WEBVTT - Dave Roberts (2-27-26)

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

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<v Speaker 1>And we're joined right now by the leader of this team,

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<v Speaker 1>a man that is entering his eleventh season as the

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<v Speaker 1>Dodger manager. And there's only one other Dodger manager that

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<v Speaker 1>has won more World Championships than Dave Roberts, and that

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<v Speaker 1>is the Hall of Famer Walter Alston. Dave, thanks a

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<v Speaker 1>lot for the time, and hard to believe this is

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<v Speaker 1>your eleventh spring training.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Dave, it's hard when you put it that way,

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<v Speaker 2>and it's flown by, and there's been a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>great memories, moments, and I think the fun part about,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, my job in this spring is I just

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<v Speaker 2>have I my coaches, the players have as much enthusiasm

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<v Speaker 2>about showing up to work each day, and that's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>an accomplishment, you know, for everyone, and so something to

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<v Speaker 2>be really proud of. And yeah, twenty twenty five was great,

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<v Speaker 2>the years prior great, but you know, I'm really excited.

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<v Speaker 2>I would almost say that I'm more excited about twenty

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<v Speaker 2>six and in a year I've been with the Dodgers.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it feels like this group and yourself are still

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<v Speaker 1>very hungry after back to back championships.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we are, and I think that, you know, a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of people ask me, you know, what's a message

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<v Speaker 2>for a team that's won two in a row, three

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<v Speaker 2>in the last six years, And I think for me,

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<v Speaker 2>it's just continuing to, you know, practice the right way,

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<v Speaker 2>the process, and play hard and try to make everything

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<v Speaker 2>we do matter. And so for me as a coach,

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<v Speaker 2>when I do stand back and I watch us workout

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<v Speaker 2>and the intent behind everything we do, it's buttoned up

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<v Speaker 2>and that's something that's pretty exciting for all of us.

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<v Speaker 1>Dave, I talked to Miguel Rojas and Mookie Betts about this.

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<v Speaker 1>You guys have never shied away from expectations, not from

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<v Speaker 1>the outside but amongst each other. And when I said

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<v Speaker 1>three pete, they said, you can say that as loud

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<v Speaker 1>as you want, because that's what we want.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I agree, And I think that when you're I guess,

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<v Speaker 2>when you are secure in you know your team, team,

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<v Speaker 2>who you are individually, you're not afraid to run from

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<v Speaker 2>expectations because our own expectations should be higher than what

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<v Speaker 2>anyone else could expect. So yeah, but I think, Dave

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<v Speaker 2>is that we do a good job of understanding what

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<v Speaker 2>is at stake, but also the most important part of

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<v Speaker 2>it is to kind of focus on the work each day.

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<v Speaker 2>And you know, like I said many times, you're not

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<v Speaker 2>going to win a World Series in February. You're not

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<v Speaker 2>going to win a three peet in February. Your goal

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<v Speaker 2>is to get better each day. And I think our

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<v Speaker 2>guys do as good a job as anyone as you know,

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<v Speaker 2>putting on those blinders and folks on each day.

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<v Speaker 1>You always do everything with a purpose to connect to

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<v Speaker 1>each individual and to connect to the group. You mentioned

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<v Speaker 1>to us at FanFest that you played at the Holy

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<v Speaker 1>Grail Augusta during the offseason, but you also brought Freddie

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<v Speaker 1>Freeman and Mookie Betts. What was that experience like for

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<v Speaker 1>yourself and to have two of your best players come

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<v Speaker 1>with you.

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<v Speaker 2>It was actually Will Smith and Mookie and it was great.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think for me it's they love the game

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<v Speaker 2>of golf, and you know, we've been in a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of big games together, and I think for me it

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<v Speaker 2>was more of trying to continue to build that relationship

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<v Speaker 2>off the field and build that trust. And I've got

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<v Speaker 2>it with those guys as well as and you mentioned Freddie,

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<v Speaker 2>and so it's Also, you know, we spend so much

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<v Speaker 2>time together on the field, but building relationships away from

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<v Speaker 2>the field just makes it that much stronger. And it

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<v Speaker 2>was a memory that I know all three of us

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<v Speaker 2>remember forever.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, not too many managers have that type of relationship

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<v Speaker 1>to do something like that when you take them out,

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<v Speaker 1>even to a special golf course like that. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>do that with a purpose to maybe get the temperature,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe start to get the message for the season going.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're you know, waiting for your turn or you're

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<v Speaker 1>standing around.

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<v Speaker 2>You know what, it's funny not really pointed conversations about

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<v Speaker 2>you know what we're trying to do, what we've done.

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<v Speaker 2>It's more of, you know, talking about golf. But I

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<v Speaker 2>think it's really getting to know each other away from

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<v Speaker 2>the ball field. And I think, you know, the more

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<v Speaker 2>you spend time with people, you get to kind of

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<v Speaker 2>learn what they value as people, and our interests are

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<v Speaker 2>the way we kind of live our lives and the

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<v Speaker 2>things we value are aligned, and that just bleeds onto

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<v Speaker 2>the baseball field. So it doesn't have to be something

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<v Speaker 2>that we have to manufacture conversations about what we need

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<v Speaker 2>to do. And so I think that's really powerful in itself.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, So I'm going to say something here that

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<v Speaker 1>I feel is somewhat true. Shoe Aotani obviously doesn't speak

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<v Speaker 1>a lot publicly, but neither does Will Smith. The guy

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<v Speaker 1>hits the go ahead home run to clinch the World

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<v Speaker 1>Series in Game seven, we don't hear a lot from him.

