April 10, 2025 • 13 mins
David Vassegh talks to Buster Oloney of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Dodgers are back in action tomorrow night, opening up
a three game series against the Chicago Cubs, first time
the Dodgers will see the Cubs since Tokyo, and on
Sunday Night. It will be a nationally televised broadcast. That
means the Sunday Night Baseball crew will be in town,
including my favorite Buster Only, my favorite guy from Vermont.
(00:23):
It's not Ben or Jerry, it's Buster Only. Buster. Thanks
a lot for the time appreciated.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Gee, It's not a good start because they know you're
not sincere about liking anything for Vermont man.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Ben and Jerry was great in the nineties of Buster,
but I feel like I've moved on.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
It's great now. I don't appreciate the shots. And you'll
never get that the best maple syrup in the world,
which is from.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Vermont, No doubt you got that going for you, and
they got Buster going for them as well. When we
last spoke, when you came to Dodgers Stadium for the
whole home opener, it felt like the Dodgers were in
a very different weight class than everybody else. What do
you think now after thirteen games that.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
They still eventually will be I mean we haven't. They
haven't played a game this year. When you get a
fully healthy Bookie and a fully Freddie Freeman, and I
do think there's going to be a time of that,
because we know that the way the Dodgers handle injuries
is through the prism of getting players ready for October,
and so you know, we'll see that happen. But I
(01:29):
think the you know, maybe what you're referring to is
the evolution of other teams in the division. The Nationally
West might be more competitive, not because the Dodgers aren't
a great team, but because the Giants are clearly better
than they have been in the first year of Buster
Posey running baseball operations. The Diamondbacks are the great offense,
(01:50):
and even though the Padres were eliminating that division series
last year, when I was around them, it's pretty clear
that group of players walked away from that believing, you
know what, we can beat these guys, and they've got
a lot of great players.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
When you look at that division, I feel like the
Padres are the most forgotten team in baseball. Many of
us believed they could have won the World Series if
not for the Dodgers winning the NLDS. UH what's the
sense you get from those group of players in twenty
twenty five.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, and I think the Dodgers share your sentiment on that.
I mean, in the in the post uh, you know,
post post World Series interviews they did last year, so
many of them were referencing the fact that they felt
like the Padres were the toughest team. You know they are,
so start Layton. You know, you've got Manny Machado. Uh,
You've got Fernando Tett Jr. Who moved up another level
(02:42):
this year with more play discipline than he's had in
the past. Uh, you've got Jackson Merrill, who's one of
the best young players at a five ninety six slegon
percentage after the All Star break last year. You know.
The the reason why the Padres are forgotten, I think
is because their offseason was so you know, they've got
this ownership going on, you know, fight over who's in control,
(03:06):
where the payroll is going to be going forward, and
so A. J. Peler, the general manager, didn't do a
lot like we're accustomed to, but at the end of
the winner, he did make some moves. He sign Nick
Pavetta for the rotation, which they desperately needed. They signed
Jose Glacier's depth in the infield, it still feels like
that that's gonna be the biggest challenge for the Padres
(03:29):
is how much depth will they have. It's generally speaking
a pretty top heavy lineup, and they need their stars
to stay on the field and stay healthy. So like
right now, you know this hamshring injury for Jackson Merrill.
It it's a big blow to them because they're not
a lot behind that front that that great front line
they have.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Buster only is joining us. He's on the ESPN Sunday
Night Baseball crew. They'll be in town on Sunday for
Trews and Cubs. And we just got back the Dodgers
just got back from my East Coast road trip. That
reminded them they are human. And I guess since it's
only thirteen Gamesbuster, I got to ask you this in
that context, do you believe the Phillies might be the
(04:11):
best and maybe the toughest competition for them considering how
well they've matched up the last two years if they
see each other, Because now I think it's nine out
of eleven times Philadelphia has beaten the Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
One hundred percent, And look they're a really experienced team.
We talked about the Padres. Believe that they'll be able
to debat them. You know, Bryce Harper it is hard
believes that, Yeah, they can beat the Dodgers. You know
that Kyle Schwarber thinks that they've got a guy who
might be the best pitcher on the planet, Zach Wheeler.
