WEBVTT - Ken Rosenthal (5-24-26) 

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

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<v Speaker 2>It's the Dodgers and Brewers getting set for first pitch,

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<v Speaker 2>and we're joined right now by the man that is

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<v Speaker 2>the best national baseball person out there multimedia from the

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<v Speaker 2>Athletic to Fox Sports, and he was here for Saturday's game,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's the one and only Ken Rosenthal. Ken, thanks

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<v Speaker 2>a lot for the time.

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<v Speaker 1>Appreciate it, David, thank you for the build up. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know if any of that's true, but I appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 2>You know it is. You're safe on the Dodgers side, Ken,

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<v Speaker 2>I hope so.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not safe anywhere actually, But okay, how.

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<v Speaker 2>Much do you enjoy going over to the Brewers and

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<v Speaker 2>talking to those young group of players.

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<v Speaker 1>Actually, the Brewers are one of my favorite teams. And

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<v Speaker 1>when I say favorite, I don't mean as far as

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<v Speaker 1>winning and losing. I just like following them. They surprise

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<v Speaker 1>us every year. It's often with new characters. The manager

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<v Speaker 1>is a colorful guy, and every year I think this

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<v Speaker 1>is it. They won't be able to sustain it, and

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<v Speaker 1>every year they prove me wrong.

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<v Speaker 2>We always hear David versus Goliath in the World Series

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<v Speaker 2>but isn't Dodgers, Brewers n LCS the epitome of David

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<v Speaker 2>Versus Goliath.

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<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, Milwaukee is I believe, the smallest market in the game,

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<v Speaker 1>or if not, one of the bottom two or three,

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<v Speaker 1>and yet them, Tampa Bay and Cleveland, those are three examples,

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<v Speaker 1>and actually Sacramento is becoming another example. These teams do

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<v Speaker 1>it without the great resources that the Dodgers and the

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<v Speaker 1>other teams have. And with the Brewers, what's astonishing about

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<v Speaker 1>them is not only do they have one of the

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<v Speaker 1>best teams in Major League Baseball right now, they have

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<v Speaker 1>one of the best systems. They have prospects coming. They

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<v Speaker 1>may replace the entire left side of their infield in

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<v Speaker 1>short order here because they've got two kids coming up

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<v Speaker 1>behind Ortiz and whoever they're playing a third, then they

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<v Speaker 1>have two kids behind them who might be better than

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<v Speaker 1>those two. So it's really impressive to see how they

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<v Speaker 1>go about this year after year.

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<v Speaker 2>How do you believe they view themselves in comparison to

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<v Speaker 2>the Dodgers when they seemingly find each other in the

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<v Speaker 2>postseason every other year.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't believe that they look at themselves in a

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<v Speaker 1>way that's comparative to the Dodgers. They just have to

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<v Speaker 1>do it their way, and which is not to spend

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<v Speaker 1>money necessarily, but developed like crazy, make trades like the

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<v Speaker 1>Caleb Durbin trade that will go in their favor. At

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<v Speaker 1>least to this point it has. And they know they're

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<v Speaker 1>not going to compete for a Kyle Tucker or a

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<v Speaker 1>Mookie Betts or anybody like that. But they have Christian Yelich.

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<v Speaker 1>He's their guy and he's a great leader for them.

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<v Speaker 1>And again they just go about it in their way,

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<v Speaker 1>and their way, even in this tilted world of Major

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<v Speaker 1>League Baseball, is rather successful.

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<v Speaker 2>Ken Rosenthal as are a guest as we get ready

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<v Speaker 2>for first pitch between the Dodgers and Brewers. All right, Ken,

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<v Speaker 2>you always have great perspective. We're so in it in

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<v Speaker 2>LA when it comes to the Dodgers. Dodger fans are

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<v Speaker 2>really spoiled. But when you watch the Dodgers, when you

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<v Speaker 2>jump in and cover them for a series like this,

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<v Speaker 2>how do you view them? Are they still the overwhelming

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<v Speaker 2>favorite to win the World Series?

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<v Speaker 1>Yes? And the reason I say that is because of

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<v Speaker 1>the players they have on the injured list who are

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<v Speaker 1>going to come back and probably come back just in time,

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<v Speaker 1>Like they did last year, Snell Glass now Edwin Diaz,

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<v Speaker 1>we forget about him. So beyond that, they have in

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<v Speaker 1>their own way this ethic where like the Brewers, they

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<v Speaker 1>know how to win. They know how to win a

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<v Speaker 1>crunch time. We saw in the San Diego series, suddenly

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<v Speaker 1>they rose up again. And there's a lot to that.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't measure it. It doesn't come through an exit

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<v Speaker 1>velocity or spin rate. He comes through in what they

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<v Speaker 1>did in Game seven and what they do year after year.

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<v Speaker 1>Now they're not always successful. People forget that. San Diego

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<v Speaker 1>almost got him two years ago, Toronto almost got him

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<v Speaker 1>last year. But they're still the team to beat, going

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<v Speaker 1>to be the team to be until someone knocks them off.

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<v Speaker 1>And I know that they go through these periods in

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<v Speaker 1>the regular season where they look have a sleep disinterested.

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<v Speaker 1>Joel Sherman, my friend from New York Post, said they

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<v Speaker 1>treat the regular season like an annoying appetizer to the

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<v Speaker 1>main course, which is true. But that said, they know

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<v Speaker 1>how to do it, and they still.

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<v Speaker 2>Know how to go about this. You were around the

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<v Speaker 2>Yankees twenty years ago, twenty five years ago when they

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<v Speaker 2>three peted and went to four straight World Series. Do

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<v Speaker 2>the Dodgers remind you of those Yankee teams, especially the

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<v Speaker 2>third one in the regular season.

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<v Speaker 1>To a degree. Yes, And those Yankee teams had that

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<v Speaker 1>special quality too, where when it was time to turn

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<v Speaker 1>it up, they turned it up. Now it might have

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<v Speaker 1>been four straight if not for Luis Gonzales off Mariano Rivera,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was just a great run. Now they had

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<v Speaker 1>this amazing group, a core four and beyond that because

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<v Speaker 1>Bernie Williams wasn't part of the corps for it. But

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<v Speaker 1>great teams always have that in common. The Chicago Bulls

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<v Speaker 1>when Jordan had that, right, I mean, growing up I

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<v Speaker 1>was a New York Islanders fan in the eighties, they

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<v Speaker 1>had that. We can all name teams that were a

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<v Speaker 1>cut above in terms of their understanding of how to

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<v Speaker 1>compete and how to win. The Dodgers have that, So yes,

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<v Speaker 1>could I see them winning a third straight? Could I

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<v Speaker 1>see them being compared to those Yankee teams late nineties,

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<v Speaker 1>early two thousands? Absolutely?

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<v Speaker 2>And thanks a lot for the time. Always great to

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<v Speaker 2>catch up with you. And I'm always curious to hear

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<v Speaker 2>the perspective of guys like you that saw those Yankee

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<v Speaker 2>teams and how the Dodgers navigate life.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a long time ago. My memory is a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit fuzzy about those years. That's twenty five years now.

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<v Speaker 1>But Jeter set an example. I petted and Rivera and

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<v Speaker 1>Posada and Tory was an amazing manager for them, just

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<v Speaker 1>as Roberts is an amazing manager for the Dodgers. Like

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<v Speaker 1>the right guy. So there is something there. And those

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<v Speaker 1>Yankee teams were very special, no doubt.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks Ken, Thank you David