Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 2: We're back. The Dodgers are back, and the manager's Meeting
Speaker 2: presented by Downy Hyundai is back as well as the
Speaker 2: Dodgers get set for the three game series at Yankee Stadium.
Speaker 2: And I'm here with the man that has so many
Speaker 2: good memories being back at this new Yankee Stadium, and
Speaker 2: that's the one and only Dave Roberts. Dave, thanks a
Speaker 2: lot for the time.
Speaker 3: Oh Dave Man.
Speaker 1: I feel refreshed, recharged, and we certainly do have a
Speaker 1: lot of great members here at this new Yankee Stadium.
Speaker 2: Some of your players told me not to get too nostalgic,
Speaker 2: but it's hard not to the last time we were here,
Speaker 2: I remember before Game five talking to you outside of
Speaker 2: the doors of the clubhouse, and who could forget your
Speaker 2: trust and Blake Trinan, your trust in Walker Buehler. Do
Speaker 2: some of those memories start to flood back?
Speaker 3: They do?
Speaker 1: They do, And yeah, you just look back and kind
Speaker 1: of here and the stink stakes certainly aren't as high,
Speaker 1: and kind of going back to what Blake Tryning did,
Speaker 1: what Walker Bueller did, the mindset of closing these guys
Speaker 1: out in Game five of the World Series and how
Speaker 1: Game five started. So many great memories and it's hard
Speaker 1: not to be nostalgic.
Speaker 2: One of the images that go through my mind is
Speaker 2: when you're going out to the mound to get the
Speaker 2: temperature of Blake trying and Freddie Freeman waving you off
Speaker 2: and you just wanted to gauge where everybody was. What
Speaker 2: stood out to you about leaving trining in.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So I went out there and I just wanted
Speaker 1: to get his pulse, told him he had one more hitter,
Speaker 1: wanted to slow the game down, look into his eyes,
Speaker 1: put my hands on him, and then gets the hit
Speaker 1: her out and then at that point in time, I
Speaker 1: was going to go get him. And then that's when
Speaker 1: Freddie was kind of like waving me off, shoeing me off.
Speaker 1: And I'm happy I listened to him, because you know,
Speaker 1: I said he was going to get one hitter. I
Speaker 1: didn't want to bait and swim. It's Blake. But at
Speaker 1: that point in time, he didn't look at me, because
Speaker 1: if he was going to look at me after he
Speaker 1: got that hitter, I was gonna get him. But and
Speaker 1: I've talked to him and laugh with Blake after the fact,
Speaker 1: said I was gonna make eye contact with you once
Speaker 1: I got that guy out because I wanted the next guy,
Speaker 1: and he ended up getting stanned.
Speaker 2: I've never asked you this before, but Daniel Hudson we
Speaker 2: all know now got hurt warming up in the bullpen
Speaker 2: that night in Game five. If he doesn't get hurt,
Speaker 2: does anything change.
Speaker 3: You know what? No?
Speaker 1: Because to be quite honest, I didn't even know he
Speaker 1: was hurt. And so it's funny is that as it
Speaker 1: played out, I stuck with Blake, didn't know Huddy was hurt.
Speaker 1: Walker was going to have that inning, and then my
Speaker 1: hope was that Huddy would be the guy if we
Speaker 1: didn't win it there, But if it would have prolonged
Speaker 1: the game, I don't know what we would have done,
Speaker 1: to be quite honest, Hey, you.
Speaker 2: Bet on your players, like you talk about, and they
Speaker 2: delivered for you. That was a special time.
Speaker 1: No, they did, and I think you know, we all
Speaker 1: make mistakes and learn from things.
Speaker 3: And so the one thing.
Speaker 1: That I do know is that you know you've got
Speaker 1: to trust your players, bet on your players, certainly in
Speaker 1: those biggest spots.
Speaker 2: Manager Dave Roberts three times World Series winning manager for
Speaker 2: the Dodgers. Is our guest to head a first pitch
Speaker 2: between the Dodgers and Yankees, presented by Downy Hunday. All right,
Speaker 2: let's fast forward to the here and now. Show heyl
Speaker 2: Tani's in your starting lineup. When do you anticipate him
Speaker 2: pitching again?
Speaker 1: Well, right now, he's slated for Wednesday, and so right
Speaker 1: now it's good that you know he can get here
Speaker 1: from the break, play cash, we can put eyes on them,
Speaker 1: see ice progressing. Expect him to be in the lineup
Speaker 1: all three games, and I should have a bullpen here
Speaker 1: over the weekend. And like I said, as we sit
Speaker 1: here right now, he's going to start on Wednesday.
Speaker 2: Hey, it works out this first Wednesday. You got a
Speaker 2: day off on Thursday.
Speaker 3: No, that's right, that's exactly right.
Speaker 1: So you know for show, Hey, you know potentially it's
Speaker 1: the Wednesday, then you get the off day, so he'll
Speaker 1: be in a good spot.
Speaker 2: When you look at your team. Obviously, it kind of
Speaker 2: feels like a lifetime ago, those last three games at
Speaker 2: home against Arizona. Do you feel like this is a
Speaker 2: new start to the season in some respects And whatever
Speaker 2: took place there was, whatever the feelings we're going into the.
Speaker 1: Break, I do I think then, and I hate to
Speaker 1: admit it, but it just did seem like we were
Speaker 1: sleepwalking a little bit, certainly on the offensive side and
Speaker 1: the defensive side actually going into the break, and so hopefully,
Speaker 1: you know, everyone gets up to play the Dodgers, everyone
Speaker 1: gets up to play the Yankees. We're on their home turf.