You know Christopher Sanchez, developing young left hander who is
(04:47):
absolutely dominant. We saw him, you know that at Bad
against Shohe and these great stuff. They can do that now,
I think, you know, we thought that last year. People
forget that. Most of last year we thought that the
Phillies were the best team in baseball, and they just
staded down the stretch. It's interesting because I was talking
with an executive with another team during the last week
(05:11):
and he mentioned the similarities between the Phillies and the Dodgers.
You have this great lineup, but both of those teams
are older teams that are probably going to be susceptible
to injuries, and they're probably not going to be as
good defensively just because of the h factor. But in
terms of confidence to beat the Dodgers, yeah, it'll be there.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Buster, you just mentioned defense and I know on yesterday's
podcast you talked about it with Tim Kirkchin. Just now
the Dodger defense may not be right now as good
as it was last year. How unprecedented is it for
the best right fielder in the game to try to
move at age thirty one to the most demanding position
(05:53):
outside of catcher. And what's the reviews you're hearing early
on about this year's Mookie Betts.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, I mean it's never really been done never, and
you you respect the fact that he's working at it.
You know that he'll get better. The bottom line is
he's not going to become an elite defensive shortstop at
age thirty one. You know, I think afere the Dodgers
with the team that they have there, you're hoping that
(06:22):
they make plays and you don't make mistakes. But when
you look at the you know, the various guys around
the field, you know, Tommy Edmond is considered to be
an excellent defender. I thank Freddie Freeman on his uh,
you know, on when he's healthy. He's a really good
first baseman. But just talking with folks with other teams,
they don't see, you know, high end defense there. Here's
(06:44):
the thing, you know, and I know, I mean the
Dodgers' front office is filled with really smart people. They
know all this, and as one executive said to me
this week, they built this pitching staff that strikes out
a lot of people. And so the the in the
equation and the feeling is probably within the Dodgers front
office that they can out hit some of their defensive
(07:06):
mistakes and that their pitchers can strike out a lot
of guys and lead runners on base.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, hopefully that happens for them. They're walking more than
they're striking out these days, and their starters aren't going.
In fact, buster early on, their relief pitchers have thrown
more innings than their starters. This famed starting rotation has
less innings pitched than their bullpen, which has been stellar
to start again.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
And that's in keeping with a trend in recent years
where it does feel like at the end of every
year and you look at you know, who throws the
most innings within the Dodgers' rotation, they're always less than
just about anybody else. You know, if their staff leader
has been one like one hundred and thirty innings, one
hundred and forty innings, they they're not getting a Zach
Wheeler with a two hundred inning plow horse. I think they,
(07:53):
you know, felt that, you know, a guy like Blake
Snell would get my hundred eighty innings. So far, that
hasn't happened. We'll see if they're healthier as we go
along this season.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Buster Olney is our guest. He is part of the
Sunday Night Baseball crew which will be back at Dodger
Stadium on Sunday, and Buster, part of the reason why
I'd love to have you on the show tonight was
because so much of the talk has been about breaking
the Mariners record from people outside of the Dodger Clubhouse,
with the exception of Miguel Rojas, but the Stars, Otani, Freeman,
(08:24):
bats and even Dave Roberts have only talked about trying
to win back to back championships for the first time
since the Yankees that you covered twenty five years ago.
What do you remember about that two thousand season when
they were going through it. How how can you compare
it to what we may expect from this Dodger team
during the regular season, as that is their main goal.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
So the Dodgers, when healthy or the best team that
I've ever seen. When you're talking about the you know,
if you have Blake Snell and let's say Glasnow's healthy, Yamamoto,
let's say Otani later in the year, Clayton Kershaw, you know,
Dustin May, backed up by the best bullpen that Dave
(09:08):
Roberts has ever put together, backed up by that incredible
lineup they have. It's the best team that I've seen.
It's better than the team that I covered with the
ninety eight Yankees, which is saying something. You know, that
team won one hundred and fourteen games in the regular season.
They won one hundred and twenty five after they blew
through the World Series, including a sweep of the Podres.
(09:29):
What distinguished that team that year was this incredible drive.
