All right, we continue on Fred Rogan, Rodney Pete on a five seventy LA Sports. Kind of odd because we're actually doing a full show today, but that's the way it goes. When the Dodgers are home, they are back in town. They'll take on the Cubs, they'll take on the Rockies, and Yamamoto will go for the Dodgers tonight, said Zaki will go for the Dodgers tomorrow. Both of those pitchers have already seen the Cubs this year in Tokyo. And it's I think good for the Dodgers to be back.
I think give them what happened on the East coast, it was just a blur and now they're back. And back with them is our good friend David Vassy, who's at the stadium. Welcome home, Dave. Good afternoon.
Oh it's so great to be back in LA.
It was a not.
Fun road trip for the Dodgers record wise, and certainly not fun to have to try to function in thirty six degree type weather. So very happy to be back, and conditions will be much better for Tis now when he pitches on Sunday Night baseball.
Oh yeah, I can't wait for that, Dave. But yeah, and I I kind of mentioned Dave that that yes it was. It was. First of all, it was cold back there. They were on a trip, and it just looked from afar like they might have been a little fatigue from you know, the start of the season, the spring training, going to Japan, all the things that are happening, and and then winning games like they did to start
the season. It just felt like there was a little fatigue factor when they went back to Philadelphia in to Washington. Did you feel that at all or were it just they just didn't play well? Well?
I think number one, they just didn't play well. But that comes from maybe what you're talking about, Rodney, where there's some sort of emotional letdown after the whirlwind of the start of the season, coming into spring training early as world champions, then going to Tokyo with the Otani World Tour, then coming back home and obviously everybody's celebrating you with the ring ceremony and everything that goes along with it. So I feel like for the position players,
maybe there's something to that. But still, when you take a step back, it could have been overcome by better starting pitching. Because Dustin Man and Yamamoto were the only two guys on that six game trip that actually gave the bullpens some support. Outside of that, you had guys going two or three innings. Sazaki went four plus He's a work in progress. We understand that. But if they would have got better starting pitching, they certainly would have had a better trip.
Yeah. I was surprised overall watching Dave that they would fall behind so so often, and it was just and of course they than not.
The Dodgers have more come from behind victories than any other team in baseball, and it just felt like they were from the first inning on and the first three innings playing from behind and scoring four runs in that last game certainly was a big reason why they won that last game in Washington, d C.
Yeah. I mean, but that's that's been there, Like you said, that's their mo has been coming from behind, and that's sometimes that that is a little bit taxing. You mentioned the starting pitching Dave and other in Dustin May. Is that a concern or is it just something that you've that they just chalk it up to the road trip and they'll get it back on track.
I think overall they have enough talent to be able to get back on track. But if you look at it, the last two games in DC, Blake Snell was supposed to start the night Robleski gave up eight runs. He's on the I L and whenever you're talking about shoulder, you know you can't just dismiss that. So you hope that he's able to come back after missing a couple of starts. Landon Knack's going to be better. You would think he's probably going to get us start next week
against the Rockies. But the guy tonight is the anchor of the staff, and I feel like he's not getting enough attention. I picked him to win the nl Cy young Maybe that's why I'm singing his praises. But he has backed up all my talks so far in the first three starts that he's had, and Yamamoto and Dustin may have been the two best starters the Dodgers have had so far.
Update Andy Pye has so you know, and Jack Harris just wrote it seems the club is pleased that he's coming out of whatever he was going through, and the Dodgers are really patient with everybody. But just give them the way things started. Was there a possibility in your mind they could have sent him down.
Yeah, I think there's always that possibility, but the Dodgers don't make decisions. After thirteen games. He needed to get better. And when I say better doesn't mean hitting home runs. The Dodgers eight to nine hitters have been getting on at a three hundred clip. That's not something that is
sustainable for the Dodgers. They're going to look to upgrade that, whether it's from within or outside if it continues, because last year it was such a big part of turning the lineup over for Otani, Bets and Freeman, and so far we haven't seen that consistently. And Paz understands what his job is is to see pitches when he's sitting ninth and to get on base, not necessarily to hit home runs. And as far as the defense goes, if you look at the metrics, he's a below par center
fielder and that's not his best position. He's a corner outfielder and he's trying to get better playing that position. So there's a lot of moving parts right now that I feel makes this Dodger team a little unsettled with the way they've lined up their defense.
