Dodger Talk (2-22-23)

Spring Training Dodger with David Vassegh with all the latest live from Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We are live at Kemmelback Ranch inGlendale, Arizona. Hope you're staying warm
out there in Los Angeles, asthe temperatures are dropping out there as they
were here in Arizona. It wasabout twenty mile gusts all day today and
into the night. Here in Glendale, Arizona, the temperatures have been in

(00:22):
the low fifties since the early morningand it's felt like the forties with the
wind chill factor as well. Butthe Dodgers were out working out. They
did not let the cold weather stopthem from getting their work done. We'll
fill you in on everything they didthis afternoon, and also coming up at
seven fifteen, you'll hear from newDodgers shortstop Gavin Lux going back home to

(00:47):
his position. We'll hear from Luxfor the first time this offseason and spring
training on his thoughts on finally gettingthe opportunity to be the Dodgers every day
shortstop. That was the position heplayed in the minor leagues. That was
the position that ascended him into youknow, everybody's consciousness as far as top

(01:08):
prospect go. So he finally getsthe chance to play every day at shortstop,
and we'll get his thoughts on thatopportunity. At seven fifteen. At
the bottom of the hour, we'llhear from Jerry Harriston Junior from Sports Net
LA. We were together on Mondaynight on Access Sportsnet Dodgers. Jerry's been
out of camp the last few dayshandling one on one interviews with the players,

(01:32):
so we'll get his thoughts on someof the players that he has spoken
to, and we want to hearfrom you tonight. At eight six six
nine eight seven two five seventy.I have a copy of Joe Kelly's new
book to give out tonight at somepoint. If you come strong, you'll
give yourself a chance to win acopy of Joe Kelly's book. At eight

(01:53):
six six nine eight seven two fiveseventy. So I'm here at Kemmelback Ranch.
I am in Booth one I thestadium here at Camelback Ranch. The
lights are on for another hour outhere. But I just came over from
a wild wing restaurant. And thereason why I was at a wild wing
restaurant, No, no, Iwas not doing the eating, but the

(02:15):
Dodgers organized their annual Buffalo wing eatingcontest for staff members, and that was
tonight and the Dodgers have a traineraffectionately known as Possum, and he organizes
this and has for the last tenyears since I've been around, and it's
basically different members of the Dodgers trainingstaff. I t staff any staff member

(02:40):
that feels that they can take downan enormous amount of buffalo wings within forty
five minutes. The record was fromtwo years ago, sixty nine wings in
forty five minutes. It was atie from between the Dodgers Minor League pitching
coordinator Rob Hill, another staff memberthat I'm not familiar with, so that

(03:04):
was the number a couple of yearsago. I don't know what the final
tally was tonight. I'll try tofind out between now and eight o'clock,
but I had to leave to getto Cammelback Ranch. But the reason why
I'm bringing this up is there's beena spattering of players that have shown up
to this, some years more thanothers. But there were more players at

(03:27):
tonight's wing eating contest than I haveever seen at this thing, which is
super encouraging. I mean, thisis a team building type of thing,
right, It's a baseball player typeof fun loving thing to see who can
eat the most buffalo wings, butto get the turnout they got tonight,

(03:49):
I am strongly encouraged. And notonly did the Dodger trainer affectionately known as
Possum organized this again, but Iwas pleasantly prized when I walked up to
this wing eating restaurant that Mookie Bettswas front and center. I had my
kids and my wife with me.I was invited to go and watched the

(04:11):
spectacle. I was not expecting tosee as many players as I saw out
there, because, like I said, the turnout has never been like that.
And then to see Mookie Betts holdingcourt and being the guy that sponsored
the winning prize and sponsored all thewings that were being served, that was
awesome, and that was super encouraging. As far as Mookie taking more of

(04:34):
an alpha leadership role with this team, because he was the guy that was
there, he got miked up bybackstage Dodgers, I'm sure you'll see that
episode in a couple of weeks orso, but to see him front and
center being the ringleader of getting I'msure all these players to come out.
If Mookie is sponsoring the event andproviding the prize money, I'm sure he

(04:59):
rallied the troops to show up,and the troops did show up. Evan
Phillips was there. Shelby Miller wasthere, Tony Gonslin was there, Gavin
Lux was there, Jason Hayward wasthere. Freddie Freeman and Charlie Freeman showed
up. Andrew Friedman and his frontoffice staff was there. A bunch of
minor league stars were there. MichaelBush was there, among others. I

(05:21):
counted at least twenty five players thatwere there, and there were other minor
league players there like there usually is. But to have as many big leaguers
and significant players there to support andto be around each other and to have
fun with each other, that wasreally encouraging. And look without Justin Turner

(05:43):
with the Dodgers and with the faceschanging Corey Seeger, Cody Bellinger among others
over the last few years leaving theDodgers, Keik a Hernandez Kenley Jansen who
used to be the ringleader of this. To have these group of players and
especially Mookie Bets be at the centerof this super encouraging that Mukie is going

(06:08):
to lead in his own fun way. And I gotta be honest with you,
I'm not going to say I feellike a proud father, but I
am super proud of Mookie Bets fordoing this, and it is really encouraging
in a lot of different ways.Now, is it going to translate to
one hundred wins on the field.It may it may not. But for

