaker 1: that will be a big void for sure.
Speaker 2: Since you're very experienced in doing studio work and being
Speaker 2: in the studio when big moments are happening in Toronto
Speaker 2: or in some other stadium that you're not at. If
Speaker 2: Kershaw were to go in studio with Peacock or NBC
Speaker 2: or wherever it may be, what's the biggest piece of
Speaker 2: advice that you can give a guy that has fed
Speaker 2: off the adrenaline of fifty thousand plus when you're in
Speaker 2: a studio trying to, you know, rise up to that
Speaker 2: type of energy. Being in the studio with nobody there.
Speaker 1: It's certainly different. I think some of it depends on personality.
Speaker 1: But I think Clayton is going to be really good
Speaker 1: at this, And I think the reason why we say
Speaker 1: that is because of how he did when he would
Speaker 1: agree the last couple of years to wear the headset
Speaker 1: a lot more in the dugout, and you know, in
Speaker 1: the dugout he doesn't have his game face on. He's
Speaker 1: very relaxed, but he's just very insightful. He had good
Speaker 1: information at some funny comments as well as shows his
Speaker 1: personality a little bit more. I think the biggest thing
Speaker 1: for him is something that Chase Utlely struggled with. I mean,
Speaker 1: certain guys when they're that close still to a team
Speaker 1: or to the game and maybe be different because Clayton
Speaker 1: won't be doing as many Dodger games. But Chase Sutley
Speaker 1: really had a hard time being critical or having opinions
Speaker 1: of what he just saw in a game from from
Speaker 1: some of his former teammates, and he didn't want to
Speaker 1: be critical. And hopefully Clayton will be able to do
Speaker 1: that if it warranted, if someone's not performing or has
Speaker 1: a bad game or has a bad out and they're
Speaker 1: asking him to talk about it. Hopefully he will be
Speaker 1: able to do that because I know for certain guys
Speaker 1: that is hard. It's a real thing. It is hard
Speaker 1: for them to be critical of some of their former teammates,
Speaker 1: especially guys that they just played with a few months earlier,
Speaker 1: no doubt.
Speaker 2: I mean, at least Chase was honest with you guys,
Speaker 2: But certainly it's hard to just be one year removed
Speaker 2: and try to poke holes in somebody else's game. John
Speaker 2: Hartung from Sports at LA is our guest. All right, John,
Speaker 2: you're getting closer to heading to spring training to do
Speaker 2: your one on one interviews. Is there one player that
Speaker 2: you're really itching to talk to or you have you
Speaker 2: have a lot of questions for and want to know
Speaker 2: certain things about.
Speaker 1: It would have to be the new guys. It'd have
Speaker 1: to be Kyle Tucker one, and also Edwin Diaz because
Speaker 1: they weren't at dodger As. We didn't have a chance
Speaker 1: to get to know them have some conversations with them
Speaker 1: at Dodger Fest, and we were in studio hosts for
Speaker 1: both of their press conferences. I didn't have a chance
Speaker 1: to meet up with either one of them at that time.
Speaker 1: So certainly for me, it would be getting a chance
Speaker 1: to talk to both of those guys and do sit
Speaker 1: down interview with them once we get to camel Back Ranch.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that'll be interesting. Your takeaways from talking to Tucker
Speaker 2: because obviously there was a lot of talk about his
Speaker 2: enthusiasm for the game. I guess we'll all find out
Speaker 2: at the same time whether that was true or whether
Speaker 2: that was just people talking that don't accept guys going
Speaker 2: about their business a different way.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I just have a hard time believing that
Speaker 1: you can be as elite to a player as he
Speaker 1: is without really caring, without really loving the game. And
Speaker 1: I had heard some reports about those the same issues
Speaker 1: that you were talking about, and then someone posted on
Speaker 1: social media that all of those comments about him not
Speaker 1: loving the game came from some internet meme or an
Speaker 1: Instagram So I don't really know what's what, But like
Speaker 1: you said, having a chance to talk to him about
Speaker 1: some of those things that will be nice to do
Speaker 1: as well.
