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Dodger legend Steve Sacks is joined by your favorite Dodger pregame host Tim Kates. If you want to talk Dodgers, get in on the show on eighty six six nine, eighty seven two five seven now. While the Dan Patrick Show streams on the Ihearts radio app. We've been banished to the Internet until this Dodgers playoff run concludes. Here they are broadcasting live on AM five to seven LA Sports. It's Tim Kates and Steve Sacks.
It's Sax and Kate's and AM AM five seventy LA Sports. On this Wednesday morning, October twenty third, twenty twenty four, Dodgers and Yankee get ready for Game One of the World Series coming up on Friday night. Day Roberts announcing that Jack Flaherty will be the Game one starter. Garrett Cole out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange County, UCLA. He will go for the New York Yankees first pitch on Friday night at Dodgers Stadium is at five eight.
We got wall to wall covers leading up to Game one of the Fall Classic, but certainly emotions tempered last night with the news that Fernando Valence Whaleat passed away at the age of sixty three here in Los Angeles.
A cultural hero, a baseball legend, a man who really took Southern California and Los Angeles by storm in nineteen eighty one with Fernando Mania, and remains to this day a symbol of hope here in Southern California, the American Dream, his rise in the nineteen eighties, coming in from Mexico to the Dodgers and Fernando Mania. The eighth straight complete games, the five shutouts, the eight no start, the Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year, Silverlugger, and World Series Championship in
nineteen eighty one. A broadcaster for over twenty years for Spanish radio here in Los Angeles. He meant so much to so many people in Sexy You played with him for so many years, got to be behind him at second base, which was, I know, a big honor for you.
Oh yeah, it was one of the best honors of my career. To play behind such an iconic figure and a great person. Fernando was a guy who really transformed the whole fan base in Los Angeles with the galvanization of the Mexican American community to Chavez Ravine, and it's never been done before, and I don't think it may
not ever be again. The impact that he had and how quick it was and how meteoric it was, it was just such a shot through the roof what he did for baseball and most notably what he did for Los Angeles baseball, for the Dodgers, and as a teammate, I can tell you he was one of the best guys on the club. Always the same guy. He was a prankster, you know. He was like a little kid
sometimes and completely unaffected. And that's the one thing that I think I admire most about Fernando is how unaffected it was for him, how he just was the same guy, win or lose. He was inspirational at the same time with his steadfast approach to the game.
And I just love the guy.
Loved playing behind him and loved being around him, loved being on the bus with them, on the plane, and he was always just a fun guy to be around.
While he's not in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, he is still a baseball icon, one of the Dodger greats, arguably on the Dodgers Mount Rushmore of the franchise, and his number was retired in twenty twenty three. His number thirty four forever will hang in the Ring of Honor at Dodgers Stadium. He is one of only two Dodger players to have their number retired and not be in the Hall of Fame, Jim Gilliam being the
other one. He passed away in nineteen seventy eight to former Brooklyn Dodger in La Dodger won World Series Championships, was a Rookie of the Year back in nineteen fifty three, and he passed away, and following his passing in nineteen seventy eight, the Dodgers retired his number nineteen and he was not a Hall of Fame player, but a Dodger
great Jim Gilliam and Fernando Valenzuela. In twenty twenty three, the second non Hall of Famer but great Dodger and icon himself to have his number retired there at Dodger Stadium, and again. I'll remember the fan fest in January twenty twenty three, David Vasse was on stage with Jose Mota, and Stan Casten came up and took the mic and made the announcement. Surprised Fernando, he was shocked, his family
was excited, Dodger fans were a static. And then to have that weekend there in the twenty twenty three season which his number was retired, was certainly cool. To see him just looking up at the Ring of Honor and to see his number thirty four probably something saxy. He never thought he would ever see his number retire.
Yeah, and isn't it great that they did that. I mean, I don't know if he will ever be in the Hall of Fame, but for a guy that's been impactful for baseball, you know, in this country, you can certainly see how much of an impact he was. And if he was in the Hall of Fame, you could understand it because that's the kind of impact he had. But I think it's great that the Dodgers did that retiring
his number. Even though he's not in the Hall, the impact he made in this organization can never be underscored. This guy was just phenomenal.
