In the shadow of Big Brad Nelson here at Dodgers Stadium and the one and only John Hartungue. We are joined by sports Net, La Zone, Nomar, Garcia Para, the awards, the accolades, the two time batting Champions. We could go on and on, Nomar, but we have a limited time here, but always great to see you and your purple tie.
You know, I love I appreciate all the accolades you're mentioning, but you know, I think the biggest thing that I've accomplished is found a way to be friends with you. So I think that's definitely one of my bigger achievements.
No, Mar, is it a coincidence? I found you tucked in the corner of a dark room before we did this interview. Were you trying to find me? Or was that just where you were hanging out.
One I was also doing some work preparing before we go on our show. So Dave, you actually do know with John Hartungu and myself, we actually do work prior to us going on TV. It's not something we just kind of wing at the top of our heads, although at times it feels like that.
I think experience speaks for itself when it comes to you, nomar. But obviously do you have transform yourself into a broadcaster not a player. And I know you take a lot of pride in that one.
I didn't take it for granted when I first started in thinking that one it was going to be easy. Just because you do interviews, thinks you're going to be able to do the broadcast. So I was always constantly learning. Obviously I've evolved. I've learned so much over the years and continue to learn and continue trying to be better. One thing you do learn early on is you have
to put the work in. And you still you know, it's not where you can just show up and put the mic in front or the cameras are on and then you can just go. You really have to put the work in. And then there's a lot of colleagues that I do work, that I work with, and you can see how much work they put in. I mean, as we're sitting you know John Harttong, I mean watching him thet the hours that he prepares ahead of time and even when the game's going on, watching him prepare
to make sure that the show goes well. He makes it just look so seamless and so there's people like him and other people that I've worked with in the industry and just really seeing their preparation and why they're so great at what they do.
John Hartungu must be one of the most unselfish teammates you have played with in the broadcasting world.
Yeah, he's definitely a special one. I think people don't really know. I don't think people really know exactly how good and how well he really is at what he does.
No, mar Garciapara is our guest. All right, Omar, this will be a tough question for you to answer because your heart is at the position of shortstop. There's a lot of debate now as we are getting down to the final seventeen games of the regular season. Who is the National League MVP. Will it be a dh that is going to be the first fifty to fifty player in baseball history? Or will it be Francisco Lindor who's playing shortstop for the surprising met Where do you see this landing?
Well, I mean I know watching show Hay on a daily basis obviously and covering it, and you're right where I feel how I feel about shortstops. And we even heard Mokivett's talk about how hard shortstop is. Right, you have an MVP caliber player talking about that. But at the same time, we've never seen I know, we haven't had a DHV and MVP, but we've also never seen any player DH or not do fifty to fifty And obviously stealing bases is easier than it's ever been in
the game. But aside from that, sho hey Otani is definitely has put on a show. No I mean pun intended, I guess, but he really has. And that's not the
takeaway that what the season Lindor is having. But also, you know, you look at I know, the Dodgers, you look at their record, you look at all the talent they have and all the superstars, but also at the same time they've dealt with a lot of injuries as well, and obviously what show he has done and ment also is vital for them to get to the position there. And so to me right now, that's kind or definitely leaning just because we've never seen it.
Right And you know, growing up in LA, like you, I was always a National League fan and not really a fan of the DH. And there's a reason why there's been no DH to win the MVP but this seems to be a unique season where there is no clear cut position player that has separated himself. And that's why Lindora now is in the conversation because Ozuna and Otani are the two dhs that have dominated.
Yeah, I think that's I think you have a fair point there. I still don't like the DH in the National League, so I like the separate league. So not that I have anything against the DH, but I do like you have a national league in American League, so I still wish that was in play. But at the same time, you do have that. As you mentioned about the DH is going on right now in the National League, maybe there isn't There isn't somebody necessarily just running away
with it. I mean early on to him going on the IL, you know, Mookie Betts was having an MVP season and as a matter of fact, if you look at what he's been doing since coming off the IL, he's still at that same level. It's just the fact that he happened to go on the IL missed so
much time I think hurts it. But had he not don that, had he not gotten on the gone on the IL and continue to doing what he's been doing, all season alone, I think we'd be talking about him, he'd be one of those that would be definitely running away with it. But obviously now we're talking about his teammates. So I think there are unique circumstances. I think that happens a lot when it comes to MVP at the end of the season. So it's always it's always tough.
It really is tough to actually then pick who the MVP is at the end of the year.
No more can you reconcile if Mookie Betts is the Dodgers team MVP, but Otani is the National League MVP, because there is still a case to say, like you said, with what Mooki has done this year minus the six weeks out, he has been the most valuable Dodger.
