Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 2: One of the biggest home runs in Dodger playoff history,
Speaker 2: the Wildcard walk off home run in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2: Such a big part of the Dodgers going to the
Speaker 2: World Series in twenty seventeen and twenty eighteen, and being
Speaker 2: a big part of their championship in twenty twenty and
Speaker 2: certainly a guy that will always be remembered in Dodger
Speaker 2: history as part of such a special group of guys
Speaker 2: from the moment that he arrived to you know, the
Speaker 2: time that things started to change as far as the
Speaker 2: chapters in Dodger history. But he has not forgotten his
Speaker 2: baseball roots, his second home here in Los Angeles, because
Speaker 2: he and his wife Mary are going to have their
Speaker 2: third annual Polar Plunge benefiting Friendship Foundation and Pediatric Cancer
Speaker 2: Research Foundation, presented by Sketchers and Schwartz Capitol Group. And
Speaker 2: that is the one and only Chris Taylor CT. Awesome
Speaker 2: to still have you on Dodger Talk. Awesome that you
Speaker 2: and Mary are continuing what you started three years ago.
Speaker 3: Thank you for coming on.
Speaker 1: What's up? I say, yeah, thank you? What an intro
Speaker 1: appreciate it and you know, always good to be on
Speaker 1: with it.
Speaker 2: What has motivated you and Mary, even after having your
Speaker 2: second child seven weeks ago, to keep this going and
Speaker 2: to keep your roots in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, we're just trying to keep the momentum going.
Speaker 2: Really.
Speaker 1: You know, Manhattan Beach is are home now. We've been
Speaker 1: there for four years, I think.
Speaker 2: And.
Speaker 1: We did three years we've done an event and this
Speaker 1: will be we did a top golf event our first
Speaker 1: year there and then the last two we did the
Speaker 1: Polar Plunge and that I think we were really changed
Speaker 1: with the momentum we built from the first year to
Speaker 1: the second year and just trying to continue that trend
Speaker 1: and hopefully it continues to grow and get bigger and
Speaker 1: better and ultimately like it's a lot of fun. I
Speaker 1: think it brings the whole community together. But also, you know,
Speaker 1: the goal is to raise as much money as we
Speaker 1: can for these awesome organizations. You know, the Friendship Foundation
Speaker 1: you mentioned, they're a staple in the South Bay community.
Speaker 1: They've been around forever. They're in the process of building
Speaker 1: a state of the art Friendship Campus that is going
Speaker 1: to do some amazing work there and help all kids
Speaker 1: with special needs. And then so we've worked with them
Speaker 1: the last two years on the Polar Plunch and then
Speaker 1: we added the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation as our second
Speaker 1: beneficiary this year, and that has a special place in
Speaker 1: my heart just because I've you know, one of my
Speaker 1: closest friends, the reason I started the CT three Foundation,
Speaker 1: he lost his fight with cancer. And you know, just
Speaker 1: over the years through the foundation, we've we've met so
Speaker 1: many special kids that are struggling with their fight with cancer.
Speaker 1: And the unfortunate part of you know, doing this and
Speaker 1: you know, trying to to do the work a foundation
Speaker 1: does is you meet a lot of kids and it's
Speaker 1: not what's happy endings. And we've really had some special
Speaker 1: bonds with these kids and their families. And one of
Speaker 1: the kids we met her, his mom introduced us to
Speaker 1: the PCRF, and we thought it was a great way
Speaker 1: to you know, help kind of represent him and help
Speaker 1: out in the California area. We haven't done a whole
Speaker 1: lot with cancer out in California and more so in Virginia.
Speaker 1: So glad we're going to add them as our second beneficiary.
Speaker 2: The third annual CT three Polar Plunge is on Sunday,
Speaker 2: February first. It's at the Manhattan Beach Pier. It starts
Speaker 2: at nine o'clock and to register very simple. Just go
Speaker 2: to Chris Taylor's Instagram page and in the bio you
Speaker 2: can link and sign up for a great cause. And honestly,
Speaker 2: a player that has a foundation sometimes can just be that.
Speaker 2: But I think everybody understands how genuine your foundation is,
Speaker 2: especially after everything you said and the intentions behind it.
Speaker 2: How many of your former teammates do you believe are
Speaker 2: going to take the plunge CT.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think we're going to have a great turnout. Again,
Speaker 1: you know, I've reached out to all of my former teammates.
Speaker 1: All the Dodgers got the invite obviously, and then I
Speaker 1: think we're going to get a couple other guys too
Speaker 1: thatn't with the Dodgers, either former Dodgers or guys I've
Speaker 1: played with on the Angels, or maybe even just like
Speaker 1: some local California kids that I've played against. We're really
Speaker 1: trying to get it to be get as many of
Speaker 1: the local athletes in the LA area to come out,
Speaker 1: and yeah, so I think it should be a good turnout.
