It's the Dodgers and Cubs as we get ready for spring training, and we're joined right now by a two time World Series champion with the Dodgers. One of the veterans on this team now. He was in the clubhouse in twenty eighteen and burst onto the scene during that year and has never looked back. That is the one and only Funky Moncie. Max Munsey joins us before first pitch. Monsey, thanks a lot for the time, appreciate it.
Yeah, it's good to be back. It's good to get going. It was a short offseason, but you know that's what you want in this game. You want to have it as short as possible. That means you're playing late, and that's what we wanted.
At this stage of your career.
How do you approach spring training and after winning a World Series championship, how do you stay motivated for this season?
Well, the motivations on issue. Well, you know this team is as hungry as ever. You know, the guys have already been out here for several weeks working hard, and it's just you can kind of see it on everyone's faces. Yet we got over the hump last year we won that World Series. But at the same time, everyone's coming in almost like we haven't done anything yet. That's a good thing.
It's no one's stagnant. You know.
We've got a lot of people in there, absolutely, you know, working the tails off right now.
And it's been a lot of fun. It's it's been really enjoyable to show up to.
Camp every single day and uh and work with these guys and it's just been you know, you've been getting some good stuff done.
Why does Mookie wear a beanie everywhere he goes and not a hat?
You got to ask you, I ain't got I don't got that answer.
Mookie bets walking right by.
But I thought it was awesome how Mookie, Freddie and Max Munsey spoke to the team the first day of spring training, setting the tone for the entire group. What was that like for you to be one of those guys.
Now, it's cool. Yeah, it was a cool moment.
And you know, I think it's something that that Doc who loves to do he likes to get the players involved with what's going on. And you know, all three of us essentially had the same exact message. You got to show up every day, could be willing to put the work in every single day, and he can't worry about anything else that's.
Going on around.
It's it's what's in front of you for that day. You know what, what do you have on your slate that day? If you're in the game, like especially in camp, if you're in the game, what are you doing to make sure you're ready for that game. If you're not in the game, how are you still getting better or getting yourself prepared to do something better that day? And then when the next day comes, you worry about that day.
You can't worry about what's going on in two weeks or you can't you can't worry about what's what happened in August of last year. You're trying to focus on today, how you can get better today. And that was the same message that you know, all of us essentially had, and it was it was really cool to just see the guys stand up. And you know, when you hear from your teammates and you hear from your peers, it's it always resonates more. Not that no one's listening to
DOC and there everyone's listening at DOC. Doc had a great message, but for the younger guys, when you see veteran players stand up. I always felt like when I was younger, hearing those guys, you know, stand up and say things, you listen just a little bit more, and it's a it's a really cool.
Thing, Muncie.
I heard two weeks before you were supposed to report to spring training, the entire infield was already here in Arizona. When you talk about leading and setting the tone, it's not by just what you had to say. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with being accountable and preparing the way the best of the best prepare.
Yeah, and you know that's something that you know number twenty two has done for a long time here. You know Clayton, he he has always set the example by you know.
Being it.
And when that guy's when it's his start day, he's as fierce and as competitive as anyone.
And you know that.
And when it's not his start day, he loves to have a ton of fun. But that's after he's been in the weight room for two and a half hours, he's been working on his mechanics for an hour, he's been getting the work done.
He's there early.
He is just you know, just grinding away in the work out on the field, out on the mound, doing everything he needs to do to prepare for that start day. And then when he's done, then he has fun in the dog out. He has fun with you, He has fun with the you know, that's just who he is. But he says the example that you can have a lot of fun in this game. You got to make sure you're getting better before you just start goofing off. And you know, for us, for me and Meggie and
Mookie and a couple of the other guys. You know, yeah, we've been out here for almost three weeks already, and you know, before camp even started, we were out there for two to three hours every single day taking ground balls, working on communication, working on positioning.
Where are we at where you know, how how does certain guys move to the ball.
And that's a you know, for Mooki, it's really important because he's putting in a tunnel work this offseason to make sure he's ready for short stuff and he's gonna be great, by the way, just side note on that he looks he looks amazing at short already, but like for him to understand, this is where I'm at third base, this is where the second basement is this is how
we approach balls. Like you know, the ball in between me and MOOKI he knows I'm always I'm always coming in at a certain angle that way, he knows which way he's going, and that there's no miscommunication when a ball is hitting the game. And granted, there's nothing that will give you those reps like being in the game, but we're we're doing everything we can to kind of simulate it. And it's been going really well. And it's been, like I said, two to three hours every single day.