Speaker 1: Then we go to city Field, which we go and
Speaker 1: play another good team in the Phillies, and then we
Speaker 1: go to Flushing and play the metsa city field. So
Speaker 1: we got a good run of kind of what fans,
Speaker 1: what media wants. So my expectation is at the floor
Speaker 1: the quality of play is going to be heightened.
Speaker 2: You were such a great ambassador again for Major League Baseball,
Speaker 2: not just the Dodgers during the All Star break in Philadelphia.
Speaker 2: You've been through this a few times, now. What was
Speaker 2: it like this experience?
Speaker 3: It was great.
Speaker 1: I think the game was probably forgettable in the sense
Speaker 1: that there wasn't a whole lot going on. I was
Speaker 1: happy with Robo him being able to go to innings.
Speaker 1: As far as a Dodger fan, the home run derby
Speaker 1: was fantastic, But for me, as always, it was my
Speaker 1: fifth go at this with me and my staff. The
Speaker 1: conversations with the players was fantastic. Spending time with Don
Speaker 1: Mattingley was great. Ali Marmol was great, And so that's
Speaker 1: always kind of the best takeaway.
Speaker 2: I know we always talk about oh being around other
Speaker 2: players and learning and picking from them, but are you
Speaker 2: starting to get the sense now that players from other
Speaker 2: teams are coming to you trying to find out what
Speaker 2: the magic of the Dodgers is?
Speaker 3: I am, I am.
Speaker 1: That is certainly the case where people are courting me
Speaker 1: and trying to get my ear. You know about certain things,
Speaker 1: and you know what makes a Dodter so special. And
Speaker 1: I think in this game people talk, you know, players talk,
Speaker 1: coaches talk, and obviously they see the success that we had.
Speaker 1: So it is fun for me as the opposing or
Speaker 1: the manager of the NL team to I do get
Speaker 1: that opportunity to kind of not vet players but get
Speaker 1: to know them, so when they do become free or
Speaker 1: you make trades and things like that, you have a
Speaker 1: little bit more insight and color. But it is interesting,
Speaker 1: Dave that people always want to know the what's under
Speaker 1: the hood or behind the curtain with the Dodgers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, One of my favorite moments that I saw was somehow,
Speaker 2: some way Dave Roberts got roped into a photo with
Speaker 2: all the Cuban players or all this Chapman Randia Rose Arena.
Speaker 2: How did you find yourself in that situation?
Speaker 3: That was hilarious.
Speaker 1: So they were taking pictures and then Junior coming. I
Speaker 1: wanted to take a picture with me, So I said okay,
Speaker 1: And then they were talking and I go, hey, said
Speaker 1: he is what they call Cubans said it, and so
Speaker 1: I said, hey, you guys come here, then let's go
Speaker 1: take a photo.
Speaker 3: And so they all got in there. We were all laughing.
Speaker 3: It was hilarious.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I saw I saw the video of that. I
Speaker 2: was like, only Dave Roberts can bring these guys together.
Speaker 3: It was great.
Speaker 1: But the thing is is that we're all a small
Speaker 1: fraternity and we're playing a game we get to do,
Speaker 1: and it's bigger than us.
Speaker 3: The game.
Speaker 1: Like I tell my players all the time, Dave Man,
Speaker 1: the game doesn't need us. It's going to go on
Speaker 1: with or without us, and we just got to hopefully
Speaker 1: make our little contribution.
Speaker 2: Well, you've made a big contribution, and you are great
Speaker 2: for the game. You're a great ambassador for the game.
Speaker 2: And here's something that this is a fan question that really,
Speaker 2: you know, turned the light bulb for me. You're one
Speaker 2: of the few managers that still wears his full uniform.
Speaker 2: You don't go with a T shirt, you're not put
Speaker 2: the hoodie over. Where does that come from? And how
Speaker 2: much pride do you have to button up that jersey,
Speaker 2: which we don't really see from managers these days.
Speaker 1: I really appreciate that insight, that that fan noticing that
Speaker 1: it's intentional. I think that it's my ode to the game,
Speaker 1: you know, and old manager from Walt Alston to Tommy
Speaker 1: to the managers well beyond them, and I think it's
Speaker 1: something that I look forward to doing. Joe Tory did it,
Speaker 1: and so something for me is like I just feel
Speaker 1: like if I manage the Los Angeles Dodgers, a certain
Speaker 1: optics and how I carry myself should come with it.
Speaker 1: And so I take a lot of pride and wear
Speaker 1: my uniform every day.
Speaker 2: That's why you're the perfect guy for this job. Before
Speaker 2: I let you go, let's bring a full circle really quick.
Speaker 2: I have to ask you this. So we're in your
Speaker 2: office right now, do you remember the last moments that
Speaker 2: you were in this office after Game five. What do
Speaker 2: you remember the last couple of and the last time
Speaker 2: you walked out of here?
Speaker 1: I remember being drenched in champagne, having goggles on top
Speaker 1: of my head, my son Cole in this office, and
Speaker 1: Andrew Brandon Gomes just in here, just chopping it up,
Speaker 1: having a blast. I got my shower shoes on, kind
Speaker 1: of taking a big X YA going. I just cannot
Speaker 1: believe we just won the World Series. So when I
Speaker 1: walked down those steps today for batting practice, it's going
Speaker 1: to kind of be fresh in my mind. You know
Speaker 1: what transpired, you know, a couple years ago.
Speaker 2: Thanks a lot for sharing all those memories with us.
Speaker 2: Great job as always being an ambassador for Major League
Speaker 2: Baseball at the All Star Game, and we look forward
Speaker 2: to doing this again next week. We'll be back in
Speaker 2: New York.
Speaker 3: Look forward to it. Dave, thank you very much