Speaker 1: There will be some Dodgers there, of course, But yeah,
Speaker 1: I think I think there will be a lot of
Speaker 1: familiar faces, not only baseball, but maybe some other sports
Speaker 1: as well.
Speaker 2: Hey, maybe, uh, you can get Cody Bellinger, who just
Speaker 2: signed a big contract with the Yankees to show up
Speaker 2: now CT Is he too big for the plunge?
Speaker 1: Yeah, you need to get on him about that. Maybe
Speaker 1: we can seem up on Cody.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2: I'll add you to a group text and we'll really
Speaker 2: get everybody going there. You go, Hey, I saw this
Speaker 2: video and I saw that you commented on it when
Speaker 2: we talk about some of the great times in the
Speaker 2: Greek group of teams that you had your former hitting
Speaker 2: coach Turner Ward posted on his Instagram behind the scenes
Speaker 2: type of video justin Turner in the cage A young
Speaker 2: Cody Bellinger must have been twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen with
Speaker 2: his EyeBlack on, and you guys were all in the
Speaker 2: uniform watching you kind of mimic Turner's you know, famous
Speaker 2: stance and laid kick and all that. When you saw
Speaker 2: that video, do you remember it like it was yesterday?
Speaker 2: And what do you remember the most about those times
Speaker 2: in the cage?
Speaker 1: I do remember that. And it's funny because Turner was
Speaker 1: the one that was always Turner ward or hitting coach
Speaker 1: at the time. He was the one always trying to
Speaker 1: mimic everyone's batting stance, and so he kind of started that,
Speaker 1: and like, just like Turner, I'm terrible. I'm so bad
Speaker 1: trying to imitate my teammates swing. Some of the guys
Speaker 1: are very good, and I don't know if it's like
Speaker 1: body awareness or what that type of athleticism is where
Speaker 1: you can see something and make it. I mean, everybody
Speaker 1: knows about batting stance guy, right, Yeah, but I do
Speaker 1: not have that coordination. And whenever I try to copy
Speaker 1: somebody's stance, it ends up looking like my swing and
Speaker 1: I and I kind of already knew that, but then
Speaker 1: seeing the video it just confirmed that already, Like, oh,
Speaker 1: that looks nothing like jat maybe like when I'm holding
Speaker 1: the bat before I start the swing, you can kind
Speaker 1: of see it, but then I just do my swing
Speaker 1: and it's exactly the same.
Speaker 2: What did you think about the look on Cody Bellinger's
Speaker 2: face on the couch?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know. I gotta ask him what was
Speaker 1: going through is I'm sure he was like, what is
Speaker 1: he trying to do right now?
Speaker 2: And then you see Jock Peterson walk by in his
Speaker 2: uniform with one of his Jock Peterson phases of haircuts,
Speaker 2: kind of like a fro Hawk walking by.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, one of Jack's many looks. And Jock actually
Speaker 1: was pretty good at imitating. I mean, he's had so
Speaker 1: many different stances, so maybe maybe that has something to
Speaker 1: do with it.
Speaker 2: Hey, what do you remember the most and what made
Speaker 2: those teams so special? Especially you know, the teams from
Speaker 2: twenty seventeen to twenty twenty. I have to include twenty
Speaker 2: twenty because you guys won the World Series after coming
Speaker 2: up short in seventeen and eighteen. What do you remember
Speaker 2: the most and what should we remember the most about
Speaker 2: those teams and those group of players that you were
Speaker 2: such a big part of.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I thought we just had a good core group
Speaker 1: of guys that you know, we're all so close and
Speaker 1: were all still keep in touch. You know years later
Speaker 1: of us, a lot of us are not playing on
Speaker 1: the same team anymore, but you know, I think that
Speaker 1: bond from those years, as you know, we still go
Speaker 1: on vacations together in the offseason. We you know, so
Speaker 1: it kind of shows how close that group was, and
Speaker 1: it showed on the field, I think, and yeah, it's
Speaker 1: just I think we're always going to remember those years.
Speaker 1: Those were special teams and you know, some of the
Speaker 1: best years playing baseball, the most fun times.
Speaker 3: I've had no doubt.
Speaker 2: It was so special being around you guys and just
Speaker 2: seeing how you were able to get over the hump
Speaker 2: over the Cubs and then finally, you know, we all
Speaker 2: know what should have taken place in twenty seventeen, but
Speaker 2: you guys had such a special group, and I think
Speaker 2: what made it special CT is that you guys failed
Speaker 2: together and then you succeeded together.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, it did take a few
Speaker 1: years to get over the and it made it that
Speaker 1: much sweeter. We were finally able to do it in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty, and we still have that core group of guys.
