WEBVTT - Don Mattingly (5-30-26) 

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

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<v Speaker 1>when I need a baseball spiritual cleansing, a man of righteousness,

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<v Speaker 1>I come to see my guy Don Mattingly.

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<v Speaker 2>Don, thanks a lot for the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Great to see you, and you haven't aged a single

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<v Speaker 1>day since we last saw you in a Dodger uniful.

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<v Speaker 3>A lot from the inside. It's just totally corroding.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you ever expect to be in this position again,

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<v Speaker 1>Don managing?

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<v Speaker 4>I really didn't, you know. I went to Philly really

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<v Speaker 4>with kind of just doing really what Dave you know,

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<v Speaker 4>kind of you know, thought about the role.

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<v Speaker 3>For me. It's just an experienced guy with this club.

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<v Speaker 4>To help Thomps as much as I could, And so

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<v Speaker 4>I can't say I thought about it at all. I

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<v Speaker 4>really thought we'd be get off to a better start

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<v Speaker 4>and I just be doing my job on the other

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<v Speaker 4>side of the bench.

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<v Speaker 1>Don Mattingly taught me two things that stand out the

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<v Speaker 1>most while he was managing the Dodgers. Number one, don't

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<v Speaker 1>ever go into another manager's dugout.

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<v Speaker 3>That's the truth.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you remember that?

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<v Speaker 3>Oh yeah, I still feel that way.

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<v Speaker 4>Try to anybody ask me about a decision or something

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<v Speaker 4>the other team did. I'm like, uh, try to stay

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<v Speaker 4>out of his dugout. I don't know what's going on

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<v Speaker 4>over there. Number two.

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<v Speaker 1>You said, it's not about the team's record, it's about

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<v Speaker 1>when you catch that team. So when are the Dodgers

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<v Speaker 1>catching the Phillies? Uh?

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, I think. You know, we come out of San Diego.

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<v Speaker 4>We we swept those guys, but we didn't really score.

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<v Speaker 4>We had we've been we've been had more trouble, I

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<v Speaker 4>think putting runs up.

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<v Speaker 3>In general, we were able to keep San Diego down.

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<v Speaker 4>The series before against Cleveland, we got three you know,

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<v Speaker 4>really well pitched games and we didn't really score, so

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<v Speaker 4>that hurt us. So they're catching us, okay, I think,

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<v Speaker 4>But we're always you know, we're always pretty good because

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<v Speaker 4>we we throw the ball pretty good.

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<v Speaker 2>Definitely, Zach Wheeler.

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<v Speaker 1>You got Christopher Sanchez making Oral Herscheizer very nervous these days,

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<v Speaker 1>Donnie very nervous.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, he should be, he should be.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, Bryce Harper, we take for granted that first base

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<v Speaker 1>is a new position to him. Obviously you are a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty good first baseman in your day, now that you're

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<v Speaker 1>with the Phillies, even when you were the bench coach.

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<v Speaker 2>How much have you worked with him?

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<v Speaker 1>How open has he been to try to get better

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<v Speaker 1>there with you being on the same side.

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<v Speaker 3>No, he's been open, very open. I think he wants

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<v Speaker 3>to be good over there.

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<v Speaker 4>He's gotten dinged a little bit by some of the

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<v Speaker 4>metrics this year early just because of some balls that

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<v Speaker 4>got through in the hole, and you know, it felt

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<v Speaker 4>like we needed to push him further off the bag.

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<v Speaker 3>So that's one thing we've tried to do recently. But

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<v Speaker 3>he's been great.

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<v Speaker 1>When you look at Freddie Freeman, a guy that is

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<v Speaker 1>on his way to the Hall of Fame, he's kind

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<v Speaker 1>of Don Mattingly asked, not looking for the home runs,

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<v Speaker 1>a good defensive first baseman.

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<v Speaker 2>The list goes on and on. When you think of

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<v Speaker 2>Freddie Freeman, what do.

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<v Speaker 4>You love about the way he's played his career now,

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<v Speaker 4>Freddie's I've seen way too much of Freddie in Atlanta

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<v Speaker 4>there when I was in Miami. So Freddy's guy just

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<v Speaker 4>gets big hits all the for me, all the time,

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<v Speaker 4>Like I hate seeing him out there with men in

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<v Speaker 4>scoring position. Really good defender at first, he'll steal a

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<v Speaker 4>bag on you if you don't pay attention. So Freddie's

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<v Speaker 4>just kind of that day in, day out guy that

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<v Speaker 4>just keeps footing up numbers.

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<v Speaker 2>Donnie.

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<v Speaker 1>Last year you were part of John Schneider's staff with

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<v Speaker 1>the Blue Jays. Something that nobody seemed to really point

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<v Speaker 1>out or put a spotlight on was Game one of

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<v Speaker 1>the World Series, lineup cards are exchanged and John Schneider

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<v Speaker 1>gave you the lineup card to go out there to exchange.

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<v Speaker 1>How much did that mean to you?

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<v Speaker 4>It was pretty cool. It was fun. You know, it

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<v Speaker 4>meant a lot to get to the World Series. Honestly,

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<v Speaker 4>that's something that you fight to get to and have

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<v Speaker 4>an opportunity to win. Obviously that didn't happen. But being

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<v Speaker 4>able to get to my first World Series and then

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<v Speaker 4>Snide you know, want me to do that, it was It.