Dave. I mean, look, they're ten and four coming back home, you know, and the Padres are off to a good start. The Giants are off to a good star. A lot of people believe that the Diamondbacks would be there in the end as well. When you look at this division, a lot of people are saying this might be the best division in baseball right now. Who do you feel like is going to be the Dodgers' biggest threat as the season progresses.
Well, if the Padres stay healthy, I think they are. But if you're talking about a team that could be a formidable challenge in the postseason, especially a seven game series, it would be the Phillies just by the mere fact. Look at the record. The Phillies have beaten the Dodgers nine out of the last eleven times they have faced each other. Their starting pitchings are really good. They have
the offense that could slug with the Dodgers. So even last year, you know, talking a buster only on the Dodger Talk off Day show yesterday, we all forget for the majority of the season last year the Phillies were considered the best team in baseball. They just have that all or nothing type of offense that went got upset by the Mets. In a short series the Dodgers, I know strangers to that. So to me, it's the Padres or Phillies that are the toughest matchup for the Dodgers, Dave.
When you don't have them, sometimes you don't think about them. What Freddy Freeman is back tonight? How much of a difference.
I'm the only guy that has Dave Roberts on the road trip about Freddie Freeman. How could anybody just dismiss his absence? But he's back tonight. It's his bubblehead night for the walk off grand slamming Game one of the World Series last year. And if anybody's listening that is trying to get in line at Dodgers Stadium tonight, take a deep breath at sale. Everybody will get one. As I was coming in today at one forty five, fans were lined up on the sidewalk. Cars were parked outside
of the gates. Stop panicking. The Dodgers understand the demand. That's why everybody is going to get a bobblehead tonight, not just the first for fans.
I love it, Dave Day, Dave so far what by the way, not goldy, Dave, You keep it real, man, That's what I love about you, Dave. What's so far in this early Dodger season? What first of all, what has impressed you about this season so far in this.
Team the same thing that impressed me during the playoffs last year. Their bullpen. Their bullpen has been unbelievable. They've really picked up the slack where the starters really have fallen short, and not just one or two games, but multiple games. If you look at the innings pitched, the Dodger bullpen has pitched more innings than the Dodgers starters have through the first thirteen games of the season. So for me, the bullpen has been the shining light of
this early part of the season. The Dodgers would not be ten and four without as well as the bullpen is pitched and position player wise, the two most consistent and difference maker players consistently have been Tommy Edmund and ta Oscar Hernandez.
All Right, Dave, six o'clock, the pre game, the game at seven ten, Do you know who your a pregame guest is gonna be yet?
Yeah, we're gonna catch up with Freddy Freeman, so you'll hear from him on the pregame show.
Nice all right, Dave, thanks for jumping on. Have a good weekend you two guys. Thanks all right. You see, that's who David Vassay is. That's who Ddy Freeman comes back tonight, He's back. It's his bobblehead night. Who's Dave's guest, Freddie Freeman boom? He is the authority? You know what I love? Honestly, if you check the blogs and you read stuff, everybody's trying to grab information and post things. And in fantasy sports, for example, you know, is your
guy gonna play? Is he not gonna play? Do you know when it comes to the Dodgers. I think nationally nobody is as a source more than David Vassy nobody. It's he's always breaking the story first. He always has the information first. He's always credited all over the country.
Well, unfortunately, Fred there are times he's not credited and they just take a quote or take a bite that he got from someone and just amalgamate it and don't even source it back to him, which is terrible because he gets. Most of these are exclusives that Dave only gets. There's a lot of these sites. I won't name any of them, but they know who they are who take things so I ever said on this radio station and amalgamate them and don't give us credit, and more specifically,
don't give Dave credit. It's messed up.
Well look, I mean I can appreciate Dave's anger, but I'm really pissed now because even if I didn't say it, I want the credit nationally, very true, because it's on the radio stations, right we should hear credit. But the truth is, I mean, David is the best at what he does. He's the guy that breaks everything. Listening right now, I don't think you know how how lucky you are
to have a guy like him. If somebody has done this business for as long as I have, there are a few guys as good as Dave, breaking stories all over it and just brutally honest. So of course he'd have Freddie Freeman tonight. You would expect nothing less from Dave. Of course, some guys just don't learn. They just don't learn.
