Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 1: The Freeway series has shifted scenes to Dodgers Stadium and
Speaker 1: a man that made himself feel at home in Anaheim
Speaker 1: like he has all spring long. Is my guy, James Tibbs,
Speaker 1: the third, A proud Florida State seminole.
Speaker 2: La loves him now, thanks a lot for.
Speaker 3: The time, Tibbs absolutely, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: Hey, over spring training, you got the greatest compliment from
Speaker 1: a former Dodger. His name was Andre Ethier, and you
Speaker 1: know what he said, James Tibbs has Ethier type of edge.
Speaker 3: Cool. Yeah, that's really cool. That's that means a lot.
Speaker 3: It's a huge compliment come from him. I love it.
Speaker 2: How much does edge play into you performing?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I just I just try to keep
Speaker 4: the chip on my shoulder little bit, just play like
Speaker 4: you know, I don't I haven't.
Speaker 3: I don't deserve anything. I got to earn it all.
Speaker 4: I mean at the end of the day, like every
Speaker 4: day's a new day and trying to, you know, come
Speaker 4: out there and give him my best and see what happens.
Speaker 1: James, we talked at the beginning of spring training. You
Speaker 1: hadn't played a single game, but it seemed like you
Speaker 1: had an awareness of who you were.
Speaker 2: What do you make of the results you got this spring?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it's just you know, a testament to
Speaker 4: the process and continue to put in work and find
Speaker 4: ways to get better each and every day. And you know,
Speaker 4: I didn't have any expectation coming in the spring. Just
Speaker 4: come out here and compete and see what happens. And
Speaker 4: you know, try to get as comfortable as I can
Speaker 4: around the guys and get to know them, get to
Speaker 4: learn from them, and so the success on the field
Speaker 4: is just a plus.
Speaker 1: I know, this is professional sports, it's not little league.
Speaker 1: You don't need somebody to say, hey, great job. But
Speaker 1: have you gotten feedback from Dave Roberts or the Dodgers
Speaker 1: this spring?
Speaker 3: Yeah? I just keep doing what you're doing.
Speaker 4: I mean, we love what you do and and we
Speaker 4: love how you compete and you play hard, and yeah,
Speaker 4: for me, that's that's all I can control.
Speaker 3: So trying to control the control bills.
Speaker 4: And continuing to show I can do that and progress
Speaker 4: and wait and in places that I need to progress,
Speaker 4: and just continue to do what I do.
Speaker 1: It feels like you and her heart have been together
Speaker 1: since day one. What's it like to be in the
Speaker 1: same lineup every spring game, to have lockers next to
Speaker 1: each other. You always need that guy to push the other.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's great.
Speaker 4: I mean, he's in a fantastic human being and a
Speaker 4: great guy, and he's been a good friend and a
Speaker 4: good brother to me, as you know, coming over here
Speaker 4: from Boston and just loved it and enjoyed it and
Speaker 4: we kind of helped each other out and push each other.
Speaker 4: So it's been a great process.
Speaker 1: Has that been the specialness of this spring and just
Speaker 1: being with him?
Speaker 2: How much do you guys push each other?
Speaker 4: Yeah, we pushed the other every day. I mean, I
Speaker 4: think both of us are trying to compete. We're both
Speaker 4: trying to get better, and you know, it's almost like
Speaker 4: we're just trying to out play each other a little
Speaker 4: bit of each and every day.
Speaker 3: So it's it's a lot. It's a fun, you know,
Speaker 3: little rivalry in a great way, and we.
Speaker 4: Just, you know, we both push each other, and I
Speaker 4: think at the end of the day, that's, you know,
Speaker 4: all you can ask for. And so to have him
Speaker 4: and just to watch how he how he does his
Speaker 4: business every day, it's been really cool to watch. So
Speaker 4: I'm so proud of him and proud to be alongside him,
Speaker 4: and you know, I can't wait to see him, you
Speaker 4: know this year.