(06:29):
all those that are concerned about thedynamics of the clubhouse and the chemistry,
this was a good start to allof that. Eight six, six,
nine, eight seven, two,five seventy And speaking on Mookie Bets,
I would say there are very fewpeople that know Muki and what makes him
tick better than his former manager andformer Dodger Alex Cora. And at the

(06:53):
Winter meetings this year, I askedCora about how he used to get the
best out of Mookie Bets. Imean, MOOKI did win the MVP for
Alex Cora in twenty eighteen and leadingthem to beat the Dodgers in the World
Series. So I wanted to hearfrom Alex about Mookie because they still keep
in close contact. He's preparing himselfto have a monster year next year,

(07:16):
kind of like getting back to theeighteen version. You know, hit Homer
still bases be a game changer,you know, and carry a team to
the World Series and win it.Hopefully it doesn't happen, but always pulling
for him, always pulling for him. Did you have to challenge him because
he's such a gifted and things comeseemingly easy to him, did you have
to challenge him? In different ways? We push him, We push him

(07:38):
hard. One of the things thatI recognize playing against him in seventeen in
the playoffs and going to Boston tothat situation kind of like try to do
damage or leaned the count. That'ssomething that he There's a lot of predetermined
takes, you know, and he'soh one a lot and counts because he

(07:58):
just takes pitches and we push himto swing. It was uncomfortable in the
beginning. He didn't do it ata high rate, but he did it
enough that you know, a lotof times he was down. He was
up in account one, oh,because they thought he was gonna swing.
And that's something that I always incurashhim, like let's do this, you
know you can do it, andhe did an amazing job with it.
That is wild that you said that, because Freddie Freeman told me all year

(08:22):
long he tried to encourage Mookie swingat the first pitch. Yeah, but
not so many guys are alex Cora, so I just get But that's something
that we we we do with Alexandertoo. I think Xander is a guy
that for some reason working account forthem. It means take one pitch and

(08:43):
in an era that ninety seven ninetyeight is an arm with with ride and
cut and and nasty pitches. Beno one. It doesn't work. It
works for them because they're still gifted. But I do believe guys like that
they can take advantage of the firstpitch. I think the league knows how
they operate the at bats, howthey handle the at bats, and there's

(09:05):
a few times that you gotta yougotta let it eat, you gotta let
us wing, and then he's goingto change the complexion of the game.
All right. That was alex Corain December at the Winter meetings, And
I am going to save that anduse it all season long, because that
is true. Freddie Freeman told melast year, and Muki even told me
last year that Freddy was encouraging himto be aggressive on the first pitch.

(09:28):
Don't just let the picture know hecould throw a strike and get you down
early in the count. So we'llsee whether or not that mentality, that
mindset starts the season for Mookie Bets. And you heard Alex Corris say that
Mooki, he already knew Mooki inDecember, was preparing himself for a monster
season. And little did we know, Mookie Bets went up to drive Line,

(09:50):
this think tank facility known for helpingpictures and data analyze pictures. Now
they're starting to dip their toe intoanalyze hitters. And Mukie, Chris Taylor,
Max Munsey were among the hitters fromthe Dodgers that went up there.
And Mookie looks good. He looksgood in camp and he is practicing with

(10:11):
a purpose back here at Kemmel backranching Glendale, Arizona. So very encouraging
signs from Mookie Bets on and offthe field so far my short time here
in Glendale, Arizona. We're gonnatake a time out here on Dodger Talk.
When we come back, we willhear from Gavin Locks. We'll take
your phone calls at eight six sixnine eight seven two five seventy. We'll

(10:35):
hear from Dave roberts On Clayton Kershawand how he's getting ready for the season
without the World Baseball Classic, andalso Dave's thoughts on the young pitchers Peppio
Grove, Miller Stone. We willhear from the Dodger manager, plus Jerry
Harriston Junior will join us at thebottom of the hour. We got a

(10:56):
full show tonight and you're part ofit. Eight six nine, eight seven
two five seventy. Don't forget wehave that Joe Kelly book to give out
tonight as well. Dodger Talk livefrom Kemmelback Ranch on AM five seventy LA
Sports Dodgers getting ready for their firstCactus League game of this spring coming up

(11:16):
Saturday. That's right, this Saturday, we will have Brewers Dodgers from Maryvale
to kick off the Cactus League's schedule. It will be Gavin Stone making the
start for the Dodgers on Saturday.Our pregame coverage begins at eleven thirty with
first pitch from Merryvale at twelve tenwith Rick Monday and Tim Neverett. We

(11:41):
are carrying quite a few Dodgers springgames this season, so not only will
you hear Dodgers Brewers on Saturday,right here on Dodgers Radio and five seventy
LA Sports. But also on Sunday, you'll hear the Dodgers host the Chicago
Cubs right here from Camblback Ranch.First pitch is at twelve oh five,

(12:05):
and our pregame coverage on Sunday beginsat eleven thirty, and then it's not
done there. We will have Dodgerspadres on Monday and first pitch twelve ten
on Monday, right here on AMfive seventy LA Sports. Rick Monday and
Tim Neverett will be on the callfor every single one of the Dodgers Cactus