Yeah, And I know, contributors get put into hall of fames all the time. In basketball football, they have a lot of contributors to get in Jerry Colangelo's of the World. Jerry West got in as a contributor as a player and as a GM three times into the Hall of
Fame in the Nasmith Basketball Hall of Fame. The fact that Fernando can't get in as a contributor for opening the door to Mexico, to South America and beyond to the world of baseball, to Los Angeles and what he meant with Fernando Mania will never anything like it ever ever again in the sport of baseball. Well maybe show al Tony, but we'll never see it again. And that
alone is a contribution to the game of baseball. That alone should be something that when you go to Cooperstown, New York, as a kid with your family, as a baseball fan, to walk around see the greats of baseball, you should be able to look at Fernando Valezuela and see him say that that guy right there, that guy right there was a major part of people's lives and change baseball in the nineteen eighties.
People are still talking about him. It, you know, in the impact that he made. And it doesn't matter how old you were. We've heard stories on here just to today about grandfathers that you know, Fernando made them cry when he had a chance to meet them. Young young kids that saw Fernando for the first time were just enamored of the way that this guy would pitch. And you also heard grandmothers that were you know, would just go to baseball a few times, and yet they wondered
why Fernando wouldn't pitch every day. He was that important to the team. And that's the impact. When you talk about having an impact, boy, it was so big with him.
It certainly was. We love all the stories, we love all the memories how he impacted your lives, your family's lives as well. Let's keep it going. Let's go to Daniel and Santa Anna is next up. Wait occasionally, Daniel, Thanks for being patient, Good morning, it was.
Worth the way. First of all, is the first time talking to you and mister Sacks. And first of all, I want to say I'm sorry for mister Sacks.
I know what.
Fernando meant to you as a longtime teammate. His one two World Series rings with him. So also sorry for the people that I've met within the Dodgers organization like many Monta, Jim Haren and you know other Dodgers greats that or greats within the organization. That that's all Forernando Mania grow. And also there wouldn't be Fernando many also without Bobby Castille who showed him the screwball growing up
and my memory of Fernando. But I was privileged to work with the Mexican national team during the I'm sorry, I'm just not still hasn't. This is devastating me. But I worked with the Mexican national team during the two thousand and nine World Baseball Classic, in which Fernando was the fishing coach, and like Stave Sach said, uh, very lighthearted, great to it's the humor. I'm really going to miss him. I got to see Fernando a few times at the stadium a few times more and Dodger Stadium is not
going to be the same anymore. It's not it's going to be a huge void. We're gonna it's gonna it's good. This is gonna impact me even more before Game one of the World Series, where there's gonna be an homage to him, and not not only I'm going to lose it, but a lot of Dodger fans will. It will be an emotional moment before Game one of that World Series, no doubt. So thanks guys for taking my call and and take care of you.
Take care of yourself, all.
Right, Daniel appreciate that. Yeah, he brought up a great point Game one on Friday night. I know the Dodgers and the Commissioner Baseball mentioned in a statement last night that they plan on an honoring Fernando before Game one at Dodgers Stadium. I don't know how they're gonna do it, to what capacity or how, but yeah, the Dodger players now, not that it falls on their shoulders, but they're now representing the Dodgers in this World Series, and they've got
an entire city. I feel just in the last two hours and twelve minutes talking to fans, talking to Usaxy, talking to Mike Sosher, We're gonna from Dusty Baker coming up in about fifteen minutes. They've got the support, they've got Dodger Nation behind them, They've got everybody in Southern California. Now, if they weren't already now rallying behind them and wanting them to win a World Series for Fernando.
Yes, this is really does encapitulate, encapsulate everything that you could possibly imagine. I mean, with all the people in their sentiments pouring out from the terrible loss of Fernando, we can maybe turn this into something that can be a facilitator for these guys to really get behind this team and win it for win it for Fernando or Freddy is what we called him, and you know that could be a big help for this team.
Okay, right, you guys called him Freddy? Is that just a player's thing? I mean, I've never heard that before, Saxy.
Oh yeah, yeah, we his nickname was Freddie and yeah, a lot of the players called him Freddy and just made it kind of short instead of going all away Fernando. You know how he signed his name too, right, No, he signed his name fd oh so he wouldn't have to write the whole thing out and it's kind of a long name, so he just put fd O of Valenzuela. I didn't know that to sign his name. Yeah, So Fernando was the best. Freddie was a great guy.
