WEBVTT - Chase Utley (2-24-26) 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:04.800 And now an exclusive interview with David Basse or Dodger Talker. 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:10.200 Welcome back to Dodger Talk. David Vasse with you until 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:12.520 eight o'clock tonight here on AM five to seventy LA 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.320 Sports and the Dodgers have had a lot of great 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:18.400 players come through their doors since Andrew Friedman took over. 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.800 Specifically one of them that kind of changed the culture 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.480 when he arrived and they acquired him. That's the one 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:27.800 and only Chase Sutley. Chase is out here at Dodger Camp. 0:00:27.840 --> 0:00:29.480 Great to see you back out here, David. 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:31.160 Great to be out here and great to be talking 0:00:31.160 --> 0:00:31.400 with you. 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:33.640 Oh, come on, you know it. I'm the only guy 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:34.519 that keeps you humble. 0:00:34.840 --> 0:00:39.120 That is whatever you need. Let's let's wrap. Do you okay? 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:42.400 You have this reputation when you were playing that obviously 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:45.840 you were an intense player. Do you feel like now 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:50.240 post playing where people still feel like you're unapproachable. 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:52.839 The ones that don't know me. Yeah, I believe so. 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:56.480 I felt like on the on the field, I needed 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:58.440 to have a certain persona and something to get me 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.920 to play my best, and that was to be take 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:06.440 it extremely serious and have some type of intimidating features, 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:09.679 so that I felt like that gave me a slight 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:11.160 advantage on the field. 0:01:11.520 --> 0:01:13.160 Off the field, not not quite so much. 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:16.960 You do things with a purpose, not only going against 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:19.800 the competition, but did you feel the edge that you 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:24.320 brought was something of a strategy to keep your teammates also, 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:27.720 you know, focused on the task at hand. 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:28.200 Yeah. 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:31.800 At a young age, I was always taught to try 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:33.760 to try to lead by by example. 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:36.200 Do it on the field. You don't necessarily do it 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:39.240 by what you say. So I try to lead that way. 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:41.920 And it really depends on the on the on the 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:44.280 personnel and the team. But I feel like if everyone kind 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:47.400 of has that similar mindset, it can be it can 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:49.000 really create a winning culture. 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:51.520 We've talked about this a few times. People know that 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:54.680 you went over the pond for three years. Are you 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:57.960 permanently back in the States and are you are you 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:00.680 ted lassode? Have they turned you into ted Lass? Or 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:02.080 you still baseball? 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:06.160 Chase Utlely still still baseball, but I have become a 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:08.239 football fan is what you would call it over there. 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:11.320 But yeah, I really enjoyed our time living over there 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:14.120 for three years. Had a blast with my wife and 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:17.160 my kids, and saw all of Europe really showed them 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:19.560 something that they wouldn't necessarily see. So we're happy that 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:20.919 we did it. But we're also happy to be back, 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:22.760 happy to be back in southern California. 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.080 Are you back with the Dodgers because you were a 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.760 vital part after you stop playing a part of the 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.720 game planning for the Dodgers, do you feel like you 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:32.160 want to get back into that role. 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:34.680 Yeah, I'm here. It's being training. I'll be around. 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:36.360 Unfortunately, you might have to see me a little bit 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.320 more throughout the course of the season. But yeah, obviously, 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:43.480 as we all know, amazing organization Andrews Andrew is the 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:47.800 best out there. So to have the ability to to learn, 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:52.280 to continue to learn, absorb, interact with the current big 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:55.399 league guys, maybe make some relationships on the minor league level. 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:56.519 I'm I'm just here to help. 0:02:56.639 --> 0:02:59.840 Where you at in your baseball life or your post playing. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:03.640 Are you still searching for where you fit wanting to 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:05.520 be part of the game or do you feel like 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.800 you want to be in the evaluation part of it 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.360 or do you still feel like maybe there's a place 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:12.800 for you in the dugout somewhere. 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:15.000 I was still still trying to feel it out. 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.880 You know, I, as we mentioned, I have a young 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:20.440 family that I enjoy being around and enjoy spending time with. 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.480 So right now I'm happy with what we're doing, which 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:27.280 is spending some time with with with the Dodgers and 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:30.280 the front office and their and their players, but also. 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:32.400 Have some time for my family. So right now we're 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:33.000 in a good spot. 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:35.640 When Zach Grienky played for the Dodgers, he was very 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:38.880 famous in making trades and trying to pretend to be 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:42.800 Andrew Friedman or a guy in that position. When you played, 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.200 did you evaluate or gauge the temperature on players that 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:48.680 you were playing against, playing with? Do you feel like 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:51.480 you have that knack for evaluation. 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:51.840 To be honest? 