I mean, you know, and I know, you know, fans
go and I think they expect players to, you know,
go to the ballpark every day with the with at
absolute peak enthusiasm. But that's not how any of us
do our jobs. That's not human to do that. And
(09:51):
what just absolutely stood out to me that year in
ninety eight was the Yankees had been beaten in the
playoffs the year before by the guard then Cleveland Indians,
and they were so motivated through the ninety eight season.
They were just on a mission and they played with
such such high energy, even against really bad teams. Now
(10:13):
in September they played a couple of bad games against
Tampa Bay Rays. You know, Joe Torri, who was managing them,
called a meeting and chewed them out and they got
back on track. That's the challenge to win that many
regular season games, you know, all these guys. Once you
get to postseason, you can get ramped up for a
playoff game, a World Series game, and that's not going
(10:35):
to be an issue. But to push yourself through one
hundred and eighty days, one hundred and eighty one days
in regular season, that is a challenge. And that's why,
you know, generally speaking, I think it's really tough for
any team to win that many games in a regular season.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
What about winning a back to back championship. Charlie Steiner,
who's now part of the Dodger radio broadcast, was with
those guys and he said they treated the race regular
season as a warm up to the postseason. What they
really cared about.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
That's exactly right. In fact, when you know that Yankee
team won the World Series in ninety eight and ninety
nine and two thousand and I think it actually the
regular season got harder and harder and harder for a
veteran group, and they did increasingly point towards the postseason
to the degree that they actually crawled into the playoffs
(11:25):
in a couple of those years. And then they got
into October and all of a sudden, the bright lights
hit and they were back to full intensity. You know.
That's the challenge that Dodgers have. Which is one thing
that I heard constantly from players, especially retrospectively looking back
at those teams, is they felt like it was really
important to bring in new guys from year to year,
(11:47):
a new energy, players who were driven to win, So
a Kirby eight for example, being really important, Blake Snell
being really important, you know, as you go through the
long regular season to be driven. And those Yankee teams
in the year two thousand, which was the last of
the three consecutive championships, I think they added seven guys
(12:09):
during the July August waiver period because Brian Cashman knew
they needed some new blood.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Well, if you want some perspective on that Yankee dynasty
and the team, the Dodgers are chasing in some ways
the last team to win back to back championships. Buster
published one of the best books on that Yankee dynasty,
The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty Brings it All Together,
and it's still out there on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
(12:35):
It's one of my favorite books. So Buster, love having
you on. I think you're the best at what you
do and you always have great perspectives. So thank you
for taking the time out and can't wait to see
you on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
That'll be fun day. But I always love talking with you,
except when he talks Max about Vermont.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
I'll withhold on Sunday when I see you. From here
on now, for the rest of Lent, I will not
say anything negative about Vermon.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Okay, I'll take it. I will take it.
The Dodgers are back in action tomorrow night, opening up
a three game series against the Chicago Cubs, first time
the Dodgers will see the Cubs since Tokyo, and on
Sunday Night. It will be a nationally televised broadcast. That
means the Sunday Night Baseball crew will be in town,
including my favorite Buster Only, my favorite guy from Vermont.
(00:23):
It's not Ben or Jerry, it's Buster Only. Buster. Thanks
a lot for the time appreciated.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Gee, It's not a good start because they know you're
not sincere about liking anything for Vermont man.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Ben and Jerry was great in the nineties of Buster,
but I feel like I've moved on.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
It's great now. I don't appreciate the shots. And you'll
never get that the best maple syrup in the world,
which is from.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Vermont, No doubt you got that going for you, and
they got Buster going for them as well. When we
last spoke, when you came to Dodgers Stadium for the
whole home opener, it felt like the Dodgers were in
a very different weight class than everybody else. What do
you think now after thirteen games that.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
They still eventually will be I mean we haven't. They
haven't played a game this year. When you get a
fully healthy Bookie and a fully Freddie Freeman, and I
do think there's going to be a time of that,
because we know that the way the Dodgers handle injuries
is through the prism of getting players ready for October,
and so you know, we'll see that happen. But I
(01:29):
think the you know, maybe what you're referring to is
the evolution of other teams in the division. The Nationally
West might be more competitive, not because the Dodgers aren't
a great team, but because the Giants are clearly better
than they have been in the first year of Buster
Posey running baseball operations. The Diamondbacks are the great offense,
(01:50):
and even though the Padres were eliminating that division series
last year, when I was around them, it's pretty clear
that group of players walked away from that believing, you
know what, we can beat these guys, and they've got
a lot of great players.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
When you look at that division, I feel like the
Padres are the most forgotten team in baseball. Many of
us believed they could have won the World Series if
not for the Dodgers winning the NLDS. UH what's the
sense you get from those group of players in twenty
twenty five.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, and I think the Dodgers share your sentiment on that.