George in la is next up here on Saxon Kates in the am if we remember Fernando Valenzuela and get ready for Game one of the Night of the World Series on Friday night.
Hi George, Hey guys, just a real honor. Thanks for taking my cost Steve Man, just real quick. You were my idol growing up in the eighties. I had had your number of your position in you know, Little League in high school. So it's great to be talking to you Man. Thanks for that.
Thank you so much, Thank you, George.
You know, Fernando Man, one of the great joys of growing up in the eighties was to be a Dodger fan. The amount of joy you experienced between the eighty one World Series, you know, with all the veterans getting their due, like you said, Garby say, I think Socia touched upon that Russell getting that victory over the Yankees, and then eighty eight, that magical year. I wish every Dodger fan could have experienced that because there was nothing like that season.
And of course, Fernando Mania, I don't think I know everyone's gonna got their story, so I'll just be quick, but Steve, you touched upon that about the complete games in nineteen eighty six.
I don't know a lot of.
People know this, but in nineteen eighty six, Fernando Velenzuela pitched twenty two zero twenty coleet games. That's an insane and he didn't get to say you because of Mike Scott's no hitter, But that's insane. And you think about that today where you got like, you know the pictures, you know, five inning millionaires. This isn't this is crazy, Like It's just something that I think needs to be, you know, just reflective of Hoon because the amount of
inningsact that Fernando took. He really carried the team at time. And it's a sad day, but it's a joyous day and it's just really something to take a step back and say, hey, look at the guys that have impacted our lives who are no longer here. You know, I'm talking about Fernando now joining Tommy and Vin. You know, it's just a real blessing and you know it would be amazing to cap.
It off with the World Series win.
Anyway, Thank you guys, all right.
George, appreciate it, George.
I was just thinking here, Saxony is he talking about the numbers and the shutouts and the complete games. We think about Hall of Famers and numbers, and that's what they're all about, what you do and produce. And for now I had those numbers, I wonder if they could have been better if he were a pitcher of today.
Where As George alluded to the five inning millionaires, you know, he didn't pitch into the sixth, seventh, eighth innings win in which he gave up runs, but the Dodgers would win six to four or seven to five, and those earned runs hurt his era and certainly hurt his win helped his win numbers. But when you pitch less and you pitch as dominant as he was, those numbers could have been even better and maybe get him into a
Hall of Fame. But it's a different era, at a different time where pitchers were men and went out there and pitched nine innings.
Tim he had one hundred and seventy three wins. I mean, this is a phenomenal career. And he was not d nineteen eighty six, twenty one and eleven with a three fourteen. He had thirty four starts to Tim and he completed twenty of those games, two hundred and sixty nine and third innings, he went out there and pitched. That is just remarkable. And I'll tell you this, you will not see a season like this today. Will not see a pitcher put it out there like he did in today's
In today's game, not gonna happen. Twenty one and eleven with twenty complete games, not gonna happen today.
We'll never see it again. Kevin and la again, thanks for being patient. Good morning. You're all with Sax and kateson am Kevin, I you doing?
Oh my god? Hey, hey guys, It's a pleasure to talk to you. I grew up in south central LA. I went to high school in the eighties when the Dodgers would go ahead up with them, Houston Astros, that Jose Cruz Jr. With them, guys. You knows Cobell. Come on, guys, you know what I'm to Steve, Mister Sachs. I hear you're one of my favorite Well, you are one of my favorite players. When I watched you play, I just recognized the toughness that you had, and that's what I
know you as. You are one of my favorite players, and you're gonna have Dusty On. That's another one of my favorites. But I want to touch on real quick, guys, on Fernando Venezuela. I've never seen it on the mound, lock in with that that hitter and him on that mound, and he's not I didn't know he wasn't in the Hall of Fame. I'm shocked. I couldn't believe it when you said that. But I'll just say this, rest in peace,
my man. I'm just simply going to say to Fernando, thank you, thank you, because you touched my life throughout your whole career. When I would see guys when he was Jersey On, I would run up to her and say, oh, guys, you don't know what you went. You know what you got on your back right with that guy. And when I found the news, when I woke up, I walked, I looked at the news and said, Fernando passed away. I got on my knees and said a prayer for
that man, and tears came down. God bless you, Thank you, Fernando. And we'll we'll move on, guys, We'll we'll be all right. God bless you, guys. Take care.