Speaker 2: All right, John thanks a lot for jumping on love
Speaker 2: having you on the show. You are, like I said,
Speaker 2: a very gracious host and not just another pretty face.
Speaker 2: You know what's going on there, and you needed to shine,
Speaker 2: and I gave you the room to shine right here, hard.
Speaker 1: Tongue, Well, you said, I'm like Magic Johnson back.
Speaker 3: In the day.
Speaker 1: You know, Magic would dish out fifteen twenty assists to night,
Speaker 1: but you remember he could have scored thirty a night
Speaker 1: if you really wanted to, and I feel like I
Speaker 1: could score thirty night if I need it too, dB,
Speaker 1: but I'm used to just dishing out the assist I
Speaker 1: love that part.
Speaker 2: And you just hope that Jerry doesn't blow the layup.
Speaker 1: Exactly exactly. And I'm gonna tell him that on Thursday
Speaker 1: when we see him, and you're in studio as well.
Speaker 1: We'll see you on Thursday.
Speaker 2: See you on Thursday. John, thanks a lot, Thanks Dave.
Speaker 2: There he goes John hart Tongue. Great, great host. He's
Speaker 2: been at the desk since day one of sports and
Speaker 2: at LA appreciate him jumping on and very interesting about
Speaker 2: some of the ins and outs of studio TV right
Speaker 2: there as it pertains to how they watch the games,
Speaker 2: how they watch Game seven, and also, you know, some
Speaker 2: advice for Clayton Krushaw. Will he be able to be
Speaker 2: critical because it's not just him being close to guys
Speaker 2: on the Dodgers. He was respected and he respects the
Speaker 2: game so much that it'll be interesting to see, you know,
Speaker 2: whether or not he's in a situation where there's a
Speaker 2: play that should be made or pictures should execute something,
Speaker 2: how he will handle that. But you know, when he
Speaker 2: was in the dugout doing those doing those interviews live
Speaker 2: in game. He obviously brought a lot of insight, and
Speaker 2: I'm sure he's going to do that no matter what
Speaker 2: capacity he's working for. Peacock and NBC. Eight six six
Speaker 2: nine eight seven two five seventy is the phone number.
Speaker 2: All right, here is the former Dodger World Series hero
Speaker 2: that is still a free agent. As pitchers and catchers
Speaker 2: are reporting across Major League Baseball, the Dodgers officially report
Speaker 2: on Friday. Can you believe the twenty twenty four World
Speaker 2: Series hero Walker Bueller is still a free agent? Still
Speaker 2: no team has signed Bueller. How is that possible? They're
Speaker 2: acting like this guy has nothing left. I know it
Speaker 2: didn't go the way he or the Red Sox envisioned
Speaker 2: it going. But the Red Sox made a huge mistake.
Speaker 2: They signed Bueller to be a big game pitcher down
Speaker 2: the stretch, and they released him right when they were
Speaker 2: getting to the finish line and needed him the most.
Speaker 2: And then he goes to the Phillies. Never pitched against
Speaker 2: the Dodgers in any way one of the four NLDS games,
Speaker 2: and in the regular season he made two starts for Philly.
Speaker 2: He came out of the bullpen for five innings in
Speaker 2: another only gave up one earned run as a Philly
Speaker 2: in thirteen and a third innings. Zach Wheeler's not gonna
Speaker 2: be ready for the beginning of the year. Ranger Suarez
Speaker 2: signed with another team. I mean, I find it very
Speaker 2: hard to believe that a team could not use Walker Buehler,
Speaker 2: even this version of Walker Bueller before five days until
Speaker 2: pitchers and catchers officially report for a lot of teams.
Speaker 2: Does that shock you? It shocks me. I hope I
Speaker 2: shocked you that Walker Bueller is still a free agent.
Speaker 2: From what I was told earlier today, he had some
Speaker 2: sort of showcase throwing in front of teams and scouts.