(12:26):
League games this season. Rick andTim will be handling the simulcast this spring.
You'll be on They'll be on Sportsnet LA and heard right here on
AM five seventy LA Sports. Comingup, in about ten minutes, you'll
hear from Jerry Harriston Junior and infive minutes Gavin Lux. But before we

(12:46):
hear from Gavin Lux, let's goout to the phones. Let's start in
Whittier. Lauren, You're on DodgerTalk. Hi Lauren, Hi Dave,
how are you. I'm doing well. I hope you're staying warm out there.
We are, we are. I'mglad you're taking my call. I'm
very excited you're talking to Lux.I am on the Lux train. I
am excited for this year. Heis going to be an All Star.

(13:09):
I'm calling it now. Wow,that's a bold prediction right there, Lauren
Yep. I think that he's gotthe mindset. I think him and Mookie
are zoned in. I'm just feelingvery confident in our in our team.
I was a little hurt, notgonna lie. Seeing Justin Turner go was

(13:31):
heartbreaking and I cried real tears.But we got to move on and trust
our We got to trust the processand so go big or go home.
I love it and I loved whatI saw tonight. I really did the
scene at the wild Wing Place tonightwith Mookie Bets being the ringleader, Freddie
Freeman showing up, your guy,Gavin Lux being there, and so many

(13:54):
others. That really was a greatscene. To have so many players show
up and just have fun with eachother. That's awesome. You know who
else? I'm really excited for cinderGuard. I love the Dodger energy he's
bringing reading up on his interviews.He's just excited to be a Dodger,

(14:15):
and I really hope that this seasonis hot for him too. All right,
Lauren, are you still a JoeKelly fan? Do you want a
copy of his new book? Yes? I would love that and sunny enough.
We're gonna be there on March thirdto see the Dodgers versus Angels.
Hopefully I get to see Kelly thentoo. Yeah, bring that book and
he'll sign it for you. Perfect. Thank you, Dave. All right,

(14:39):
hold on, Ronnie, we'll getall the information. Thanks for calling,
Lauren appreciated. Eight six six nineeight seven two five seventy is the
phone number she mentioned. Gavin lucksWell, I had a chance to catch
up with him earlier today and justget his temperature on how he's feeling about
being the man at shortstop this year. Gavin, thanks a lot for the
time. Was Dave anything for youalways? You still got the same locker?

(15:03):
It feels like you're one of thefew guys that still has the same
locker this spring. Yeah, wegot a bunch of new guys, lost
some good soldiers, but uh weuh got a lot of good new players,
a lot of really good dudes.So just last last few days getting
to know some of the guys that'sbeen a lot of fun and I'm looking
forward to it. You've had thebenefit of being around some pretty good veterans

(15:24):
over your time with the Dodgers.Do you feel like you can apply and
take what you learned from them intothis season. Yeah. I mean coming
up and being able to be aroundguys like JT and David Freeze my first
few years, and then obviously Kershand I mean god there Kenley that I
can go on and on and onand on. Yeah. I think,
you know, you get to learna lot and and pick their brains as

(15:46):
much as you can and take itand apply it, and it's important.
And we got that again here wego. We signed Maggie, David PRAULTA
and JD and a lot of otherveterans that you know, you can still
learn from yr and you're always learning. You're never not learning in this game.
So I love hearing Freddie Freeman mentionedyou when they talk about the players
on this team. Freddie seems toreally want to embrace you and take you

(16:08):
under his wing and support you asthe shortstop. Yeah, and he definitely
did last year. I probably pickedhis brain and bugged him and tried to
be around him more than than heprobably would have liked. But yeah,
Freddy's another guy too that you know, he's one of the best players in
baseball and he's been around, he'sdone it MVPs World Series, and he's

(16:29):
a great leader, leads by example. You know, he's gonna push the
guys the right way. And Freddietalks, you're probably gonna listen. So
he has that kind of respect andit's it's deserved. You came in every
spring ready to play, but itfeels like there's a different mindset and kind
of chip on your shoulder coming intothis season to be the guy at shortstop.
Now, how much work did youput in during the off season?

(16:52):
Yeah, I think you know,every offseason is the same. You know,
you always try to get stronger,or try to get faster, or
try to work on your swing.So in that sense, it really change.
But thinks just coming in and knowingthat you know you're gonna have to
step up into a bigger role thisyear, I think it's cool and I
like having that little chip on yourshoulder where you know there's a little more
responsibility, which you know, youtake it and run with it. And
I'm excited to have that. Kevin, What is it about shortstops and center

(17:17):
fielders where they take so much pridein those positions and playing those positions that
they're different guys when they're not inthose spots. Yeah. I think you
know, when you're center field,shortstop, catcher, starting pitcher, you
feel like you're one of the Likeyou're a guy. You know, you're
in the center of the field.You kind of gotta take command a little
bit. And I think having thatextra responsibility kind of blazer focuses you a