Appreciated said it very well, didn't he?
Wow, thank you, Kevin.
He touched everybody and said the Alifornia and again, you could have been a kid, you could have been a teenager. You couldn't have been not even born yet. But family told you about him, and he's part of your family because of what he meant to your father or your mother, or your grandfather or your grandpa or your grandpa, or aunt and her uncle. He touched so many people, and
that just spread for nanomania. Starting in nineteen eighty one, a ten year career with the Dodgers broadcaster for two plus decades, gone too soon at the age of sixty three. We'll take a break, we'll come back. We'll get to more of your phone calls between now. On the top of the hour. Cannot wait to talk to the great Dusty Baker coming up in about ten minutes. It's Steve Sacks, Tim Kate's and you on this Wednesday morning here on an FI seventy LA Sports. It's Sax and Kate's and
am on this Wednesday morning. Thanks for keeping us with you as you make your commute to works, sitting in traffic on the freeways heading into the office wherever you're heading and taking the kids to school, heading back home. We appreciate you keeping us with you here on ANFI seventy LA Sports. You're a home of the Dodgers. Game one of the World Series is coming up on Friday night. But a sad day here in Southern California. Last night the news of Fernando Aalenzuala passed away at the age
of sixty three. He meant so much to so many people here in Southern California. You keep hearing the stories and the memories from all you great Dodger fans and listeners here on NFI seventy. We appreciate that. Great to catch up with Mike Soosha, who was such a big part of Fernando Valenzuela and Fernando mania back in nineteen eighty one in the years after that, of course, manager of the Angels. Great to hear from Mike and Dusty
Baker's coming up in just a couple of minutes. Fernando Valenzuela's number retired at that number thirty four back in twenty twenty three, just a year ago, so the Dodgers able to get that in before he passed away last night here in Southern California at the age of sixty three, real quickly, Saxy. The Dodgers and Yankees will have their
media day tomorrow, both teams working out at Dodger Stadium tomorrow. Yesterday, both teams talked to the media, the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the Dodgers via zoom as they just had some treatment and individual workouts yesterday at the stadium. Today they're expected to have more workouts at a Dodger Stadium all leading
up to Game one with Jack Flarity on the mound. Yeah, in Game one, we thought maybe it would be Yoshinobu Yama Modo, maybe Walker Buehler, but they decided to go with Jack Flarity, who the last time out was Game five of the NLCS and kind of a bad, little sour taste in the mouth after what that outing was. But he'll be out there for Game one. What are your thoughts.
I'm a little surprised that it's Jack, and you know, the last three games that he pitcher in the regular season, Zra was in the sixes, so you know, he did have one good outing, but the last one was was not his best and so we'll wait and see what it brings. I think you know, he's gonna be fully rested, so that's a good thing. But I did think that they were gonna bring Yamamoto. I think he was I thought he was gonna be the Game one starter.
But here we are.
The Dodgers are gonna be well arrested with the with the guys that they had with Bueller following, so I think they're gonna be fine in that regard the bullpen. I'm curious to see if Vessy is coming back. I think that could be a big, big, shocking arm for the team.
Yeah, they're gonna have to make some interesting roster moves tomorrow when they submit it for the World Series. Will Vessid be back, Miguel Rojas will be a part of this rotation or this this PLATOONI in as shortstop, How does Bruce dar gratterol fit in. It's gonna be a lot of question marks. Some guys are gonna make the roster we didn't expect, and it's gonna be interesting to see what the ultimate twenty six man roster looks like tomorrow or on Friday, excuse me for Game one of
the World Series. Saxy joining us. Now I know a friend of yours, a Dodger Icon nineteen seasons in the Big Leagues, eight seasons with the Dodgers. During his Dodger tenure, a two time All Star, won the Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove win begin the first NLCS MVP in
the nineteen seventy seven NLC series. Also made three World Series appearances with the Dodgers, a member the nineteen eighty one Championship team, one of the great managers of all time as well winning a World Series with the Houston Astros. One of the good guys, and I am so excited to talk to him for the very first time. He is the one and only the great Dusty Baker, and he joins us now here on am FI seventy. Dusty, good morning, Good morning.
