And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey or Dodger Talker. All right, we are in Atlanta, and I'm honored to be joined right now by a man that does a great job on Sunday Night Baseball. It helps that he's a Cy Young Award winner, a five time World Series champion, and that's the one and only David Cone. David, thanks a lot for the time. Appreciated my pleasure any time to be on with you. Your Yankees twenty five years ago was the last major League team to repeat as champions.
What does it take for this Dodger team to be able to even consider attempting that?
Well, obviously, you know, the people talk about health, the overall health of a team. That's a big key, you know that everybody knows. But really, to me, it comes down to the emotional part. How bad you want it, you know, how how aggressively you pursue that as a team, and you know, sometimes it really just comes down to that how relentless you are, and the Dodgers are relentless.
So yeah, I don't think that's going to be a problem, but you'd be surprised that some players sort of you know, once you reach the mountain, you scale the mountain, and then yeah, the off season is a little shorter. Maybe you're not quite as motivated. Maybe you're a little too satisfied. I don't see those signs from the Dodgers.
It's funny you said that, because I spoke to your former manager Joe Torre a couple of days ago, and he said, the one thing you have to fight off is admiring what you did the year before.
That's that's key, you know, Joe Torre is you know it says it better than me, But yes, that's really you know, the sentiment in a nutshell is just the motivation factors. How motivated are you to be great? How motivated are you to have a legacy? How motivated are you to sort of be remembered as a dynasty? And that's what you got going on here. Historically speaking, you're going to be ten twenty years from now, you're going to look back on this air and said that was
the dynasty? And did we do all we could to make sure that it happened?
How did David Cone and the Yankees twenty five years ago stay motivated not when it got to October, but during the marathon of the season.
It was the same thing. It was a relentless professionalism. It was just a never too high, never too low kind of a mentality of you know, you forget the losses, you forget the tough games. You're ready for today, You're ready for the next game, and you really do just stay in the present. That's that's where that mentality comes through, is when you just think about we play today, we win today today's game. That is all that matters. I'm not worried about tomorrow. I'm not worried about yesterday.
David Cone is our guest five time World Series champion, and for a period of time there in the late eighties and the early nineties, whenever a team wanted to get over the hump, they seem to acquire David Cohne, whether it was the Yankees, the Blue Jays, obviously you had that type of championship. DNA. What makes a player be able to be that type of guy that you.
Were, Yeah, I was just kind of I was just kind of forced into it. You know, Initially I didn't. Maybe I wore out my welcome a little bit here and there. Maybe it was because I was going to be a free agent and I was known as a guy who's going to push the system a little bit and test the mark it. So sometimes I put you in a position to be traded as well. But yeah, I just remember being, uh, you know, sort of you know, just this this fear, this fear of failure in the
big moments that really kind of drives you. You didn't want to let your teammates down. You knew they were counting on you, You knew the fan base was counting on you when you.
Got traded, So that that was that was motivation in.
And of itself, because you didn't want to let him down, and you you knew that was that was your calling card that you had to come through in those kind of moments.
I know he's not here right now, but he will be in Clayton Kershawn. I just been around him his entire career. There there seemed to be that intensity and dedication that raised everybody's focus and level of play. You were intense. I remember watching you pitch very intense. Did you accept anything less from your guys?
No, Actually, that that collectively, it's a great question. Collectively, that's how the players police themselves in the clubhouse. You hold each other accountable. And uh, there's certainly a lot of things that happened in a major league clubhouse that you never hear about in the media, but I guarantee you are. Those are conversations that happen. Those are confrontations
that happen. We certainly had our share in the nineties where you challenge each other and if you don't step up, or if you're not showing up ready, or you're not prepared, or you're not taking it seriously enough, you get called out in clubhouses like the Dodgers, like the Yankees back in the day. Yeah, that's called policing yourselves, and that's called accountability.
That makes sense. David Cohene is our guest before I let you go. Everybody from Barry Bonds to David Bassey has shared their opinion on whether or not Shoho Tani should pitch again. Where do you fall on that.
I let him do what he wants to do. He's earned it. Yes, he should pitch again. You absolutely should pitch again, especially when you think that the Dodgers and the type of games are going to play in September and down the stretch run and potential postseason. Absolutely, he should pitch again. Everybody wants to see that is their risk involved. Of course, there's always risk involved, but you know that's what he wants and that's why he signed here because he was guaranteed that he would be able
to do both. So if he's game, I'm game. Let the show.
Hey, do what he wants, all right, love it, David, Thanks a lot for the time and appreciate you always being so kind. A five time world champion being able to be as normal as you.
Are not my pleasure, David, any time for you.
Hey, the man my favorite Royal, not Mark Goobaza.