(17:41):
little bit, at least for me, and I enjoy that. I like
having that. How good was itto be at Dodger Stadium with Dino and
being able to take groundballs there,to get ready for the season at Dodger
Stadium and to be there with MiggeyVargus, who's gonna be you're up the
middle mate at second base. Yeah, I think it's super valuable, right,
I mean, Dino would do anythingfor anybody, give you a shirt

(18:02):
off his back, and working withWoody also, and which is great to
have him back, and then turningdouble plays all all winner with Vargus and
that's stuff like that's invaluable and kindof you know, we get to talk,
we get to bullshit and pick eachother's brains and oh, where do
you like the double play feed?Where do you want it? Just stuff
like that where it's the little things. But you know, when you're playing

(18:22):
short and second you kind of haveto figure those things out sooner than later
before I let you go the newrules. The bigger bass is how much
of an advantage do you think youcan have this year? No shift,
bigger basses and maybe steal some morebags. Yeah, like you said,
I think there's gonna be more hitseverywhere. There's no shift. You hit
a line drive up the middle,now it's gonna be a hit. You

(18:45):
know, you hit a ball hardon the ground through the fold, it's
a hit. And then obviously,yeah, the basses are three inches closer.
So maybe using that as your advantageto try to swipe some basses.
I know Davis kind of argus startedto talk to me about trying to be
a little more aggressive on the basisand take advantage of that. So I
think that's something maybe try to dothis year. All Right, we'll see
whether or not the helmet flies offthis year. Gavin, when you're round
the bases. It probably will,it will, it will, no doubt.

(19:08):
Thanks a lot for the time Kenosha'sfinest. Gavin Lux always thanks David.
There is Gavin Lux and you couldhear the confidence in his voice,
and he's going to be need tobe confident. And the time is now
for Gavin Lux. I have saidthis a couple of times over the course
of the last week. The timeis now. This guy's been in the

(19:30):
big leagues playing for the Dodgers sincetwenty nineteen. He's been in the postseason
every single year that he has beenwith the Dodgers, and this year,
shortstop is his. He wanted it, now he's got it, and now
he has to deliver. I reallybelieve it's important for him to get off
to a good start for a coupleof different reasons. Number one, for

(19:53):
his own psyche. Number two,if he doesn't, Miguel Rojas is ready
to take over at shortstop and hemight find himself in a platoon at second
base. So for me, thetime is now, and for the Dodgers,
I believe the time is now forGavin Lux. This is no more
of he's a prospect and he's gettinghis feet wet in the major leagues.

(20:18):
They need him to post quite oftenthis year. Now, do I believe
the Dodgers want him to play onehundred and sixty two games? No?
No, That's why they have MiguelRojas to take some of that burden off
of him of feeling the pressure wherehe needs to play every day. Because
before they signed or traded for Rojas, they did not have an insurance policy

(20:41):
for Gavin Lux. If Lux forsome reason got hurt, I mean,
he had any neck injury that kepthim out of three weeks in September,
they did not have an insurance policylike Miguel Rojas like they have now with
him. So for me, MiguelRojas is a very important part of this
Dodger team for a number of differentreasons. If either one of those guys

(21:04):
Lux or Vargas falters, Rojas willbe there to pick up the pieces,
and like I said, he'll begetting his share of starts at shortstop.
Even if Lux performs the way theDodgers and vision he will, So no
more excuses for Gavin Lux. Thisis his time and if he can't do

(21:26):
it, they have Miguel Rojas tostep in. Eight six, six,
nine eight seven two five seventy isthe phone number. We're gonna take a
time out. When we come back, we'll check in with our guy,
Jerry Harriston Junior from Sports Net LA. He's very bullish on Gavin Lux as
well. So we'll hear from Jahairnext Lie from Kemmelback Ranch in Glendale,
Arizona. He reporters doing their newscastfrom Kemmelback Ranch. There was a commercial

(21:52):
being shot tonight on the field atCamelback Ranch. So a lot of activity
and tis in and anicipation of theCactus League opener this weekend. The Dodgers
will be in Merryvale on Saturday againstthe Brewers. We will have that for
you at twelve ten. And alsowe'll have the home opener of the Cactus
League for the Dodgers on Sunday afternoonwhen they host the Chicago Cubs. Eight

(22:18):
six six nine eight seven two fiveseventy is the phone number. Dodger Talk
until eight o'clock tonight right here onAM five seventy LA Sports And over the
course of the last few months,I've spent a lot of time with this
guy. I'm sure he has beenable to shake it off, but I
always enjoy it. And that's thesixteen year veteran World Series champion, former

(22:42):
Dodger and now ten year analyst withSports net LA, the one and only
Jerry Harriston Junior Jay haare great tohave you on the radio, David or
do Everything's good. It was alittle chilly for the Dodgers today, but
they got their work in. Itwas I mean, usually it's not this

(23:03):
windy here in Arizona, but itwas today and it was supposed to rain
this morning. Thankfully it didn't andthe Dodgers were able to get their work
in. Jerry doing the work withyou on sports and n LA all offseason.
You've been very bullish on Gavin Lux, so we just heard from him.
He sounds like he has that innerconfidence. Why are you such a
big believer that Lux will embrace andtake this opportunity to be the guy at

