Speaker 1: An exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking. All right,
Speaker 1: it's a reunion at the World Series. We're just in
Speaker 1: front of Game two between the Dodgers and Blue Jays,
Speaker 1: and I'm joined right now by a man that made
Speaker 1: his bones in the eight one eight or the Great
Speaker 1: one eight in West Hills. He was with the Dodgers
Speaker 1: for a brief time, but obviously superman here in Toronto,
Speaker 1: and that's the one and only Kevin Pilar. Kevin, great
Speaker 1: to see you and awesome that you have chased your
Speaker 1: dream post playing career to be an established broadcaster.
Speaker 2: Now, yeah, it's pretty exciting. I mean it's something I've
Speaker 2: thought about. I mean, even back when we were together
Speaker 2: with the Dodgers. I picked your brain. You were great
Speaker 2: allowing me to come on and kind of get my
Speaker 2: feet wet in you know, media. But really I'm most
Speaker 2: excited about you know, this is my first World Series.
Speaker 2: I know you're no stranger of the World Series, but
Speaker 2: it's been really exciting to just be on the field.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's what you dream of as a player,
Speaker 2: and you know, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to
Speaker 2: do it as a player, so getting it to kind
Speaker 2: of step into this role with Sportsnet and and kind
Speaker 2: of ride the coattails of the Blue Jays all the way.
Speaker 3: The World Series has been really exciting for me.
Speaker 1: All right, So since you are a broadcaster now, do
Speaker 1: you see the game the same way you did even
Speaker 1: from the dugout when you're with the Dodgers or lad
Speaker 1: in your playing career.
Speaker 2: I think it's a little bit different. I think people,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe in your shoes, people that sit in
Speaker 2: the stands or the press box or the audience, they
Speaker 2: always tell you the game slows down and it looks
Speaker 2: less difficult when you're in the you know, the press
Speaker 2: box or where I watch the game from. You know,
Speaker 2: I haven't lost kind of that mindset of a player
Speaker 2: from like a competitive aspect, from x's and o's, but
Speaker 2: the game definitely has slown down, you know. It's it's
Speaker 2: a lot easier to be critical of decisions that are
Speaker 2: made throughout the game because you have a lot longer
Speaker 2: time to kind of process the information. You kind of
Speaker 2: lose a sense for how quick things have to be
Speaker 2: done in game.
Speaker 3: But I always promise myself.
Speaker 2: When I got into media that I'd never forget how
Speaker 2: difficult the game is decisions, you know, swinging at pitches,
Speaker 2: you know, just the entirety of the game. And I
Speaker 2: promise myself I would never be too critical. And there's
Speaker 2: certain times throughout this postseason that you know, I've had
Speaker 2: to be honest, but I hope it comes from a
Speaker 2: good place and like it's never going to be pointed at,
Speaker 2: you know, individual, it's it's always going to be coming
Speaker 2: from a maybe a learning aspect because I hated being
Speaker 2: criticized as a player because you know, much like I'm
Speaker 2: experiencing now, the game does seem a lot easier on
Speaker 2: TV or even in the stands.
Speaker 3: And I think that's the beauty of being.
Speaker 2: A former player and and you know, jumping ship to
Speaker 2: the other side is you can offer the perspective of
Speaker 2: what it's like to be in the box, the emotions
Speaker 2: that would probably come with playing a game like this,
Speaker 2: And that's what I'm kind of here to share.
Speaker 1: You understand the method of the Dodgers. You know a
Speaker 1: lot of these players that are in this world series.
Speaker 1: What if anything should we make of a game like
Speaker 1: last night and how much it plays into Game two.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's it's kind of crazy to be
Speaker 2: standing here in a World Series with these two teams.
Speaker 3: Obviously, the Blue.
Speaker 2: Jays is, you know, kind of my baby where I
Speaker 2: grew up, and you know who I'm affiliated with. But
Speaker 2: I've also been in that dugout, in that clubhouse with
Speaker 2: a lot of those guys. Obviously there's some new characters here,
Speaker 2: but I know their process, I know what they're about,
Speaker 2: I know the competitiveness, I know the hunger, and honestly,
Speaker 2: I think, you know, what happened yesterday was a wake
Speaker 2: up call to the Dodgers, you know, not that they
Speaker 2: probably you know, took the Blue Jays lightly. I don't
Speaker 2: think any team would ever take in opposing team lightly
Speaker 2: on this stage because you have to earn your way
Speaker 2: to the World Series. But I think it was a
Speaker 2: little bit of a wake up call for him. I
Speaker 2: think reality kind of set in where I don't want
Speaker 2: to say things had been easy for them, but it's
Speaker 2: been a smooth sailing for them, you know, even.