And that's next, all.
Right, fred Rogan, Rodney Pete La Sports. Big game for the Lakers tonight. Here's the bottom line. Beat Houston, beat Portland. Then you've got the third seed in the West. Beat them both, no problem, and that's probably where they'll end up. Then the question becomes who are they going to open the playoffs against? That at this time is undecided given the way things are, But I think for the Lakers
overall to finish third in the conference. Be honest, and if you're a Laker fan and you fly the flags and you wear the jersey, you can't tell me you really thought that would happen. I didn't. I thought maybe maybe sick certainly the playing. But they have done it. They have done it, and the question now becomes who will they play. Will it be Golden State, Will it be the Clippers, Could it be Memphis? I guess if Denver go sideways, it could be them. So you really
don't know. So these last two games, I don't think Houston's going to play anybody. They've got the second seat all wrapped up. They're locked in. Yeah, so why would you even risk it? Just let that be. So we don't know who the Lakers are going to end up playing. There's a possibility, depending on how it shakes out, they could meet the Clippers in the first round. That might be more of a battle than people think. Clippers have a very good roster. They have been hot of late.
They have played good defense. Lakers ooh, when they play good defense are really tough. So that is a distinct possibility. And Memphis is still lurking. Memphis is seven right now, but they are tied with Golden State. Golden State owns the tide break, so we're not sure. We're not sure. But on the topic of Memphis, I don't understand something, and maybe Rodney you can set me straight on this.
If you have a job, a very well paying job, and you do something that your employer considers embarrassing so much so they have a conversation with you about it, you tell them it won't happen again. It happens again. Now they suspend you for a while, they're taking your money. You come back and you tell them I got it. You know, I'm no fool. I've got it.
Now.
Thank you for allowing me to work through this. I understand. Then you go and you didn't do something as egregious as you did the first time, but certainly it's it's in the vicinity of the same kind of thing. Okay, So they warn you and they go, look, don't do that either. So then you come back and do that again. Then they find you, yes, and you go, no, I won't do that again. Then you come back and you try something else that's in the ballpark of what you did.
I don't understand John Morant, I don't get it. So incredibly talented, so wonderful to watch, and seemingly from afar. Just a really nice guy. He seems happy, he seems fun, and he's certainly a ton of fun to watch. He puts people in the seats. Okay, we know what happened with him. The gun incident. The leak talks to him. He gets it. Yes, the gun incident. The league suspends him. He understands it. Then he's like doing the fingers, the finger guns, Pa, pa, po, I got you. The league
tells him, don't do that. He gets it. He goes back out and he does the same thing with finger guns. They find him. He gets it. Now he's throwing hand grenades. Yeah, now he's like throwing hand grenades. What what am I missing? Or what is he missing? Why would you go back to something like that again? That is intentional, That is calculated. They've told you don't do that. It's not good for the league, for the image, and certainly more importantly, it's
not good for you. And he does it again. Now he's doing that. Am I missing it? Or is he not getting it?
He's not getting it. He is absolutely not getting it. I don't understand either. You're in a privileged situation and they've warned you. They've basically they've let you get away with it, is what they've done. They've let you get away with it. And maybe they enabled him to keep doing certain things without dropping a hammer harder, but they've enabled him to do it, and he is just I don't understand it either. How many warnings do you have to have? And is what kind of mentality you have
to have? First of all, not do the gun thing. First of all, you're you're you're in the NBA. Why do you get well, First of all, you don't need to carry guns, and if you get caught, then you don't need to do it again and again and again. And then to do the symbolism of pointing the fingers as a gun at he pointed at the bench of somebody, I forget who they're playing, and and then can and then they tell you not to do it, you get fined for it, and you do it again, and then
instead of doing the guns. Once you they tell you not to do, you do a grenade. I mean, I don't know. I don't know the mentality. I don't I don't get it. I don't understand. Is he trying to get kicked out of the league and get banned from the league. He's such a talented player, But is he trying. It's like he is absolutely trying. All the patients of Adam Silver in the league. He does not have to kick him out. He doesn't get it.