I don't know about all that great but oh no, I wasn't dead.
Well, Dusty, we appreciate you joining us this morning, certainly to talk about the World Series coming up. In the memories of nineteen eighty one, but we find out the news last night that Fernando Valenzuela passes away at the age of sixty three. Your thoughts on having played with them and being a part of that Fernando Mania in nineteen eighty one.
Well, homie, you know, you know we were all there. You know, you were a young player, Dan I was more of a veteran player. And you know we remember Fernando coming in as a kid, and everybody was guessing that he was older than he was. But he was indeed a kid.
Uh.
You know, he did kid things like he'd tap you on the shoulders and then laugh and you know he'd played with his hacky sack and keep it going for thirty minutes. But you know, this guy, I mean, Fernando Mania was something that we had never seen before, you know, and uh, and it was real and everywhere we'd go, uh in every stadium, you know, he would pack the house, especially with Latin uh you know American people, and uh,
you know, he enjoyed playing the game. He was he was well beyond his age as far as how to play the game. Made very few mistakes. You know, he could do everything except run. You know, he could fun, he could feel, he could he could hear it, he could pitch and uh, you know, like we you know, we loved him, you know, and he added a lot of joy and uh exuberants and and energy to our team.
Yeah, well, Tim, I think you got something wrong when you said Dusty Baker's a Dodger icon. Dusty is a baseball icon all over the globe. And I got to you know, you know, Tim and I you are talking and I were talking before Dusty came on, and a little bit about him. And Dusty was always a guy that one of the guys I looked up to in
my career. He did so much for me as far as being the best example, and even today, just not too long ago, Dusty was over at my brother's house and you know, we were talking and everybody the effect that he has on people, It didn't matter the guys, their husbands, their wives, everybody's sitting there and he's holding court talking the finer things in baseball. And that's why Dusky's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, no question about it. And I just love him. He's
always like to been a brother to me. So, Dusty, I am glad to have you on my friend.
Well, hey man, I'm glad to be on. I remember you, homie at the baseball at the Baseball Bank, was here in sacer Mil thirteen. Yeah, and then I saw him in the in the clubhouse and take the truth. I mean, we love Steve, but as a kid, he was kind of like a pest a little bit, you know what I mean. And uh, you know, like he was full of energy. And then I saw him in the clubhouse during the Dodger workouts in the winter time. I'm like, man, what are you doing here?
Man?
They gonna kick you out here? And he goes, no, I'm a Dodger now, and I'm like, okay, congratulations. But you know, Steve, you had a great, great career yourself, and you had a you know, you had a definite effect on our on our team, because very few rookies come in like you came in and replaced a legend and Davy Lopes and contributed right away and helped us, you know, helped us win. So you know, you did as much for us as as hopefully we did for you.
Oh that's never forget it. Thank you, Desse. I wanted to ask you, you know you and I got the the the great fortune to play behind Fernando and watching how spectacular that his pinpoint control in his fastball, which kind of gets overlooked a little bit. Like Socia certainly pointed that out. But how about just how unbelievable that that the screwball was, the ability to change speeds on it, and from being right behind him, to me, it almost
looked like a right handed curveball. This thing was wicked. So what was your assessment?