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<v Speaker 1>What have you learned about Will Smith that we may

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<v Speaker 1>not know to allow him to be one of, if

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<v Speaker 1>not the most clutch players in baseball?

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<v Speaker 2>You know? What have? What does a public the people

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<v Speaker 2>not know? He's an open book, really is. He's very

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<v Speaker 2>simple in his preparation. I think he's a very confident player,

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<v Speaker 2>but a humble player, smart player. I think the main

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<v Speaker 2>thing with Will why he has success in big moments

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<v Speaker 2>is because he plays for the right reasons. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>in the biggest of moments. He's a guy that can

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<v Speaker 2>hit a groundball to move a guy to third base.

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<v Speaker 2>He's a guy that can take a walk in a

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<v Speaker 2>big spot or hit a home run. And Will is

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<v Speaker 2>as good of a team player as I've ever been around.

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<v Speaker 2>He's a very unselfish player. Doesn't answer your question because honestly,

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<v Speaker 2>what you see is what you get, and I think

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<v Speaker 2>for me is I like dependable players, and he's as

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<v Speaker 2>dependable as I've been around.

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<v Speaker 1>How much do we not appreciate the fact this guy

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<v Speaker 1>was playing with a broken hand for the majority of

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<v Speaker 1>the postseason and all of a sudden started to get

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<v Speaker 1>the power. His first extra base hit of the postseason

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<v Speaker 1>came in Game one of the World Series. Is he

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<v Speaker 1>one of your toughest guys? And does that go unnoticed

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<v Speaker 1>by the outside, you know, fandom.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think the catching position is a serving position.

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<v Speaker 2>It certainly gets annotice anyway. You know what he's done

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<v Speaker 2>for the pitching staff, I thought he the way he

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<v Speaker 2>navigated the pitching staff this year in the postseason was

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<v Speaker 2>as good of a job behind the plate as I've seen.

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<v Speaker 2>And yeah, you know, starting the postseason, we had Ben

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<v Speaker 2>rart Vett catching games to start, certainly in that Philly series,

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<v Speaker 2>and for Will to come back off the bench to

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<v Speaker 2>kind of get his hand back to full strength. He

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<v Speaker 2>had a big hit in Philly, a lot of big hits,

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<v Speaker 2>and then then to you know, look out into the

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<v Speaker 2>World Series, catch eighteen innings and catch every inning of

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<v Speaker 2>the World Series is pretty remarkable. And he's never a

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<v Speaker 2>self promoter, never looking for credit and he just wants

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<v Speaker 2>to play to win, so he's certainly under the radar.

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<v Speaker 2>But I but I do know that in this clubhouse, guys,

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<v Speaker 2>you could argue that he's most valuable player we have

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<v Speaker 2>if you kind of bake in the offense and the defense.

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<v Speaker 1>Before I let Dave Robert Scoe. He's doing a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of things at once, all the time managing his relationships

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<v Speaker 1>with Andrew Freeman, the players and the fans, and also

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<v Speaker 1>the Dodger Foundation. When you look back at these previous

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<v Speaker 1>ten years and you look forward, Freddie Freeman keeps talking

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<v Speaker 1>about four more years? How much would you love to

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<v Speaker 1>write out the next four years with Freddie? And have

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<v Speaker 1>the previous ten been everything you thought they would be?

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<v Speaker 2>The previous ten have been everything and more than I

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<v Speaker 2>thought hoped it would be. I do think that it's

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<v Speaker 2>only going to get better because of the relationships that

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<v Speaker 2>we forge are strengthened. I'm excited for Freddie to play

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<v Speaker 2>four more years, and Lord willing it is with the Dodgers.

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<v Speaker 2>For me, I know I've got four years left on

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<v Speaker 2>my contract. I think think that you know, I'm having

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<v Speaker 2>as much fun as I've ever had. So we'll see,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, once this one ends, and we win a

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<v Speaker 2>couple more championships, a few more championships.

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<v Speaker 1>How addicting is winning?

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<v Speaker 2>It's you know, once you get a taste of it,

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<v Speaker 2>you know it is. I think addiction is the right word,

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<v Speaker 2>and obsession, and you know, but I think the thing, Dave,

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<v Speaker 2>is that winning is an addiction and obsession. But the practice,

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<v Speaker 2>the love for it, the process, that's what the great

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<v Speaker 2>ones have an addiction to. And our guys, two of men,

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<v Speaker 2>are addicted to getting continuing to get better as ballplayers, and.

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<v Speaker 1>It starts with the skipper, Dave Roberts. Everybody in that

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<v Speaker 1>clubhouse admires the way you lead this team. The people

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<v Speaker 1>behind the scenes feel the same way. And I think

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<v Speaker 1>I speak for everybody in La Dave Roberts is certainly

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<v Speaker 1>the right man for the right time in Dodger history.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I'm in great company, a lot of good players,

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<v Speaker 2>great organizations, surrun by a lot of great people, and

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<v Speaker 2>our fan base. Dave, you know, there's nothing like Dodger Nation.

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<v Speaker 2>There really isn't. And there's a reason why players want

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<v Speaker 2>to come here and play for the Dodgers, the boys

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<v Speaker 2>in Blues. So we're gonna wrap up spring training where

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<v Speaker 2>we're off to a good start and I just can't

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<v Speaker 2>wait for our fan base to, you know, welcome us

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<v Speaker 2>when we get ready to start the regular season.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for the time, Dave, really appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 2>You got it, Dave.

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<v Speaker 1>There he goes Dodger manager Dave Roberts, ready for all

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<v Speaker 1>the expectations that he and his players are not shying

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<v Speaker 1>away from a chance to make history to three peat.