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:53.600 Yeah, At a young age, no, you're just your focus 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:55.760 on yourself and trying to figure out how to how 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:57.480 to improve and help your team win. But as you 0:03:57.680 --> 0:03:59.320 age a little bit, you have a little bit of 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:02.760 different perspective. So yes, you definitely recognized talent on the 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:06.960 other side, good and bad. And yes you're always, you know, 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.040 making mental cues of guys that you hope at some 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:12.120 point you have the ability to play with the guys 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:13.680 that could possibly hit make. 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:15.280 You better, and I mean Andrew does. 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:17.320 Andrew and his team do a pretty good job of 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:19.480 finding the best guys out there. 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:22.240 I've been doing this too long. I remember the day 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:25.000 that Chase Utley arrived in the Dodger club house. It 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:29.040 was in Houston in twenty sixteen when the Dodgers acquired 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:33.640 you from the Phillies. You mentioned Andrew Friedman from where 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:37.000 it was when he traded for you to where he 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:41.800 has the Dodger organization. Now, what has he turned this into? 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:46.800 Well, I mean the current team last, I mean the 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:49.440 current team the last few years is pretty pretty talented. 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:52.600 But I think his vision early on was to one 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:57.920 identify what was going on in the organization and see 0:04:58.080 --> 0:05:02.120 if there's areas to improve, and slowly but surely he's 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:04.800 done that year after year, and now they're in a 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:07.160 pretty good spot with with the talent that they have, 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.440 with the young guys coming up, they're they're in position 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:12.279 to win for for a long time. I know they've 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:15.279 from a division standpoint, they've they've won a lot over 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:17.560 the past ten years. They've I think they've created a 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:21.479 culture here that has a winning vibe and these guys 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:24.880 are most of these guys are superstars, but that they 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:28.200 work like they're hungry rookies, which you don't see very 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:28.520 opt in. 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.160 But there's a reason why they're so successful. 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:33.520 There's so much focus on the payroll the last couple 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:36.800 of years. But does Andrew and his staff not get 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:40.159 enough credit for what you mentioned the culture and be 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.400 the infrastructure to support players to be their best. 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:46.960 Yeah, I mean, I mean, obviously talent helps to win games, 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:50.400 but you need a common theme within in the clubhouse, 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:54.640 at least in my opinion, to sustain that success over time. 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.240 And they've they've created that. They've they've created that a 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:00.400 while ago, and it's and it's lasting, and it's it's 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:02.840 good for it's good for these guys that. 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.559 Are, you know, in the middle middle of their career 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:07.240 to recognize what they need to do. But it's also 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:09.560 great for the young guys coming up seeing how hard 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.600 these superstars work. I think, I truly believe that this 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:15.000 culture will last for a long time. 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.400 Do you appreciate these group of players because I remember 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:21.520 when you played, you were on a time schedule for 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:25.520 yourself to prepare. Every minute was accounted for. It similar 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:28.359 to show Heyo Tani and you know, Mookie Bets and 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.960 these guys. Does it look familiar to you where these 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:34.960 guys are on such a schedule to prepare to play 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:36.400 every night, It does. 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.920 Look familiar, and it's it's it's great to see it. 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:41.800 I mean, these guys know what they need to do 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:45.640 and get ready. Everyone's got a slightly different program. At 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:47.480 the end of the day, They're all have a program 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:50.680 to get them ready for the seven five start. Yeah, 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:53.760 and that's what's what's most important. So again, I can't 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.960 reiterate enough, but like for these young players especially, it's 0:06:57.000 --> 0:07:00.240 bering training that are seeing these guys work. It's it's 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:03.960 good that they can see guys with amazing work ethics. 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:07.880 I've seen the opposite where young prospects, young players see 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:09.920 you guys that don't have a work ethic like these 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:11.960 guys do, and they think that's the way to do it, 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:12.360 and it's not. 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.720 Chase Sutley is our guest. He's an LA guy. Long 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:19.520 beach u c LA eventually finished his career with the Dodgers. 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.000 I'm sure you can appreciate this. Yesterday, pat Riley got 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:26.760 his statue and he talked about the business of the 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:30.440 NBA business of sports, where guys come and go. You 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.760 had such a lasting effect on your teammates in Philly, 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:36.320 but we got to see it here in LA with 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:40.280 Corey Seeger and key Y Hernandez, among others. Do you 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:42.920 still keep in touch with those guys? Do you do 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:46.200 they reach out to you for any sort of advice? 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:48.200 Yeah, I still keep in touch with them. 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.040 I mean, obviously everyone's kind of spread out a little bit, 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:54.080 but yeah, usually, like we text back and forth when 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:57.160 there's when there's something something to talk about that that's important. 0:07:57.800 --> 0:07:59.720 I appreciate that they used me for. 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:03.400 Advice, but these guys, these guys are now starting to 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:04.240 become grown men. 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:06.679 But I'm always there for him, Chase. 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:08.720 Before I let you go, I've wanted to ask you this. 