It's a lot of work, especially for guys like us that have been here for a long time.
But it's been fun.
It's been and that's what makes it worth it is we're having fun out there.
But we're getting so much better every single day.
Max.
When you said you already know Mookie's going to be amazing at shortstop, what was the first sign or what are the signs that lead you to believe that.
I mean, he has just natural instincts. His hands are soft, they're good. The one thing that he got in trouble with last year, and he'll tell you this was he got a little bit in between on what he was trying to do with the ball. He spent all last off season preparing for second base, and that's a completely different throw. You just feel it and you throw it to first base. It's not a very long throw. Your
footwork's real easy over there. You get to shortstop, you have to figure out how you get momentum going towards first base on every single play, and he just he got in between on a lot of balls because he wasn't sure what he's wanting to do.
Field it with one hand, field with two hands, be on the run.
And you know he's cleaned that up big time, just because he's taken so many reps shortstop now where it just looks so much more natural to him, and that you know, the skills aren't aren't an issue. It's just getting reps out there, and you know, he just he's looking.
Really comfortable now.
Any ball that gets hit to him, he knows what he wants to do with it. He's not getting in between. His footwork's going great, his arm slot's great, it's the ball's coming out good, and he's he's being relaccurate.
First Place.
Max Munsey, two time World Series champion, is our guest. I hate to say this or put this label on anybody, But it feels like Max Munsey is in the best shape of his life.
Does it feel that way?
It feels pretty good right now.
You look like second base Monsy right now.
That's a that's a good compliment because he's back back in twenty nineteen and I felt like I was in really good shape then. But yeah, just something I tried to put a, you know, an even bigger focus on this offseason. I laid off trying to build strength, just trying to focus on getting a little bit lighter. Hopefully that helps out with a little bit of health and you know, keep me on the field longer.
And it's just one of those.
Things where I want to keep playing and I want to keep playing for the Dodgers, and if you want to do that, you got to be able to move around in the field. And that's just, you know, to me, that's very important to be here. And so you got to make some changes, you got to focus on some stuff, and that's what I really tried to do this offseason, and I felt like it's worked. I feel really good coming in the camp right now and I'm and I'm
going to keep it. The big thing for me is to keep it going this year, not just stop once the season starts. And you know, as you know, that's sometimes it's hard to do. You get on the planes, you get it, you know, get to the hotels. It's it's tough to do sometimes.
So for me, it's just.
You know, cutting out some of the other stuff, the you know, some of the drinks, and you know that goes a long way.
Yeah, I'll get there one day. Month.
Sie, you handle it for both of us for now. But man, I am very happy that you're back, and I know you are the epitome of the sum is greater than the parts, and you understand what team is about. You understand your job and how it all fits, and it's really been a pleasure to watch your career. And man, it's awesome that I'm with a two time World Series champion and Max and it doesn't get old. And I guess we'll be on this ride again another year, Max, So thanks a lot for the time.
Well hopefully we'll be on this ride for a couple more years.
But uh, yeah, it's it's doesn't get old here in two times champ, that's for sure.
And yeah, as you said that, the team is all the all that matters. You put.
You do anything you can to put the team in a good position to win. And at the end of the day, percent of the time, when you put the team first, your yourself is going to look better. And so that's something that we try we try to spread to the young guys. You know, everyone gets in this game for their own reasons, and if your own reason to get in this game is for personal game, you have to understand you can get a lot of personal
game by helping a team win. And you see it all the time, and it's just a message that we try to get in this clubhouse, and everyone's bought in. You talk about the superstars that we have in here. They're all about the team and it's it's just really fun to be a part of it.
You're the guy paying it forward now at this stage of your career, Max, no doubt.
Yeah, well I try I try my best.
Thanks a lot for the time and always great to be with you, and it will be great to see you get your ring on ring day. When the Dodgers returned from a big Tokyo trip, Munseian Vassa going international again.
I mean, I don't plan on spending too much time with you over there. But uh yeah, yeah, I'm I'm not.
I'm not walking the streets to Tokyo, David, I tell you that right now.
All right, I'll take that out of some maybe.
You can take it how you want. Yeah,