Yeah, you look at what he's done, but runners in scoring position of the course of the season, And I like the way you put that, Yeah, could he be the team MVP? And it's not just a matter of the numbers that he's putting up in the production. Let's not forget he also went he was supposed to be the second basement at spring training, then he went over to shortstop right before the season is about to start. Then it didn't know then he's when he goes on the IL and now he's back out there in right
field is the second base. There was all these questions about where he's going to play. It's great to see that some other guys have answered those questions and now make it more to solidify. Hey, go back to right field. But him being able to be opened and the work and the commitment he made that tried to be the best at a position he had played in so long since he was, you know, younger, that says a lot about him. And so yeah, I think that's a great
way you put it that. Yeah, the National League MVP can be show Hey, but the team MVP, I can definitely see Mookie holding that title. And you know, there's a couple other ones that you can kind of kind of say that would also battle with Mookie because Tioscar Hernandez been out there playing every day. We know Freddie Freeman the stable, so they have some other guys that really are vital for their success over the course of the season.
No, mar Garciapara is our guest. I know we've talked a lot about the Dodgers starting pitching going into October, but it feels like we're not talking enough about who is going to get the final three outs for the Dodgers in a playoff game. Do you have one person or a combination. What do you believe needs to be the recipe for the Dodgers to get the last nine outs and especially the last three outs.
That's a great question because I always say the closer is one of the most important players on a team. I've been on a team of the closer by committee. Not easy, and obviously it didn't work because we've won game away from going to the final, and I think that had some impact on it. Just not knowing who was going to get the final three outs when it came to the decisions your manager has to make.
It's hard.
That's why it's you know, I always told you and I talked about who was the most important Yankee for all those years, and it was Mariano Rivera, no doubt. And I said when we do our show preseason show on Sports and at LA, when we had ken Lee Kenley Jansen, John would ask me who's the most important Dodger?
I always said Kenley Jensen. I mean he shortens the game when you can have when you know those last three out are just taking care of and the managers don't have to take care of everything else has a tendency to fall into place, So it's vital to have that closer. It's great to have obviously they you know, there's some hiccups here and Phillips who's still trying to
find his way looking for that consistency. They have other guys who can do it, and I think sometimes that also messes with them as well and the manager because I have so many options that I can do this closer by committee, but it's not easy because now you're trying to figure out when somebody throws, when not, who do I have? Who's the matchups? Rather than say this is just your role, and then I can actually figure out my matchups with the eighths, ivn't their six inning
if that were to factor in. That's a lot different than now having to really manage four three to four innings and figuring out how my matchups are going to be, and then you just don't know what ends up happening. They're like, okay, he went one more batter than I expected. Now that changes, and now I got left. All of that just kind of mess with it rather than you know, hey, I got the last three at the end, no matter right, left or wherever part of the lineup. That's done. Let
me figure out the rest. And I think that even makes the manager job easier.
Man, my head is spinning after all those scenarios. You're right, It makes it a lot easier when you have that guy like a Kennley Janssen or Mariano Rivera. The Padres have their guy too in Suarez, and also Tanner Scott.
Yeah, I know you see some of these clubs that have that. I mean, man, and we just saw Class A come out. I mean, wow, how about that? How about having a guy like that? I mean even the bottom of the three guys that they threw at the Dodgers and A had to combine Era under two, combining class as under one. I mean, when you have that lights out, the opposing team even knows it, and you know, and then the offense, you know, you think, like, man, we just have to have the lead for maybe like
the sixth or seventh inning. It shortens the game and over a course of a season, talk about the wear and tear and freshness when you feel like you're playing seven inning games to play nine inning games every single day, and then when you have a closer by committee and you know that as an offense, you can never not that you've taken a bat off, but you always feel like it's never enough, never enough, never enough, even in those last innings, and that wears on you over a
long haul, It really does. It just takes its toll. So just like it's the bullpen being used so much, it's gonna take its toll. That's what's something that they're gonna have to deal with. But it takes its whole same thing doing it that way. So that's why that closer. People don't realize so much why having a lights out closer is vital to a team's success.
Speaking from first hand experience, Nomar still traumatized.
Well, yeah, like you know, I know, I know what it meant having closers and having guys who were just that you just knew as the game was going on, hey I can't we just need to have the lead and it's a one run Okay, this game's over. Yeah. To feel that way is a great feeling as a player when you're on the field and when the opposing team knows it's over as well.
Yeah, it was a great feeling when Nomar Garcia Para was playing shortstop for the Socks or the Cubs and first base for the Dodgers. So thanks a lot, Nomar. You do a great job with John Hartongue and the rest of the crew. I appreciate you taking the time out and you look great, as always good things.
We like each other, well, Jerry is questionable, but you know, but at least we do like each other.
Jerry's in a different category of his own. Thanks a lot, Nomar.
You bet a day. Thanks