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:12.720 I told you I have bi weekly conversations with rich Hill, 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:17.040 and he somehow Someway still brings up the burn of 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:20.320 the way the twenty seventeen World Series went down. That 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.760 was your last Major League game, Game seven of the 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:28.320 seventeen World Series. A lot of people, me included, felt 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:31.480 like you guys were robbed of what should have been yours. 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.120 How have you come to peace with it? How have 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:35.800 you processed it over the years? 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:39.480 Yeah, I mean, it doesn't make you feel good about it. 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:44.600 I'm happy that everything has come out and the attention 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.960 was put on on that. I mean, it's I think 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:49.720 it's help for these guys now that we're a part 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:51.920 of that. It's helpful that they have a few world 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:54.480 series under their belt since then. I was able to 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:56.680 get one in Philadelphia. So had I not got that, 0:08:56.760 --> 0:09:00.079 I think I probably would have a slightly different and 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:04.040 in But yeah, we didn't feel good about it. We 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:05.280 we prepared it, just. 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:07.880 We didn't prepare for the for what happened. 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:10.520 You don't seem to be a guy that just continues 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:13.120 to stew over things. Do you ever think about it 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:14.840 before a guy like me brings it up. 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:17.199 No, I haven't thought about it for a while, to 0:09:17.240 --> 0:09:18.960 be honest with you, it's kind of in the past. 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:23.360 Those guys, a lot of those guys, uh forever will 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:26.839 be part of that group and they'll live with it 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:28.079 for for the rest of their lives. 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:30.560 How special was that seventeen Dodgers team. 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:32.400 It was great because we had a mixture of young 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:35.480 and old, and it was a lot of energy, a 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:37.680 lot of fun, a lot of trying to figure figure 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.800 figure it out. There were some growing pains, but overall 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:46.000 we had a pretty pretty pretty solid team and to 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:48.560 get to that point knowing they had a little bit 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:53.840 extra help should make us feel good, although it doesn't necessarily. 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:57.040 Yeah yeah, but Chase Suttley, it is a champion of 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:59.960 a person, champion of a player, and Miguel Rojas is 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:03.640 right there. So everybody has a story about Game seven 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:05.880 where they were watching it. You said you were in 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:09.480 London for three years. Where was Chase Utley watching the 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.880 World Series? Specifically Game seven, the ninth inning, the home 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:16.680 run and the incredible play Rojas and Smith made in 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:17.439 the ninth inning. 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:21.720 I was in la I was on my couch with 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.720 his few friends watching it and biting my nails and 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:28.000 sweating and nervous like pretty much everyone else was. But 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:31.720 I mean, I don't think there's been a better World Series. 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:35.120 Obviously it helps that your team wins, but overall, just 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:40.040 the different moments, the Dowerde moments in that game you 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.920 just don't see happen very often, especially in one particular game, 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:46.440 and it happens to be Game seven. So I mean, 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:50.600 these guys are preparing right now for that moment, so 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:53.440 hopefully they get to do it again. But yes, I 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:55.400 was on my couch sweat and bullets. 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.640 I feel more anxious watching the replays of the infield 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:03.200 in play with Rojas throwing out kind of philefa at home. 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:06.400 How difficult is that for a second basement in that 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:08.160 especially in that moment, a. 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:10.120 Tough play, it's I mean, it's a do or I play. 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:11.640 The game's over, it's not. 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:16.199 And I mean maybe he's an amazing defensive specialist out there, 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.360 so he can kind of do whatever he wants. And 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:22.600 it's his his instincts that made it happen. When you 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:24.520 first see the player, like ooh, he's backed up on 0:11:24.559 --> 0:11:26.240 the ball, but he was able to pick it cleanly 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.760 and fire it. But that's what makes him so special 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:32.199 that he has the ability to put his body in. 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:33.679 Those positions and still make plays. 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:36.800 Chase, thank you for laying me tap into you. When 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.840 you were playing, you always had a time schedule, limited time, 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.520 and you have so much to offer the game. You 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.880 have such a high baseball IQ and the Dodgers are 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:47.840 lucky that you live in LA and you can be 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.600 part of this organization to help them grow and be 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:54.559 the best that they can be. And you know you'll 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:57.920 still come tiger claw over anybody's neck, including mine, So 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:00.560 don't get it twisted. He's on the off the Skuys 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.079 you ever meet. But I feel like I've softened. I've 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.559 humanized Chase Suttley here right now on the. 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:08.520 Field, slightly right now, in this moment. 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:10.960 Yes, do we hug or no hug? 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.440 Still we give, we give high five knuckles. Here we go. Okay, okay, David, 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:16.719 but thank you, thanks for having me on. Can't wait 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:17.320 to do it again. 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:20.559 Awesome. Chase Sutley might even come in studio or I 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:22.120 might even go to his house to do the show 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:22.480 one day. 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:24.360 You make sure he's going to my house. But we'll see, 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:24.840 we'll see.