Well, you know, he split the plate went, screwball went one way, his breaking ball went the other way, and then he could throw that fastball almost damn near down the middle of the plate, but he would pinpoint it up down center Rount. And I've used Fernando with some of my young pictures. Anybody that peels the you know, the strike zone like you do with banana, I mean you can't look one side of the plate. Yeah, And with that, and he had a good fastball. Everybody was
so conscious of his, of his of his screwball. But the thing that I remember most probably about Fernando was that he had total recall of every situation. And uh, I was very surprised. I remember Andre Dalphin hit a home run off of him in April. And then we got to and and Karen taught us about recall. You know, they weren't any iPad that you go to to see the guy throws or ally reports you had to remember on your own. And and though even though he was
he was really young. Uh he he threw Andre dawphin the opposite pitch that he hit out in April, and this was August. And I went to him and said, hey, man, I said, you pretty smart. Her I says, you know, you remember that he hit this pitch out of the ballpark. He said, yeah, I remember, and I believed he is out of the ballpark. And so that showed me right then. You know that his baseball, you know, i Q was
off the you know, was off the charts. But you know, we love playing behind Fernando, and Fernando also taught me him and Sutton taught me John that that your acts don't get many runs. And you notice that in the playoffs and stuff, because whoever's pitching against your aces, they're going to pitch their very best game because if they give up one or two runs early, that could be the game. And you know, we have to get letters sometime that we didn't like Fernando because we didn't get
him any runs. But whoever's pitching against him is going to pitch, you know, pitch his best. And the thing about Fernando also, man, it had been tough to take him out like now on the fifth or sixth inning, because this guy, we didn't have to hit for him when the pitcher's hit. You know, he would stay in the game and damn there every every game until seven to nine innings, So you know, he was a workhorse.
The great Dusty Baker with us here on an five seventy LA Sports Tim Kate Steve Sacks here on the Home of the Dodgers.
Dusty.
One final thing about the Fernando Mania in nineteen eighty one for me is that being in it and seeing the consecutive complete games start to pile up, eight in a row, the five shutouts during that stretch, and Fernando Mania just growing like a wave and a swell of momentum from LA to across the country and everywhere you guys went. Were you guys, did you understand the Fernando Mania in the moment Wallow was happening.
Oh yeah, we understood it, I mean, and you know, some guys didn't even make a joke about it because there were no very few blonde people in the stands there. They're mostly dark haired last people everywhere we went, whether they're from mel Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico. I mean, you know, he was the pride, you know, the pride of you know, Latin America. But I think I think
those what helped Fernando that year. Also, which hurt baseball was the fact that we had a strike of fifty days and it gave Fernando and some of the other picture as long as they stayed in shape, they gave Fernando a chance to kind of you know, regroup and get his you know, keep his armstrong. And the thing about that team is that we had to come back in every series, you know, to win. And you know,
to me, that wasn't our very best team. I think our very best team, but seventy seven maybe, and maybe seventy eight, but it was a team that that you know, had a lot of heart. You know, we also, you know, had a lot of desire to win, especially after we had lost to the Yankees, you know, two other times in seventy seven and seventy eight. And I've seen people in New York and they're they're they're getting on me
because we beat them in eighty one. And I think that I'm like, wait a minute, now, I know, I know you Yankees are good, but you we can win sometimes you don't have to win all the time. So so that's probably it's going to be a good series. But I'm predicting as Dodgers in six.
Yep, that's what I'm predicting, Ducky Dusty. And I know that I wasn't supposed to say, but that's my exact sentiments to Dusty. Last one for me, I wanted to say that I felt that that Fernando's screwball almost overshadowed so many the other great things that he did because people talk about his screwball so much, but you know,
you pointed out how good his fastball was. He can pinpoint that fastball, how great of a hitter he was, and the fact that you didn't have to pinch it for him late in the games you could save your bench, and the fact that you know, this is a guy that not only won the Silver Slugger Award, but he also was a gold glover, able to bounce off the mound even with his body not exactly as felt as you'd like, but it certainly worked for him. And this guy was just an all around really superb athlete.
Yes he was. I mean, I'm telling you and you know, I've used Fernando and and like I said, my manager your career, because remember the year we made Fernando, well they made Fernando lose weight sex.
Yeah, how bad that was that?
Oh yeah, And so we were we were sneaking food in the back and then giving him candy eat man, gain your weight back. Yeah, because everybody cannot play finn You know, some guys are are athletes in a in
a kind of an overweight looking body. When you got like Levan Hernandez, you got Rick Russell, you Gotny Mickey Lolich and now Fernando, So you know, like he taught you know, he taught me a lot of things that I'm using, you know throughout my you know career as coaching and managing and just being around young players.
Dusty sixty sixty years, I mean six decades in baseball as a player and as a coach and a manager, the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals, Astros a World Series championship. You've seen the elevation of baseball here and it's changing. And you mentioned the iPads earlier and the scouting reports, and through it all you continue to win and be
successful at managing. When you see the game where it's at right now, with how complex it is and analytics and the binders they must give you before the game, and you wanted to coach from your gut, how are you able to balance it? How are you able to to kind of cross over all these decades of baseball and how the games changed, yet still be the great Dusty Baker and be the great manager you are.
