Dave Roberts (12-11-24)

David Vassegh talks to Dodger Manager Dave Roberts

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Dodger Talk. David Vase with you until
eight o'clock tonight here on a five to seventy LA Sports.
We are at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, and it's
awesome to be joined by two time two time World
Series winning manager, a three time World Series champion going
back to his playing days, a man that has been
celebrated from Europe to LA to Japan, and here in Dallas,

(00:24):
the one and only Dave Roberts. Dave, thanks a lot
for the time. And it feels a little different this
time around at the Winter Meetings.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Oh my gosh, David, it does you know, I don't
feel a weight or a burden or trying to spin
a story and try to show optimism for the coming
season or try to rehash.

Speaker 3 (00:43):
The previous postseason.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
So this year, you know, you can still bask in
the glory of twenty four and then you know, going
to twenty five with a lot of optimism.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Hey, last year we had a great time in Nashville
at Brad Paisley's farm, and we're gonna have a great
time tonight. From my understanding, the two days going to
be at the Kershaw Compound.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, so I'm a little under the weather, so I'm
trying to figure out if I want to just bail
and keep you guys healthy. But you know, I'll tell
you Clayton invited me, and I'm trying to keep it open.
And there's nothing better than hanging out with you, Alex
Torres and obviously Brad and Kerse.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
So it's good to be here.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
We've got some great weather and there's a lot of
good energy here at the Winter Meetings.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Great energy, and it feels like the great energy was
from the Dodgers winning the World Series. So what's life
been like for you? We saw you celebrated in Japan.
We all know your mom has roots there, that's, you know,
part of who you are. What was it like to
be there and be there with your son Cole?

Speaker 3 (01:41):
It was great, Dave.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
I think that, you know, just to kind of go
back to where I was born and just realizing that
obviously every game that we play is televised in the
mid morning in Japan, so there's a lot of eyeballs
on us, and obviously with Shohey and Yamamoto and myself,
and so to be able to go back there and
be celebrated, I said, it in the in my City

(02:04):
Council award reception where I said that it was the
end of a journey, tied a boat to my season
and full circle you know where I was born to
then now finish up there in Okinawa.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
It was great.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Good to be back here back in the States, and
you know, we've already done some exciting things this offseason,
and I'm sure there's some more things to come.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
When you look back at your playing and managing career,
can you compare winning the World Series having a parade
actually being celebrated to when you won your first one
as a player? Does it have the same feeling for you? You
know what?

Speaker 2 (02:38):
I think the more I because I've gotten that question
a few times, and I think the more I've got
that question, the more I can kind of give an
accurate answer. And I think as a manager it's more
gratifying and special. And I say that because obviously, as
a player, you're playing, you're taking the offers, you're making

(02:58):
the plays, you're getting the hit, getting the outs. But
I say that in the sense that as a manager
you have your hands and a lot more aware of
the people that it impacts. Obviously the fans, but then
there's ticket holders, there's vendors, there's parking attendants, there's scouts,
baseball operations, you know, the business side. And I think

(03:19):
as a player, you're just focused on just the players
and playing your game. And so I think that the
gravity the scope as a manager is just way more
weighty for me. And so that's why I think that,
you know, I got so much more emotion because as
a manager, you realize how impactful it truly is for
a lot of people.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Do you feel like you had that impact on you
in that perspective because your first major League game was
with the Dodgers. You've been with the Dodgers longer than
anybody else currently in this organization.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
You know how badly the city wanted this. I think
that's part of it, you know.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
And you look back in recent years and I lost
a friend, We lost friends and you know don Nukeom,
you know, moriy Will, Vincecully, Tommy Lasorda, you know Sweet Lou.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
You know, the list goes on and on.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
And so people that you know I was friends with
that were Dodgers that I played for the Dodgers, went
to school in the city of Los Angeles.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
I know this organization.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
You know, I know the O'Malleys and you know, so
that makes it more personal to me and the connection
to the city, the fans, the organization, and I think
that's probably why you know, I showed, you know, a
ton of emotion.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Dave Roberts has taught his players a lot. He's taught
me a lot. And the one thing that always sticks
out to me when I hear your voice in my head,
which is somewhat scary, but I hear your voice in
my head a lot when you talk about gratitude, because
you've always talked about how important that is, and it
feels like you have a lot of gratitude right now.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
I do.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
I do, And I think that, you know, just off
the top of my head, I didn't interview and just
you know key Y Hernandez coming back to Los Angeles
and having a great postseason and winning another championship, and
you know, Clayton Kershaw and we talked about him on
the stage and you know, was hurt in the postseason,
but he got his parade. And so I think that

(05:15):
each day baseball, as anyone knows to watch the game,
it's a game of failure. So I just think that
if you approach it from a place of having some gratitude,
it's much more palatable to get through a season and
the grind of such a tough game in sport. And
I want to impress out of my players because as
a Dodger fans, I think that they can appreciate the
way our guys go about the game with zest and

(05:38):
zeal and energy and compete every single night.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
As excited as the fans are about signing Blake Snell
and obviously the reports of Michael Conforto, they still have
a lot of emotional attachment to the players that you mentioned.
How hopeful are you that you'll be able to bring
back a Tioscar Hernandez and a key k A Hernandez.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
I'm hopeful, you know, obviously, you know, Tayo in particular,
really had a tremendous season and put himself in the
rightful spot to choose where he wants to go, and
so he's sort of sussing out different deals and opportunities
and I would be very disappointed if he's not back
with us and Keith k you know, he's a postseason

(06:18):
player and that's what he's built for, and so I'm
sure he's got a lot of interest from ball clubs.
But again, these guys, Tayo has cemented himself and Dodger
lore keiy K is certainly a Dodger legend, and so
I would certainly love him. They make my job a
lot easier having those guys back, and you know, and
obviously with Clayton. We talked about Clayton early and expect

(06:39):
him back to at some point once we get him healthy.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Hey, you always talk about betting on your players. No
greater example of that in Game five when you went
to the mound and you know, didn't look at whatever
the three year sample size was. You listened to Freddie Freeman,
Blake Trinan when you went to the mound. That seems
to be one of the images that stand out from
the World Series. How proud are you that you were

(07:03):
able to bet on the player, but the player was
able to deliver.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
It's everything I think that I think I told our
guys after the World Series. This is the team that
most sort of mirrored I feel who I am as
a person, as a competitor, and the buy in was reciprocated,
the trust reciprocated, and so yeah, when you believe in
bet on a player like Blake or like Fred or

(07:27):
anyone and our key k you know, in tougher spot
and they come through. It makes you feel good. And
it's about the players. The game is about the players,
and I do think that, you know, I showed my
trust in.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Those guys all season long and they delivered.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
Dave, very happy for you. You deserve all the celebration you're
getting from Europe to Japan to Dallas and Wednesday you'll
be back in Los Angeles to be celebrated by the
Scouts of Los Angeles. So looking forward to the celebration
continuing back at home.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
That's gonna be great to get home to Los ange
and the boy Scouts do do great things and it's
gonna be a great evening.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
Yeah, Will.

Speaker 1 (08:05):
Dave Roberts, you're getting your flowers long overdue, so congratulations
and look forward to many years being together.

Speaker 3 (08:13):
Thanks Dave. I appreciate you and all the work you did.