Speaker 1: What about some of the salties of being in the
Speaker 1: same outfield with him? You know each other, so, well,
Speaker 1: what's the communication like between you two?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty good.
Speaker 4: I mean, you know, we kind of have an idea
Speaker 4: what we're doing, idea, you know what we can cover
Speaker 4: and what we can't cover, and just continue to work together.
Speaker 4: And you know, we kind of kind of just know
Speaker 4: what each other are trying to do and what we
Speaker 4: want to do, and so it helps for sure.
Speaker 3: It helps chemistry and then the ability to track down.
Speaker 2: Five balls every RBI you love.
Speaker 1: But how sweet has it been this spring where you're
Speaker 1: driving in Zach Gerhart and you see him motoring around
Speaker 1: from first to third, from first to home. How sweet
Speaker 1: is that that he's scoring on some of your extra
Speaker 1: base hits.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's awesome.
Speaker 4: I think the longer I haven't a bat, the more
Speaker 4: more likely he's in scoring positions.
Speaker 3: So it's been fun. I've enjoyed it.
Speaker 1: Hey, James, obviously, Cactus League is special. Wearing the Dodger
Speaker 1: uniform special. But to be at a big league stadium
Speaker 1: last night in Anaheim, forty five thousand fans were there.
Speaker 1: What was it like for you to be on that stage?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's cool.
Speaker 4: I mean, you know, I remember going to an Angels
Speaker 4: game when I was eight years old, right, and sitting
Speaker 4: with my dad and hanging out and hoping one dad'd be.
Speaker 3: In that place. And so same thing goes for.
Speaker 4: Here being in a Dodger stadium. You know, I was
Speaker 4: here to you know, when I was eight. So it's
Speaker 4: just a surreal experience. And as a guy that you know,
Speaker 4: grew up loving baseball and wanted to be in baseball,
Speaker 4: just to be a part of this is a dream
Speaker 4: come true for me.
Speaker 1: So you're saying a Georgia kid found his way to
Speaker 1: Dodger Stadium eight years old.
Speaker 3: It was a trip.
Speaker 4: My dad and I played a trip and uh, you know,
Speaker 4: he gave us a couple couple of ages and said, hey,
Speaker 4: come out, you know what trip do you want to
Speaker 4: do for this and this and this? And so did
Speaker 4: a New York trip and did a uh, did an
Speaker 4: LA trip. So I went to San Diego, went to Anaheim,
Speaker 4: and went to LA and it was a fantastic experience
Speaker 4: to be out here.
Speaker 1: All right, age me who was on the Dodgers when
Speaker 1: eight year old TIBs was here.
Speaker 3: Matt Camp, Andre Thier, Clint Kershaw. Oh yeah, you know.
Speaker 4: Actually we saw the Padres play the Giants and Barry
Speaker 4: Zito pitch in his last year. So that's kind of
Speaker 4: a cool memory of mine. But other than that, I
Speaker 4: can't remember too well.
Speaker 1: So that must have been a great experience to have
Speaker 1: Ethier not only compliment you what he said, but actually
Speaker 1: work with you for a week out there and the
Speaker 1: other outfielders.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was great.
Speaker 4: I mean absolutely, I you know, growing up watching baseball
Speaker 4: and just being a fan of baseball, it was fun
Speaker 4: to watch and at the end of the day, like
Speaker 4: you know, you you hope to be that guy one day, right,
Speaker 4: And so for me to experience that firsthand and get
Speaker 4: to talk to them and you know, pick their brains
Speaker 4: as well as.
Speaker 3: You know, just knowing that, you know, I grew up
Speaker 3: a this cool experience.
Speaker 1: I identify with guys like youtubs. I broadcast with a chip
Speaker 1: on my shoulder. I got edge every night on Dodger Talk.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I just try to go about the same
Speaker 3: way every day, all.
Speaker 2: Right, thanks a lot for the time. Congratulations, appreciate it.
Speaker 3: Thank you.