(23:29):
shortstop because he's got the talent,you know, he's got the makeup.
You know. You gotta remember hewas the number one prospect in all of
baseball a few years ago as ashortstop. The reason why he moved over
the second basis because he has CoreySeeger in front of him. And then
obviously trade Turner. So he's goingback to his natural position, his natural
theory motion back to shortstop, andI really believe him, being just twenty

(23:52):
four years of age, this willreally kind of propel him into that leadership
role. As a shortstop, youhave to be that camped out of the
infield. And now that he understands, listen, Corey Seeger's gone, Trade
Turner's gone. This is his job, and I really believe he's going to
run with it. I know acouple of times I've mentioned him that the
likes of Michael Young, and I'vegotten some pushbacks. You know, well

(24:15):
he's got Michael Young. Well,Michael Young wasn't Michael Young until he moved
over from second base to shortstop aroundtwenty five, twenty six years of age,
and then he really came into hisown as the big leaguer, became
a multi time All Star. SoI expect Gavin Lux to be on that
same trajectory. Jerry, what isit about shortstops and center fielders at any

(24:37):
hint of moving off those positions?It seems like it takes away something from
those players that play that position.Do you believe him going back to shortstop
is going to give him something thathe was missing at second base. I
think when you're a shortstop or acenter field, you're you're allowed to use
your athleticism a little more. Youknow that as a shortstop of the captain

(25:00):
of that infield. As a centerfield you're the captain of the offfield.
And I kind of like it.Being a wide receiver, you're running those
posts routes, and then they moveyou to tight end. You're no longer
running those post routes anymore. Yougotta stay in block. You got to
you gotta run those quick six yardouts. But now you know him being

(25:21):
back to that wide receiver or shortstopperas you will, that's his natural position.
He's known that position his whole life. So I expect big things that
are Gavin MUCKs. Jerry Harriston Junioris our guest as we take you to
eight o'clock right here on AM fiveseventy LA sports and Jerry, I mentioned
for sports net LA you've done quitea few one on one interviews the last

(25:41):
couple of days. Is there oneplayer that has stuck out to you more
than the others as far as yourconversations? You know, Max Mussey.
You know, as soon as Maxwalked into the room, he was fired
up. He understands what's at stakefor him and his career. He's he's
heard the noise, he's heard.He even admitted, you know, I

(26:04):
have not played my best baseball.You know, last year I was injured.
I was struggling and find my rhythmwith the bat. But he understands
now that he is completely healthy.He had a complete off season to work
on a spring, work on hiscrack. He is excited to get the
season started, not just himself,but for him and CT three to have

(26:26):
bounced back years. And he understandsdown with the Senegal project last year as
well. So he really stood outto me. I got a chance.
He replayed Kershaw at the Guild RojasJulia rheas all of them that those guys
are confident that Max Munsey is Imean chomping at the bit to go out
there and perform for the Dodgers.You mentioned Kershaw. He's not pitching in

(26:49):
the World Baseball Classic. He seemsto be at a better point in time
this spring than he was obviously ayear ago. What was the vibe got
from Kershaw when you talk to him, all smiles. You know, it's
amazing him being in a sixteenth season. He's very sure of himself. And
anytime and Dave, you know this, anytime you see Kurse smiling talking about

(27:12):
his family, talking about the upcomingseason or what's in store for this season,
you know he's healthy. You know, he's a guy that just can't
hide his emotions. You know,he works his emotions on his sleeve.
So when he's banged up a littlebit, he's a little bit more quiet.
You can tell he is completely healthy. He expects big, a big
year out of himself, and he'sexcited about the young guys, you know,

(27:36):
from the offensive side, Miguel Vargas. You know, he's excited to
watch him play. He's excited seeingGavin Luxby that everyday shortstop, and for
the young guys to have a chanceto come either out of the bullpen or
make some spots start. So he'soptimistic about this season and where the Dodgers
are headed. He's about a hundredand eighty five hundred and ninety strikeouts away

(28:00):
from three thousand. How much doyou think that milestone motivates him to not
only pitch this year, but maybeeven come back next year to get it,
because you know he only he hadlike one hundred and thirty strikeouts last
year. You know, David Listen, you know this too. That doesn't
motivate him, It really doesn't.You know, I followed Michael George's career

(28:22):
as a kid. You know,those individual accolades. That doesn't motivate Clayton
Kersher. I didn't motivate Michael Jordan. All he cares about his winning,
you know, Clayton Kirsha, whetheryou're playing ping pong, all he cares
about his winning. That's his mainobjective, to beat you on the ping
pong table, on the golf coursein cards, or on that baseball field.
He can care less about individual accolades. All he cares about is the

(28:45):
Dodgers being World Series champions in twentytwenty three. Jerry, you were teammates
with Derek Jeter with the Yankees whenyou won the World Series in zero nine.
I don't believe anybody's asked you this, but are you surprised that Gee
has decided to become an analyst andjoin you as a broadcaster for Fox Sports.