Speaker 2: I mean, is that really what it's come too for
Speaker 2: Walker Bueller? Does he really need to throw in front
Speaker 2: of teams in Arizona or Louisville or wherever it was
Speaker 2: to show them what he has? Feels like his body
Speaker 2: of work speaks for itself. He doesn't need to throw
Speaker 2: for anybody, but he did, and we'll see who signs
Speaker 2: Walker Buehler. Also, the Dodgers made an announcement and put
Speaker 2: out their non roster invites for spring training and look,
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna read off the entire list here, but
Speaker 2: there were a few names you may recognize, including three
Speaker 2: or four of their top outfield prospects. James Tibbs, the Third,
Speaker 2: Zayir Hope, Kendall, George and Jose Wade Depaula will all
Speaker 2: be in big league camp with the Dodgers this spring.
Speaker 2: So with the World Baseball Classics, some guys being a
Speaker 2: way to play there, maybe that gives some of these
Speaker 2: young guys some opportunit unities. And look, I know, hos
Speaker 2: Way de Paula is the next coming of your Don
Speaker 2: Alvarez or whoever other Hall of Famer or All Star
Speaker 2: you want to insert there. I mean, he's got to
Speaker 2: prove it, and he's got to leave an impression. He's
Speaker 2: got to show the work ethic in spring training, and
Speaker 2: so do all these other young guys. You think Dave
Speaker 2: Roberts is impressed with minor leaguers and their Baseball America rankings,
Speaker 2: they got to impress Andrew Freeman and Dave Roberts in
Speaker 2: big league camp not only what they do as far
Speaker 2: as results, but how they conduct themselves in their work ethic.
Speaker 2: That's what everybody will be watching this spring with all
Speaker 2: their top prospects, and I'm in the camp of you
Speaker 2: are a suspect, not a prospect until you prove it otherwise,
Speaker 2: Especially on a team as loaded at as the Dodgers,
Speaker 2: and a team that has won back to back World
Speaker 2: Series championships and is loaded again to go for a
Speaker 2: three peat, you better leave an impression because there's not
Speaker 2: many opportunities to do that with this veteran roster, and
Speaker 2: a roster that from ti Oscar Hernandez to Mookie Betts
Speaker 2: to Kyle Tucker to Andy Pajs to Tommy Edmond has
Speaker 2: a pretty full outfield these days. Our next show is
Speaker 2: going to be Thursday night at seven o'clock. We are
Speaker 2: going to have a very special guest on Thursday night,
Speaker 2: none other than Reggie Smith, who is going to be
Speaker 2: honored this summer by the Dodgers and ducked it into
Speaker 2: the Legends of Dodger Baseball, basically the Hall of Fame
Speaker 2: for the Dodgers. And Reggie Smith meant a lot to
Speaker 2: so many of his teammates, so many of the players
Speaker 2: that he coached and still coaches. He has a great
Speaker 2: academy an Encino, the Reggie Smith Academy. I sent my
Speaker 2: out to it. Last summer camp, had an amazing time.
Speaker 2: The coaches are amazing and Reggie always talks about teaching
Speaker 2: the teachers and he has taught his teachers at his
Speaker 2: Reggie Smith Academy so well. So looking forward to having
Speaker 2: Reggie Smith on the show Thursday night to talk about
Speaker 2: this incredible honor where you know, it's long overdue for
Speaker 2: Reggie Smith to be celebrated by somebody, and the Dodgers
Speaker 2: and Lon Rosen and Stan cast and obviously appreciate everything
Speaker 2: that Reggie accomplished as a player and as a coach.
Speaker 2: So looking forward to having Reggie on the show on
Speaker 2: Thursday night. Thanks to Ronnie Fossio for all of his help,
Speaker 2: Thanks to you for listening. In case you missed any
Speaker 2: of the show, you can find it on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2: You can follow me on Instagram at officially Vassa and
Speaker 2: on x at the Real Underscore DV. Coming up next
Speaker 2: Fox Sports Radio. We will talk to you Thursday night night.
Speaker 2: See you