It's this odd, bizarre sense of entitlement that he can do whatever he wants and it doesn't matter if it's bad for the league's image. And you know, well who cares about the league's image? Oh no, that's all the league cares about. That's the only thing you sell is who you are and how you are perceived. And if we've told you not to do that because it makes you look bad, well apparently you're bigger than anything or everyone,
so you'll do whatever you want. Okay, now we're telling you don't do it because it makes us look bad. It's bad for us, it's bad for business. It's not funny, it's not cute. People aren't going to say, Oh man jah, you know he goes against the grain. No, what is going to happen at some point, because I'm sure they'll tell him, don't do that. There's gonna be a point where they're going to say, and that is it. You can understand. We are gonna sit you, yep, where you're
going to be done. Sorry for the Grizzlies franchise, Sorry for you, but you're not getting it. And it's not like they're asking him. Here's what we need you to do. I mean to make this good. We need you to scale the matter horn. We need you to swim the English channel. We need you not to eat for forty days and forty nights. No one's telling him that. No one's telling him, hey, you better be in bed every night at seven point thirty, mister, or you're grounded. Nobody's
telling him that. Now what are they saying to him? Stop with guns, stop with violence, Stop acting like you're throwing a grenade. There's nothing else you can do. There is nothing else you can come up with to celebrate nothing. There is nothing on the planet that you can come up with to indicate you got the other team or you made a great play. Nothing the only symbols that
anyone ever use are guns and grenades. That's it. I mean, obviously, since everybody does it, it's very difficult for him to change. Although I don't see anyone else doing that, No one. I've not seen Larry Bird throw a grenade. I didn't see that, Magic Pa, gotcha. I didn't see that. No, I don't remember Cobe doing that. No, I don't remember Lebron doing that. No, why would he do that? What does it take for him to understand it's bad business, it's bad for the image of the league.
Yeah, it's got to be. I mean, it's at the point where it is zero tolerance. Now. It's just like you have crossed that line. You've crossed that line, and I would not be shocked if they come down hard on him, and probably should Otherwise he's never gonna get it. Take away you know, the thing that you from outside looking at and think the most important to him is his career in playing basketball, because he's done it since he was a little kid, and he's very talented at it.
Take that away from him, you think he would start to get it. But but something else is going on for it. Something else is going on with him that allows him or makes him continue doing something, you know, some of the same things.
I mean, you never want it to be like this. But I don't know. Does Adam Silver call the Grizzlies and say, you know, on you're off? They have Jah fly in here too, on New York. We want to sit down with him again, and he flies in and he sits down. Adam Silver is there? League Council is there? Just not Adam so League attorneys. I don't know, maybe his agents there too. What's that conversation?
Like?
Okay, John, listen, you know we talked about you having a real gun. You still had one, all right. Then we find you and we suspended you, and you promise you wouldn't do that anymore. You got it? Yeah, Okay, Now you're doing like finger guns, which is a symbol of the real gun. So we told you to stop doing that. But then you did it again and we find you. Okay, but then you decided you wouldn't do that. So now you're throwing hand grenades. Okay, you really can't
do that. So here's what we've done. Maybe it's on us, Maybe we've done a poor job of explaining our position. So here's ten pages of all the things you can't do. We would think you would get it. We would think you would understand, you would appreciate the gravity of the situation and quite honestly get the spirit of what we're saying. But now we have to write everything down that you can't do. Because what happens is in real business. If you're working in an office situation, you know the way
it works, right, Uh, you got a minute. We gotta have a talk. I don't think you're performing. You know you're not doing what you're supposed to do, or you know you're making people uncomfortable here in the office. So we have to have this conversation where hr and here. We've written this. We're going to hand it to you. We need you to sign it. It states what we talked about and what our expectations are, and it says if any of the things listed on this paper are continued,
further disciplinary action up and including termination could occur. That's just how business operates. Yeah, okay, now you sign it. You've signed the paper. They read it to you out loud, they make you read it, you sign it. They've got it in their hand. So the next time you do the thing they told you not to do, you're fired. The next time you say the thing they told you not to say, you're fired. That's how it works in the real world of business. So it's kind of like,
is that going to happen here? Come on in and sit down. Okay, Now we've given you the written warning, and the written warning is always the final warning. When you get the written warning, you're one step out the door anyway, because a good possibility you'll never recover whatever stupid thing you've been doing they told you not to do, you'll do it again. And they know that when you get the written warning, you might as well just leave because you're not going to be able to turn it around.