(29:06):
I like that you said he's joiningme as a broadcast because you were
there first. I did it first. It's not surprising that he's following my
direction. But I am a littlesurprised that he has chosen this row because,
as you know, David, hewas always guarded. I think,
you know, kind of like Jordan. He was very guarded as far as
his personal life. He knew thatin that New York media, if he

(29:29):
said one thing, it could beused against him. So he was always
guarded. But now, you know, since he's become a father, he's
got nothing but girls, he hassoftened quite a bit. So because he's
got those girls at home with hislovely wife, he has definitely softened the
bit. And now that he's gonna chance to take a take a step
back, uh, you know,kind of look at his career for what

(29:52):
it is. He was a multitime champion, incredible player, and now
he's gonna get a chance to puthis pretty face for the world to see
just about every night on Fox.So you know, I'm happy for him.
He's happy. So at first Iwas surprised, but now he's taking
a step back and enjoying his life. I'm not surprised, all right,

(30:12):
Jerry, Now the most famous sportsshow on TV is Inside the NBA with
Barkley, Kenny, Shack, andErnie. Where would you put Jeter?
How do you think he'll perform andbe how his opinion? How opinionated will
he be on the spectrum of Barkeley, Kenny and Shack. Where do you
think he'll fall? Well, he'lldefinitely not be near Charles Barkley. I

(30:36):
think at the start, and nobody'sCharles Barkley. I think at the start
he's gonna be more Kay Smith,very guarded with his opinions. But as
you know, the years go by, you know he'll definitely tell the truth.
That's the one thing about Jee.He always speaks his mind. He
always tells the truth. Now himbeing on camera, you know, I
want to see that on camera,him being very honest. But I think

(31:02):
right now he's gonna be more KennySmith as opposed to Charles Barkley. I
think David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez whenhe's on air, they're more kind of
like Charles Barkley. Before I letyou go a lot of buzz about the
Padres. Do you feel like there'sa lot more pressure on the Padres starting
this season because it feels like thatpressure point has been alleviated from the Dodgers.

(31:25):
I think it is because they arepicked by a lot of guys,
a lot of writers out there thatthey feel they're going to win the NL
West, and they're doing a lotof talking down there in San Diego.
Hey, they have a great team. You know, they really do really
good starting rotation. They've done agreat job of bolstering their lineup. I've
always been a fan ofs er Brogarciis an absolent stud. They get Fernando

(31:47):
Tatis Junior back to go along withSoto, and we know what Manny Machado
could do. So they are ateam that is confident. They beat the
Dodgers last year in the postseason,So if they want to talk to talk,
that's fine. But I know it'sa new year and we have a
lot of young guys that have heardthis talk, Guys like Mandel Vargas and
other young guys. Gavin mux isstill young. They have a chance to

(32:08):
make their marketing this organization. SoI'm very confidents your team. They've got
a great mix of young guys togo along with the veterans, and I'm
excited for the season. Padres aregreat and saw the Dodgers should be fun,
Jerry, and you'll be able tosee Jerry after many Dodger games on
sports net LA. Thanks a lotfor the time, Jay Hare, and

(32:28):
thanks a lot for putting up withme this offseason anytime, David, Hey,
I enjoy I can't believe I'm sayingthis. I enjoy working with you.
Oh my god, I said it. I enjoy working with you and
I always enjoyed you as a player. So thank you, Jay hair any
tied? All right? There hegoes Jerry Harriston Junior in his tenth season,

(32:50):
if you can believe it, onsportsnet LA. Eight six six nine
eight seven two five seventy is thephone number. Yeah, he was teammates
Jeter and a Rod in two thousandand nine. And to be honest with
you, being a broadcaster would bethe last thing I would think Derek Jeter
would want to do, considering howvanilla he was with his answers. He

(33:14):
would always give you time in frontof his locker after games, but he
would be very guarded with his answersand very politically correct and a lot of
cliches. If he tries that onFox Sports it's not gonna go over well.
Say what you will about Alex Rodriguez, but at least he has opinions
and he voices them, and he'sa polarizing guy to begin with. But

(33:37):
Jeter is well liked. He ison the level of Michael Jordan in baseball
circles, so hopefully he's able tolet loose a little more than what we
have seen from him as a player. Eight six six nine, eight seven
two five seventy is the phone numberDavid Vassey live at Kemelback Ranch in Glendale,

(33:58):
Arizona. We're taking you to thetop the hour and on Saturday afternoon,
the Dodgers will be finally playing somebaseball in spring training games. It
will be the Dodgers in Maryvale totake on the Brewers first pitch at twelve
ten, and Michael Grove will beon the mound for the Dodgers. And
there's a lot of buzz. Itfeels like, outside of watching what Lux

(34:21):
and Vargas do up the middle,everybody is watching these young pitchers to see
whether or not they are ready totake the next step, and which ones
are more ready than the others totake the next step. Michael Grove,
Dustin May is part of that.Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Ryan Peppio
all part of that group that theDodgers are going to tap into at different

(34:46):
points in time this season. AndDave Roberts was asked about those guys earlier
today, you know the unknown.I think that commanding the baseball. I

(35:12):
think that they're all in a goodspot. But yeah, they got to
take the next step because we expectmore of them this year than we did
last year. So as far asDustin I think that obviously last year was
abbreviated, but he's pitched in thepostseason, coming back. I think that
the body, the maturity has gottenmuch better. But yeah, he needs

(35:35):
to take the next step and whatthat is I think is a bigger discussion.
But he's off to a good start. And that was manager Dave Roberts.
And Dustin May seems to be theforgotten guy, considering that he was
coming back from Tommy John surgery lastyear, not a lot of expectations.