Well, you know, you have to make certain adjustments to the time. But you know, I think people say I managed with my gut, Well, I also manage with my brain, you know, because I they were always something there that I could use, you know, in the the media notes that they bring out every day. I was studying them then, like who has a bad hand, who's hot, who's cold? You know, first batter efficiency out of the bullpen, or you know which guys are first pitch strikes, or or
whoever tows up the most double plays. So you know, I was using as much information as I could without overloading myself or overloading you know, the players, because you know Ted Williams said, above all, you got to be natural, but you know, very few great, great players are out there just on a match, because everybody out there was
great where they came from. But it's the smart players that possible over a long period of time, and so you just have to try to try to decipher what information that you can use, what information you know you don't use. But as a manager and as a person, the worst situation and spot for me was to feel that I wasn't prepared to go into a game. I mean, I hate being unprepared. That's why I get there early. That's why I study, and I make notes, and I've
been making notes forever. Whether I use them or not, I have them, and if I write them down, usually I don't have to go back to them, because I not that I have total recall. But if I write something down, you know, I usually have it in my brain and I can call up on it when I use it, or call up on things like Hank Aaron taught me, or Sandy Kofax or whoever. So I try to encompass everything that's happened and happened in my life and in my career.
The great Dusty Baker, future Hall of Famer, with out of doubt as a player and as a manager. We certainly appreciate the time this morning, Dusty talking about Fernando as we get ready for this game one of the ninth of the twenty twenty four World Series, we reflect on the nineteen eighty one World Series Dodgers and Yankees. We really appreciate the time this morning and joining us.
Oh exactly, so you right at homeboy, A nice time to be a guy, all right.
There he goes the great Dusty Baker.
He's the best.
That was fun, the best. He is always the same guy, just the best. I'm telling you. The other day he's over at my brother's house across the street, and my whole family was over there. We're having a little celebration for a birthday, and Dusty and my our friend Mike come over and he was absolutely captivating the whole crowd that was there. You were sitting on the couch, everybody was around him.
He was talking baseball, he was talking philosophy, he was talking about life, and he is just such a wealth of knowledge, so bright and just got so much wealth.
I mean, there were kids, there were kids eleven twelve years old, my brother's grandkids, and they were just watching him with their jaw open listening to Dusty talk. They couldn't believe that Dusty Baker was in the house and talking and just captivating, so charismatic and just the best guy.
By the way, he's doing a great job on TBS.
He does a great he's such a good communicator, and this is a first ballot Hall of Famer, no question.
Without a doubt. That was great to talk to Dusty Baker. Thank you SAXI for helping make that work out. Coming up, we'll get a final sweep of the phone calls. May not be able to get to everybody, but we'll certainly get to you if we can. We appreciate all the calls this morning, a tough morning in Los Angeles or Dodger fans remembering Fernando Venezuela gone too young at the age of sixty three passing last night. Thanks to all the memories and sharing the stories of what he meant
to you. We'll get to that when we come back more with Saxon Kate's and am here on NI seventy l I Sports. Saxon Kates and am here on FI seventy LA Sports. Thank you to Dusty Baker for coming on this morning, the players, you know, the players you played with, the people you know in the world of baseball, Saxy, you know how lucky you are to know all these people.
Oh, I'm so blessed. The Lord has blessed me more than I can ever imagine. I mean, it's incredible that I got to be with these people, and that I played for, you know, the Dodgers, and got to play with Fernando Velanzuela, I got Dusty Baker's my friend. I'm I'm beyond blessed.
Will you remember Fernando this morning? Passing away last night at the age of sixty three. The Dodgers will recognize him, Baseball will honor him before Game one of the World Series, which is Friday night, first pitch at five eight. Lorenzo and Monterey Park. Thanks for being patient, Lorenzo.
How are you?
I'm fine?
Thank you?
How are you good?
Excellent?
Good morning?