Because that's always the court of last resort, is that what they have to do with him, give him the old written warning. Sign this okay, And because you're not really understanding, here's forty things you're not allowed to do.
Forty forty things.
There's forty things. Well, I didn't throw a hand grenade, but you know I took out a sword my new move and stabbed somebody. Okay, you can't do that. We can't have you do that, you know what I mean, we can't Well you know, it's like I got a ball and chain started swinging around my head and somebody was gonna get hit in the head with it. Well, you can't do that either. We can't let you do that.
It seems to me things have to be specifically spelled out for him so he'll understand what he can't do.
Yeah, yeah, it's really a shame. It's a shame. I mean, there's a fraction of society, a very small percentage, that has the ability to play in the NBA, and he's basically throwing it away because I it's going to come a last straw at some point real quick, because they can't have it, and they've given him every single opportunity to stop.
And the other thing he doesn't get And I'm not sure how much money he makes, Kevin, I don't know if you know off the top of your head, because I know you know everybody's salary, But what do you make thirty five to forty million a year? We'll just guess right now, because in the NBA everybody is paid insane amounts of money.
You are pretty close thirty six point seven so basically forty million, yes.
Okay, makes forty million bucks a year. I understand you played basketball your whole life and it's everything to you, and you'll have that chance to go out in the park and play. Just not for forty million dollars a year. You're telling me he can't stop for forty million dollars a year. That's insane. If you don't stop, I'm not giving you forty million dollars. But you can play Direct League all you want, no problem. You can play basketball
all day long, just not for forty million dollars. I think that would be a pretty good deterrent to stop. I think that would be that would tell me, you know what I don't. I don't need to do the fake guns in the grenade. It's okay. I can buy a whole box of grenades and then throw them in my neighborhood for forty million dollars. I don't have to do a fake one here. I don't have to do
what they're asking me not to do. But you're right, Rodney, Tom will tell and we'll see if he gets Let's put it like this, he's either gonna get it or he's gonna get it. Hey, fifty years at full speed, the accurate grand Prix of Long Beach celebrates it's fiftieth anniversary this weekend. Tickets at GPL dot com. And we're back to put a button on this.
Right home, Rodney b. Fred Rogan on a Friday.
Yeah, all right, Dodgers again tonight Cubs. Yammoto goes for the Dodgers petrow some money, you'll take you up to the pregame show at six. David Vatsay's pregame show guests will be Freddie Freeman.
He is back.
It is also Freddie Freeman Bobblehead Night. And if you are at the stadium listening on the app, and many of you do as you are waiting in line, Dave has suggested, do not show up and storm the stadium. Apparently everybody gets a bobblehead. This is not There are two thousand bibbleheads, and you better get there because people have been there for hours and it's hot. Everybody likes to get a little sun, Vitamin D very health. But you probably don't have to get there quite as early
because you're going to get a bobblehead. Yes, which is encouraging news for those of you who have not left yet. And again it's Friday, and you know traffic is bad, Well, so i'd leave pretty soon, you know what.
So you just take back everything you just said, get there right now, saying.
I mean, I know it's Friday. So I live fifteen minutes from the stadium right Friday. If I go, it's forty minutes. I'm going the same exact route. If I go on a Friday for a seven o'clock game, it's forty minutes. If I go any other night, it's fifteen minutes. So maybe leave a little earlier. But you don't have to be in line right now. But if you are on line right now, there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. So just make the best of it and keep it on the radio station for petros and money.
Next.
Okay, Ronnie, thank you, thank you for just a terrific week. Really appreciate everything you've done. Kevin. Yeah, well, thanks Ronnie, Kevin, good job. Thank you as well, Rodney. Have a terrific weekend, and we do it again Monday.
Right home.