(35:55):
I feel like he was still maybeI don't want to say he rushed himself,
but I go back to what Iwarned about Dustin May or any other
picture that comes back from Tommy Johnsurgery. There have been numerous pictures that
have done that, and they haveall said, yes, I'm not hurt
anymore, I'm not injured anymore.I'm able to go out there and pitch.

(36:17):
But I'm not myself and I'm notand they always say I'm not myself
until probably the following year. Well, this is the following year for Dustin
May, and hopefully he can getback to where he was and where he
was going before he blew out hisright elbow in Milwaukee a couple of years
ago. And he's a great kidand really demands a lot out of himself,

(36:42):
and this is going to be avery interesting year for him to come
back from Tommy John surgery and beand see what he has. I mean,
there was a lot of hype surroundingDustin May like there is right now
for Bobby Miller. Let's see whatDustin May can do. I'm not going
to go as a extreme as Idid with Gavin Lugs as far as saying
the time is now for May,but certainly this is a very important season

(37:07):
for Dustin May to show that hecan come close to what the Dodgers and
he expects out of himself and RyanPeppio earlier today was throwing live BP and
he faced some of the big boysand mookie bets, Freddie Freeman, Jason
Hayward, David Peralta, and faredpretty well by all accounts. I know,

(37:30):
want Ribio spoke to Muki after thatand said he believed Peppio commanded his
fastball really well, and if hewatched any of Peppio starts last year,
that was the problem. He wasall lower the place. He was spraying
his fastball all over the place,and that flies in triple A because they
swing at anything, but not inthe major leagues. That's not going to

(37:52):
fly. And he was done.I think out of all his starts,
he only was able to go fiveinnings once, and the reason being is
his pitch count was really high afterjust two or three innings. Now,
on the flip side, Michael Groveisn't as hyped as Ryan Peppio, but
in his three starts he was ableto give five innings each one of those

(38:14):
three starts. So Peppio for him, he's a college pitcher. And I
know Charlie Huff, the former majorleague knuckleballer and now a really good pitching.
Coach believes in Peppio, and hejust stresses to be patient. Some
guys figure it out sooner than others. And he sees a lot of similarities

(38:37):
between Pepio and Jake Arietta. HowArietta was all over the place in Baltimore
and he got it together with theCubs. And maybe this is the time
for Ryan Peppio, after getting theexperience in the major leagues last year,
to be able to come back thisyear and be more effective, more under
control and command his fastball. Sohe's a great kid. Rooting for him,

(39:01):
Rooting for all these young Dodger pictures. They're all really great people.
Gavin Stone, I got to meethim yesterday, just a very confident,
humble young man. Bobby Miller samething, confident, humble young man.
So I'm rooting for all these guys. Landon Knack saw him today. Just
great people. So rooting for allthose guys to figure it out and contribute

(39:23):
in some form or fashion. Idid ask Dave Roberts whether or not there's
a chance that the Dodgers stretch MichaelGrove out and if necessary, depending on
their bullpen dynamics, if he couldpossibly fit into that swingman longman ross strippling
role. He said it's a possibility, but right now they're focused on having

(39:45):
Michael Grove stretched out as a startingpitcher. No new news on Miguel Vargas
still not swinging a bat. TheDodgers are still not that concerned about it.
Daniel Hudson was walking around with lessof a limb than he was at
the beginning of camp. He threwa bullpen session a couple of days ago,
so we'll see whether or not hedoes another one in the next couple

(40:07):
of days because that'll be an indicationon whether or not his ankle is responding.
And he's an important part of theDodgers bullpen plans at the back end.
They're looking at Hudson and Phillips tobe able to fill in and get
the final three outs, and especiallyDaniel Hudson if he's healthy. I feel

(40:29):
like the Dodgers would prefer to useHudson in that role more nights than using
Evan Phillips, who is so valuablecoming in in so many different situations last
year to put out fires. AndI know in this day and age,
we start to recognize relievers that arenot closers, but I feel like Evan

(40:50):
Phillips needs to get more attention.Eight six six nine eight seven two five
seventy is the phone number. Speakingof some forgotten guys, how about three
times Cy Young Award winner and MVPClayton Kershaw feels like he's being ignored after
everybody, uh, you know,flocked to him the first day of camp
and found out that he's not goingto pitch in the World Baseball Classic.

(41:15):
I have not seen him throw thisweek, so I asked Dave Roberts about
that. How is Kershaw feeling physically? With the initial expectation to pitch for
Team YSA. There was an earlierramp up, and he came into camp
feeling good. So I think thathaving a healthy offseason and where he was

(41:37):
at, he's he's in a reallygood spot. Looks great physically mentally and
definitely different from last year. Ithink that, you know, the thought
was we were ramping him up becauseit was going to be the WBC.
That's taken off the table now,so to not kind of to take a
little step back, I think that'ssort of the thought we're at right now.