Gentlemen, Steve so big Fan, thanks and Mario Hustle. You go on show BATTLESO the first day though, I'm joking, gentlemen, Fernando big Fan. I was a sixteen seventy year old kid growing up in Nicking Heights, which is a couple of miles away from Dodger Stadium, wasn't a great baseball fan. I watched the seventy six thirty seven World Series. I'll tell you what he meant to a young Mexican kid
like myself. He got me hooked, and to this day I want to thank him for making me a Dodge your fan, not just a Fernando fan, but and the lifetime Dodger fan. I think that's what those Tommy.
Is doing now with Japanese the community.
You know, he's beginning of a book, and once they're long gone, we're still here for for for the rest of our life.
So for that, I admire him. Also, I don't know if you guys remember it, but whenever he would pitch the most common pitch when you have a picture down oh and two, you don't don't you don't give anything good to hit.
You know, you go outside, up, high, down low.
Fernando would always catch him looking, which which is one of the things that I was noticed as a kid. I watched pitch per pitch and oh and two you never throw it down the pipe, and he would do that, something I've never seen a picture do before or after.
So I mean that's one.
Thing that that that that that that overwhelmed means the fact that he had the audacity to go right down.
The middle on an old two account, which is normally they don't.
Is that sax That's thing? Thank thanks, Lorenzo, appreciate that phone call. Is that taxing because he had hitters off off balance and guessing to what he was going to throw, maybe the thinking the screwballs coming on a two one to account, and boom there comes a fastball.
Very good tim That's exactly what it was. And you know he probably wasn't trying to throw it down down the middle, like Lorenzo said. However, it worked because they were looking for that other pitch and most of the time, as Dusty said, Fernando was able to and Mike Sosh as well that Fernando was able to just paint the corners of his fastball. His fastball today, if there was being clocked, would be ninety five to ninety seven in today's market, in today's fastball. When he was pitching it
was ninety two ninety three. He was ninety five ninety seven today, and it was right where he wanted it to be. And it was accompanied by that unbelievable screwball. And he had a curveball too. Fernando had a good curveball that he would throw like Jerry Royce talked about. Remember when Jerry Royce was talking about you know, when he would throw it just to show it to people.
That's what Fernando would do with his curveball. But it was mostly fastball and variances of different versions of that screwball.
Nick, and Irvine's been waiting way too long. Thank you Nick for being patient. Good morning.
Oh well, it's great. I'm at work. I'm listening to you guys. Thanks. Thanks for this today and through the playoffs. Listen, that last call was perfect. A lot of people under the age of seventy don't remember, but Chavez Ravine was where the parking lot is and where Dodger Stadium is was full of houses and families, and those neighborhoods were primarily Spanish speaking in Los Angeles because remember Los Angeles, this is part of Mexico before it's part of the
United States. And a lot of people in Los Angeles had some very very hard feelings about the Dodgers because the government came in and took every single house by eminent domain, and in the sixties and seventies, it was not cool to root for the Dodger. As a matter of fact, a lot of people in LA, especially the Spanish speakers, rooted against them because of that. And what Fernando did when he came in is he unwittingly, unknowingly made it okay to root for the Dodgers, for everybody
in LA to root for the Dodgers. Now, listen, the Dodgers are the most historical franchise in all of sports because of Brooklyn's Jackie Robinson and also because of Fernando
and Los Angeles. He truly was transformative, not just because of baseball, but because people could take part in the heart and soul and the heritage and the history of not just being a Dodger fan, but being a fan and part of Los Angeles culture in Toto, not being excluded and not feeling and in my opinion, rightfully so, that they had kind of gotten screwed over.
So Fernando, he also got on TV and despite being able to speak English, he spoke.
Spanish on TV.
And he was a great hitter, he was a great fielder, he was he looked to God every time he pitched, and I tell you what testament to him by all these calls today and rest no.
Doubt, Nick, appreciate it. Appreciate it, don't dig. Do mean to cut you off, but we gotta go, Saxy. It's been a great morning. We'll do it again tomorrow. We'll continue to remember for Nando'll get you ready for Game one of the World Series. Thanks to Katie, Thanks to Michelle, Thanks everybody being a part of the show, Great Memories. You can podcast it on a Fi seventy LA Sports on the iHeartRadio app. Colin Cowhard coming up next.