And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker Padres Dodgers Dodgers Padres an upset and we're joining right now by one of the heroes of the Dodgers postseason run last year and obviously one of the best players of his generation, the one and only Mookie Bets.
Mookie, thanks a lot for the time, of course.
You know, I always got time for you.
Bro. Oh. I love it.
I love it, and I love that the Dodgers and Padres are back at it for the first time this season. When you're out here taking your infield drills or when you first walked into the stadium, did the memories of last year flood through or does it feel like just another regular season game.
Oh?
No, the memories definitely fled through. I mean, obviously they don't. They're not relative to what's going on right now. But you know, you just kind of think about, you know, things that you've done here and how much how much this this place has been in your happy, happy, happy thoughts and your sad ones as well, and so you know, you just grow a weird love for for being here.
Yeah, and last year it feels like this was the site of when your postseason turned around.
Yeah, this is uh, this is it. You know, Like I said, I have so many memories here, good and bad that I just, uh, I enjoy I really do enjoy playing here.
I covered the Lakers back when Shaq and Kobe were playing and the Sacramento Kings put together a nice run for four or five years. Does it kind of feel like that between the Dodgers and Padres that Lakers Sacramento Kings feel?
Yeah, I mean, you know, I don't remember that that what that feel was was, but you know, just just just uh, it is fun knowing that. You know, every time you come to Peco or I'm sure every time they come to the Dodgers, tadum like there's gonna be a dogfight. You know, it's gonna be a you're gonna you're gonna have to play some good baseball. I mean, you're gonna get hit in the mouth and you're gonna let's see how you how you take it, and so uh, you know, that's the that's the beauty of you know.
Sports, no doubt, and Mookie Betts is all about competition. He even called out Brady Ebel here to compete with him.
At shortstop.
I mean, you're always looking for somebody to compete against.
Uh, I do.
I do love competition. Both both of my parents enjoy competing and everything, and so my whole family we all love doing and so I mean, it was it's good to get to get him out there and show him some, uh, show him some some tips and tricks that I've kind of learned along the way, and compete while doing it.
MOOKI shortstop, You've looked like a natural out there this year. What about the little different things about shortstop? Do you feel like you're going next level now at that position?
I don't know.
It's hard to say, because you know, I just want to be consistent and being the best I can be every day, and that's you know, making all the routine plays and if I can make some some nice plays, then cool. I just know how hard it is to play shortstop, and you can't, can't you know it continue to grow and continue to do to try and be the best, uh with doing all the fancy tricks and
all type of stuff. But you know, for someone like me, which is really like my I guess my second year doing this for you're really actually understanding what I'm doing. I just want to be a basic vanilla bland shortstop that makes all the plays and hopefully can can do something in the box.
You're doing that and more. But there's different levels of the intangibles of the position, and it feels like you're really commanding that position. I've seen you have meetings with pictures where the game's going too fast. I mean, that's what the leader of the infield does.
Yeah, you know, That's all kind of stuff that I've learned. Miggie Row has really helped me a ton with stuff like that, and tell me, you know, hey, you know you're playing every day, You're you're you're the guy. This is how to handle it. This is this is what it takes. And you're gonna have to be the guy that goes in and calls the meeting when the game needs to slow down. You're gonna have to know what everybody needs to be doing. You're gonna have to move guys.
You know, you're gonna have to, just like you said, be the captain of the infield. And I didn't really know what that means. And I'm not really here to be the captain of nothing. I'm really just here to just kind of take care of my job. But I guess, you know, MIGEI Ro kind of explained that that is my job, is kind of doing that, and so it's a it's it's been okay, It's been okay, but definitely
definitely definitely got a lot more learning to do. Sometimes in the middle of the games, man, I'm out there, like, I have no idea what to do. I have no idea. If the ball is hitting me, I don't know. And like during those situations, miggi ro is right there on the top step and I can look at him and we have this little sign language that we can communicate, and he he like helps me in those tenth inning, eleventh and twelfth inning moments because I've never been in
those situations before. That's the first time, you know, that's the first time I've been in the situation.
So I had no idea, you know.
So yeah, I mean, having the having having him here has definitely help with all that.
Hey, we all need somebody to lean on.
Mookie Bets has got Miguel Rojas and all of Los Angeles to lean on. And those four days while you were dealing with your toe, it feels like you had a chance to catch your breath as far as the offense goes, because since he came back, you've looked like the mookie bets.
We all.
Yeah, I had a little time, like you said, to to to really try and get the habits that I had developed out. And it's hard. It's hard to do it when you're like playing every day. Like when you're playing, you have to compete every day. It's hard to really stack positive days because the game is so negative and.
It's a game of failure.
And so you know, whatever moves and whatever you were working on, you go and do it in the game and you don't get any hits, well, then you know that's considered a failure, you know, and so we need to we want success, we need success now. But really, you know, having those those days help me stack positive days, you know, one after the other, one after the other, and then I think I built enough confidence to take it into the game.
I still it blows my mind. As good as you are, you are such a humble person. Sometimes that bleeds into where you forget how good you are.
Who's the guy now? That reminds you how good you are? You know? Really?
Uh, Doc does a lot. Doc really does a really good job and kind of reminded me of that. And I mean, you know, when it comes from the top like that, you know, we have my teammates and KK does a really good job with it. Meggi does a really good job with it. Freddie Freddy, he has this weird, weird cell a way of just saying, like, Okay, whenever you're whenever you're done in your little feelings and your attitude, then come on, I'm ready to play when you are,
you know. And so that's kind of how he treats me, which is is awesome. So it's great. I got a great group of guys. I'm here to kind of all help me. But uh but you know, Doc, Doc really does remind me a lot. And it's it's you know, I don't I try not to think about it, but sometimes it helps.
Right now you're feeling good, though.
Yeah, I feel feel a lot better now. I feel a lot better now, and I think we just got to get find a way to get healthy and then we'll start winning some ball games.
Hey, if you need me to record a video for you, you could just look at it whenever you're in your feelings and I'll give you a hype video.
All right, I'm down.
For that for sure.
No, you know I'm here for you. I'll be able to hype you up whenever you need. I'm like you're in a boxing corner. I'm there whenever you need to come back after the round is over, I'll be there to remind you how great you want.
All right, thank you, because it starts at home.
You always got your feet on the ground, and obviously everybody sees that every day.
So keep it going. Don't forget how great you are.
Don't forget you got one more three homer game in you to make history.
I want to see it.
Okay, all right, I'm working on We're gonna see what we can do.
Aggressive early in the count, Mookie. That's what Alex Cora told me. I'm gonna remind you what Cora used to say, be aggressive early in the count and pull.
That's where you hit pull for power.
That's exactly what ac with Zey's. I gotta keep that in mind.
All right, thanks a lot for the time.
We'll resume the Lakers Sacramento Kings, and I won't tell you what Shaq used to call the Kings.
Okay, now, well, let's wait till after and then we'll find out.
Thanks a lot for the time, MOOKI yes, sir, and you enjoy. Javiers find Mexican Food, new location in downtown.
Okay, all right, Javiers, here I come