Speaker 3: A lot of those games with the Phillies.
Speaker 2: The one game that they lost was still like a
Speaker 2: very competitive close game. But I think it woke them
Speaker 2: up a little bit, and I don't think anyone in
Speaker 2: their right mind, I'm gonna say, right, mind, because I
Speaker 2: think there are some people in the stands here that
Speaker 2: are probably still riding the high off of yesterday and
Speaker 2: maybe thinking that this series is over.
Speaker 3: I think it's far from the truth.
Speaker 2: I think once again, the Dodgers, I mean, you just
Speaker 2: talk about their talent, but talent only gets you so far.
Speaker 2: It's the collection of the guys that's in that clubhouse
Speaker 2: that makes this thing go. It's the front office, it's
Speaker 2: the entire operation. And I expect them to come out
Speaker 2: a little bit different than they were last night.
Speaker 1: Styles makes fights, right, Is this a bad matchup for
Speaker 1: the Dodgers? With the way the Blue Jays offense attacks
Speaker 1: pitchers and is one of the best when it's not
Speaker 1: a fastball, and they have a lot of guys that
Speaker 1: like to throw like tonight splitters, sliders.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think stylistically, I think they're they're
Speaker 2: very different type of teams.
Speaker 3: I mean, if you talk about their offense, I mean,
Speaker 3: the Blue.
Speaker 2: Jays have slugged a lot more than I think a
Speaker 2: lot of people had expected. But they're very aggressive in
Speaker 2: the zone team, very high contact, a lot strike out.
Speaker 3: The Dodgers play a little bit more of that slug game.
Speaker 2: You know, they sit on pitches, they try to do damage.
Speaker 3: They don't fear the strikeout as much as the Blue
Speaker 3: Jays do.
Speaker 2: And then when you talk about from the pitching side,
Speaker 2: the Dodgers starting pitching is as good as it gets
Speaker 2: and they're really reliant on the strikeout, and the Blue
Speaker 2: Jays pitchers, you know, they have some good starting pitching two,
Speaker 2: but they're a little bit more old school and they
Speaker 2: want to pitch the contact and try to go deep
Speaker 2: into games. It's a very interesting chess match we have here.
Speaker 2: I think from a Dodgers standpoint, they have to understand that,
Speaker 2: you know, the reality of maybe striking out ten guys
Speaker 2: a night is probably not going.
Speaker 3: To be there.
Speaker 2: That maybe shouldn't be the barometer of how their stuff is.
Speaker 2: They're maybe gonna have to maybe alter their expectations in
Speaker 2: terms of, you know, expecting swing and miss and you know,
Speaker 2: getting guys o too and being.
Speaker 3: Able to put them away. The Blue Jays do a
Speaker 3: tremendous job.
Speaker 2: Battling, and I think it's gonna go down as one
Speaker 2: of the better world series that you know, from a
Speaker 2: fans perspective and watching, because they are too stylistically different
Speaker 2: teams clashing and every night you're trying to decide, uh,
Speaker 2: you know, which side is gonna win. You know, it's
Speaker 2: not like a world series last year that you sew.
Speaker 2: The Dodgers and the Yankees were very stylistically the same,
Speaker 2: and Old simmlately was going to just come down who
Speaker 2: execute it better. This really is just two different types
Speaker 2: of styles playing on the same field, and it's very unique.
Speaker 3: I can't think of a world series, you know, in
Speaker 3: recent history that was so different in styles.
Speaker 1: Devin, awesome analysis. I think you're a natural. I think
Speaker 1: you're ready to go foul Territory Sportsnet year in Canada.
Speaker 1: Hopefully we see you back in LA when the series
Speaker 1: shifts there. So thank you for the time and great
Speaker 1: to see you again.
Speaker 3: I will be there there.
Speaker 1: He is the man, Kevin polar Watch out Ventura Boulevard.
Speaker 1: He's going to be hitting those streets and Dan super
Speaker 1: Subs very soon