(41:59):
So, yeah, he's n throwhitters, but I just don't know
when that's going to be, andit won't be tomorrow because Kershaw let me
know, he's flying back to Texasto be with his daughter, Callie on
daddy daughter Dance night at her school. So we can all all parents out
there, especially girl dads, canappreciate that. And he's a he's very

(42:21):
devoted to his family and his kids, and he loves being a dad.
And look, it's spring training.I think we can all allow him to
be with his daughter on her dancenight. So congratulations to Clayton to be
able to do that. And he'llbe back at camp on Friday, So
have a great time dancing with yourdaughter tomorrow night, Clayton Kershaw eight six

(42:45):
six nine eight seven two five seventy. Now tonight, I was going to
bring you my conversation with JD.Martinez and JAD did give me some time
today, but my recorder completely malfunctionand the audio quality was awful. Ronnie
Fossio would never allow me to sharethat interview with the audio quality being as

(43:07):
poor as it was, so Ijust I can relate to you that he's
a very comfortable being with the Dodgers. His locker is situated in between Trace
Thompson and Max Muncie's. Miguel Rojas'slocker is a couple of lockers down,
and David Peralta's is one more down. So left to right on the far

(43:32):
wall of the Dodger Clubhouse you haveFreddie Freeman who has the corner locker that
goes to the big Dog. MattKemp had it my first year in twenty
twelve. Justin Turner had it,he Drin Gonzalez had it. So Freddie
Freeman's got the big Dog locker.Next to him where Trey Turner used to

(43:52):
be is Max Muncie and then likeI said, it's j. D.
Martinez, and then Trace Thompson andthen Miguel Vargas and David Peralta, and
then the catchers are in the cornerpart Austin Barnes and Will Smith and then

(44:12):
Caddy. Corner to those names thatI just mentioned is the wall of starting
pitchers. And on the very farend of the dugout that's where the relievers
are. And also Julio Urius,ever since he was called up, he
preferred being on the far end ofthe dugout. And I guess in some
ways a metaphor for just the wayhe has handled himself his entire career,

(44:34):
letting his pitching do the talking.He's not looking for attention, he's not
looking to self promote. And speakingof Julio by the way, I know
Bob Ninuel and we've had Bob onthe show. I respect Bob tremendously.
He's been part of the baseball worldlonger than well, not longer than I've
been alive, but certainly a longtime, and has a lot of different

(44:57):
sources. But one of his notesat the end of one of his spring
training columns this week was that hehas spoken to close friends of Julio Rias
who have told him he is notgoing to sign back with the Dodgers.
Now, come on, Bob,do you really know the close friends of
Julio Rias. I don't know wherethat information is coming from, but it

(45:22):
seems a little premature. Maybe thereis a peripheral friend. I'm not saying
Bob writes things that are not true. I'm sure somebody told him that.
But is it really a close friendor is it a close friend that works
for Boris Corp. I'm not sure. Hard to decipher but Julio is going

(45:43):
to pitch for the Dodgers. Ifthe Dodgers pay Julio in free agency,
that's the bottom line. There areno feelings involved when it comes to Scott
Boris represented players, and in factany represented player. It's not about feelings.
We've seen a lot of players moveand leave teams that you thought they
never would leave. And right nowthe state of sports, there isn't a

(46:08):
lot of loyalty from teams and theplayers don't seem to have a lot of
loyalty towards the teams to reciprocate.And I would hope that that changes very
soon. But look, if theDodgers pay Julio Urius, that's the only
thing that is going to keep himhere with the Dodgers. I do believe

(46:29):
he wants to pitch in front ofyou. He loves this fan base.
He would prefer to stay here.But he has a lot of pride and
he wants to be treated as anace and he wants to be allowed to
control his games, and the wayhe does that is to pitch the way
he has the last couple of years. You can't be grudged the Dodgers for

(46:50):
being careful with him after having leftpitching shoulder surgery, and they have incrementally
increased his innings. Last year hepitched one hundred and seventy innings plus the
NLDS. He's a big game pitcher. Julio belongs in the Dodger uniform the
rest of his career, and Ihope it happens because that would be the
right way to have him go intothe next part of his career. And

(47:15):
he's a very young free agent twentysix, twenty seven. He's going to
get six to eight years on anycontract, probably upwards of two hundred million
dollars. So just to keep inmind the starting point of what it's going
to be to take what it willtake to keep Julio Urius, probably six

(47:35):
years and two hundred million dollars isa good starting point. That'll do it
for us. On Dodger Talk tonight, in case you missed any of the
show, Gavin Lugs, Jerry HarristonJunior, you can find it on the
iHeartRadio app. We'll be back withyou tomorrow night for a short time before
UCLA basketball and the big day.Sabato Higuante Dodgers Brewers Kicking off the Cactus

(47:58):
League at twelve, and Rick Mondayand Tim Nevertt will be on the call
right here on Dodgers Radio AM fiveseventy LA Sports. Thanks to Ronni Fossio
for his help back in Burbank.Thanks to you for listening. Coming up
next, Jason Smith on Fox SportsRadio. We are saying goodnight from Camelback
Ranch. See U.