Speaker 2: Chris Taylor is our guest on Dodger Talk Don't forget
Speaker 2: about the CT three third Annual Polar Plunge on Sunday,
Speaker 2: February First, you can go to Chris Taylor's Instagram page
Speaker 2: C Taylor Underscore three and click on the bio and
Speaker 2: that's where you can sign up. Two amazing causes, the
Speaker 2: Friendship Foundation, and of course, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation
Speaker 2: fighting for kids battling cancer. All right, Chris, here's the
Speaker 2: million dollar question. You finished the year with the Angels
Speaker 2: after starting the year with the Dodgers. Do you still
Speaker 2: want to continue playing baseball or are you content with
Speaker 2: your career?
Speaker 1: Oh? No, I'm still playing. Don't pull a cord on
Speaker 1: me yet. Least say no. I'm down here a zone
Speaker 1: are working out, you know. I I don't know where
Speaker 1: it's going to be, obviously with free agency being the
Speaker 1: way it is, but I will be playing again this
Speaker 1: coming season.
Speaker 2: You feel like maybe you could join the Rangers and
Speaker 2: reunite with Corey and Jock, or maybe you know, Bellinger
Speaker 2: put in his contract to cet three clause.
Speaker 1: I have no idea, honestly, I like all cards are
Speaker 1: on the table, you know. I really just right now,
Speaker 1: I'm just focused on getting myself right, being ready to
Speaker 1: show up in spring training and be playing like my
Speaker 1: best way. I know I'm capable of playing. I'm trying
Speaker 1: to get the body right, make sure I'm healthy and
Speaker 1: able to stay on the field. That's been a challenge
Speaker 1: for me the last couple of years. A lot of
Speaker 1: that has to do with, you know, things outside of
Speaker 1: my control with the broken bones and hit by pitch.
Speaker 1: But yeah, but yeah, it's just like for me, I
Speaker 1: think I still have more to prove to myself and
Speaker 1: that's the biggest thing. Yeah, I would not be able
Speaker 1: to hang it up right now and not have some regret.
Speaker 2: That sounds like Clayton Kershaw wanting to go out on
Speaker 2: your own terms. What did you think about the way
Speaker 2: his career ended and what were your feelings watching that
Speaker 2: World Series with the Dodgers winning it, since you did
Speaker 2: start the year with those guys.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was special, you know, I think you know,
Speaker 1: I was happy for all the guys. But you mentioned Kersh.
Speaker 1: I think everybody was probably over the moon for him,
Speaker 1: and everybody wanted him to go out on top right
Speaker 1: and to see him go out the way he should
Speaker 1: have with a ring with the Dodgers. It just was
Speaker 1: too perfect. And I couldn't have been more thrill for
Speaker 1: him and his family. They've they've been through so much,
Speaker 1: They've done so much for l A and nobody was
Speaker 1: more deserving than him.
Speaker 2: Hey, during the summers, he caught on to the CT
Speaker 2: three plan of living in Manhattan, Beach. Maybe he can
Speaker 2: get that carcass out for the third annual plunge before
Speaker 2: he goes to Team USA and the World Baseball Classic.
Speaker 1: No, you know, he he told me. He said, it
Speaker 1: took me way too hard to get out here. And
Speaker 1: I tell everyone, I tell all the guys, like you know,
Speaker 1: once he moved to Manhattan Beach. You know it's a
Speaker 1: special place. And yeah, I just I love it there.
Speaker 1: I've been there for years. It just puts me in
Speaker 1: a great moon waking up close to the beach. The
Speaker 1: community is awesome, the people are great. It's super late
Speaker 1: back and yeah, that would be great if if we
Speaker 1: can get kershop, no doubt.
Speaker 2: Hey, third annual CT three Polar Plunge. Go out and
Speaker 2: support Chris Taylor and his wife Mary. They're doing great
Speaker 2: things still in the South Bay. It's Sunday, February first,
Speaker 2: starts at nine am. You jump in the water with
Speaker 2: a bunch of Dodgers professional athletes for a great cause.
Speaker 3: Chris.
Speaker 2: Awesome to hear your voice again, Awesome to share your
Speaker 2: voice with everybody because you will always have a big
Speaker 2: place in Dodgery history. And for those of us that
Speaker 2: got to know you, I'm certainly always pulling for you.
Speaker 2: So thank you for the time. And you never know,
Speaker 2: maybe I'll bring my skinny, fat carcass out there and
Speaker 2: jump in the water with you.
Speaker 1: Oh I'd love to see that get out there.
Speaker 3: I'm sentimental, so I might do it this year for you.
Speaker 1: I hold you to it. I've already put your name
Speaker 1: on the VIP list.
Speaker 3: Do I have to register in the bio or can I?
Speaker 3: Is this? It is this official?
Speaker 1: I got you. This is your invite?
Speaker 2: All right, sounds good? All right, I'll manscape before Sunday,
Speaker 2: February first.
Speaker 1: Yeah, please please do all right, there.
Speaker 3: He goes Chris Taylor.
Speaker 2: Don't forget about the third annual CT three Polar Plunge
Speaker 2: on Sunday, February first.
Speaker 3: Chris, thanks a lot for the time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, thanks for having me that sex