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, 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.
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.
The previous postseason.
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.
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.
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.
So it's good to be here.
We've got some great weather and there's a lot of good energy here at the Winter Meetings.
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?
It was great, Dave.
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 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.
It was great.
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.
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?
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 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 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.
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.
You know how badly the city wanted this. I think that's part of it, you know.
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.
You know, the list goes on and on.
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.
I know this organization.
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.
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.
I do.
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 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 zeal and energy and compete every single night.
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.
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 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 him back to at some point once we get him healthy.
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 able to bet on the player, but the player was able to deliver.
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 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.
Those guys all season long and they delivered.
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.
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.
Yeah, Will.
Dave Roberts, you're getting your flowers long overdue, so congratulations and look forward to many years being together.
Thanks Dave. I appreciate you and all the work you did.