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<v Speaker 3>Was pretty cool.

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<v Speaker 2>Were you surprise that gesture?

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<v Speaker 3>I was?

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<v Speaker 2>I was when you spring it on you.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know. That's probably way too nervous for that.

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<v Speaker 1>Also, when you lose a seven game World Series, obviously

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<v Speaker 1>it's tough to get over. How long did it take

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<v Speaker 1>you to get over it?

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<v Speaker 3>It took a minute, you know, it really did.

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<v Speaker 4>And not so much for myself really more for our

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<v Speaker 4>team bocause those guys played really hard. We accomplished a lot,

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<v Speaker 4>played great in that World Series, I thought, And so

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<v Speaker 4>you feel bad for our guys, you know, those guys

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<v Speaker 4>were you know, obviously, when you want something bad and

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<v Speaker 4>you've worked hard for it, it's crushing when you don't

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<v Speaker 4>get it and you're you know, it's within your grasp.

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<v Speaker 4>So that was that was a tough time. But I

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<v Speaker 4>think of it more not so much for me personally,

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<v Speaker 4>but more for our players.

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<v Speaker 1>When you look back at it, does it hurt when

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<v Speaker 1>you hear people say how great of a World Series

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<v Speaker 1>it was? Is that any consolation or can you appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>just how much that did for the game of baseball?

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<v Speaker 3>Uh, it's not much of it.

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<v Speaker 4>It's not really a consolation because you know you're you're

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<v Speaker 4>there to win it. But I think as you get

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<v Speaker 4>further away from it, you realize how great of a

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<v Speaker 4>series it was.

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<v Speaker 3>Back and forth the.

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<v Speaker 4>Eighteen in game out here, you know, then we bounce

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<v Speaker 4>back and get two to get back to Toronto. So many

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<v Speaker 4>great plays in that series, and some quirky stuff too,

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<v Speaker 4>like it always always seems to happen the ball bounces

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<v Speaker 4>one way or the other, so yeah, you appreciate it

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<v Speaker 4>more when once you get away from it a little further.

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<v Speaker 3>But I wouldn't say it's a consolation prize, no doubt.

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<v Speaker 2>Don Mattingly is our guest.

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<v Speaker 1>Before I let you go, I thought it was fitting

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<v Speaker 1>your first game back in LA as the manager of

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<v Speaker 1>the Phillies. Clayton Kershaw happened to be here front row.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you catch him?

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<v Speaker 3>I didn't, I didn't.

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<v Speaker 4>I heard that. I heard that later. Actually, Lorie told

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<v Speaker 4>me that Clayton was there. I guess his kids were

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<v Speaker 4>with him and stuff, because I've seen a f you

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<v Speaker 4>guys kind of chatting.

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<v Speaker 2>Over there, and I was like a figure out who else.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, some celebrit there right in LA. But no,

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<v Speaker 4>I didn't. Hope I get a chance to see him.

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<v Speaker 4>I don't know if he's still here or not. I'll

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<v Speaker 4>let him know that you were looking for him, I was.

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<v Speaker 3>I am.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you describe the relationship that you had with him?

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<v Speaker 1>Because you were managing Peak Kershaw And I'm not afraid

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<v Speaker 1>to say that maybe peak stubbornness of Kershaw there were

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of moments where he didn't want to come

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<v Speaker 1>out of games. You guys had some tough conversations. But

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<v Speaker 1>how did your relationship endure all that where he has

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<v Speaker 1>the utmost respect for you?

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<v Speaker 4>No, it was always good, and i'd tell guys, I

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<v Speaker 4>don't I never get mad when a guy doesn't want

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<v Speaker 4>to come out of the game. Obviously you don't want

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<v Speaker 4>him to show you up on the mound, but you're

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<v Speaker 4>not asking guys to be happy to be coming out

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<v Speaker 4>of the game. And remember Clayton told me one time,

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<v Speaker 4>he said, you take me out whenever you think he goes,

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<v Speaker 4>but don't take me out because you think I'm tired,

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<v Speaker 4>Because he says, I don't get tired, right, So I'm like, oh,

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<v Speaker 4>get girls. So I always like that. Thanks a lot

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<v Speaker 4>for the time. It's great to see hard Dave.

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<v Speaker 3>You too.

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<v Speaker 2>We won't get too emotional here, you know.

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<v Speaker 3>Kissing Dave.

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<v Speaker 2>None of that. Okay, sounds good.

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<v Speaker 1>Don Mattingly will receive a gift card that works to

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<v Speaker 1>Capitol Grill. Thanks a lot, all right, thanks Dave. There

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<v Speaker 1>he is the man, Don Mattingley. Some people go to

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<v Speaker 1>work in some high rise, some vacation.

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<v Speaker 2>At the Gulf of Mexico. But this guy's with the

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<v Speaker 2>Phillies and the dugout. You like that way?

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<v Speaker 3>Too dramatic. Dave, you said that like you're on

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<v Speaker 2>TV Don Mattingley, always keeping me honest.