I mean, in the in the post uh, you know,
post post World Series interviews they did last year, so
many of them were referencing the fact that they felt
like the Padres were the toughest team. You know they are,
so start Layton. You know, you've got Manny Machado. Uh,
You've got Fernando Tett Jr. Who moved up another level
(02:42):
this year with more play discipline than he's had in
the past. Uh, you've got Jackson Merrill, who's one of
the best young players at a five ninety six slegon
percentage after the All Star break last year. You know.
The the reason why the Padres are forgotten, I think
is because their offseason was so you know, they've got
this ownership going on, you know, fight over who's in control,
(03:06):
where the payroll is going to be going forward, and
so A. J. Peler, the general manager, didn't do a
lot like we're accustomed to, but at the end of
the winner, he did make some moves. He sign Nick
Pavetta for the rotation, which they desperately needed. They signed
Jose Glacier's depth in the infield, it still feels like
that that's gonna be the biggest challenge for the Padres
(03:29):
is how much depth will they have. It's generally speaking
a pretty top heavy lineup, and they need their stars
to stay on the field and stay healthy. So like
right now, you know this hamshring injury for Jackson Merrill.
It it's a big blow to them because they're not
a lot behind that front that that great front line
they have.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Buster only is joining us. He's on the ESPN Sunday
Night Baseball crew. They'll be in town on Sunday for
Trews and Cubs. And we just got back the Dodgers
just got back from my East Coast road trip. That
reminded them they are human. And I guess since it's
only thirteen Gamesbuster, I got to ask you this in
that context, do you believe the Phillies might be the
(04:11):
best and maybe the toughest competition for them considering how
well they've matched up the last two years if they
see each other, Because now I think it's nine out
of eleven times Philadelphia has beaten the Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
One hundred percent, And look they're a really experienced team.
We talked about the Padres. Believe that they'll be able
to debat them. You know, Bryce Harper it is hard
believes that, Yeah, they can beat the Dodgers. You know
that Kyle Schwarber thinks that they've got a guy who
might be the best pitcher on the planet, Zach Wheeler.
You know Christopher Sanchez, developing young left hander who is
(04:47):
absolutely dominant. We saw him, you know that at Bad
against Shohe and these great stuff. They can do that now,
I think, you know, we thought that last year. People
forget that. Most of last year we thought that the
Phillies were the best team in baseball, and they just
staded down the stretch. It's interesting because I was talking
with an executive with another team during the last week
(05:11):
and he mentioned the similarities between the Phillies and the Dodgers.
You have this great lineup, but both of those teams
are older teams that are probably going to be susceptible
to injuries, and they're probably not going to be as
good defensively just because of the h factor. But in
terms of confidence to beat the Dodgers, yeah, it'll be there.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Buster, you just mentioned defense and I know on yesterday's
podcast you talked about it with Tim Kirkchin. Just now
the Dodger defense may not be right now as good
as it was last year. How unprecedented is it for
the best right fielder in the game to try to
move at age thirty one to the most demanding position
(05:53):
outside of catcher. And what's the reviews you're hearing early
on about this year's Mookie Betts.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, I mean it's never really been done never, and
you you respect the fact that he's working at it.
You know that he'll get better. The bottom line is
he's not going to become an elite defensive shortstop at
age thirty one. You know, I think afere the Dodgers
with the team that they have there, you're hoping that
(06:22):
they make plays and you don't make mistakes. But when
you look at the you know, the various guys around
the field, you know, Tommy Edmond is considered to be
an excellent defender. I thank Freddie Freeman on his uh,
you know, on when he's healthy. He's a really good
first baseman. But just talking with folks with other teams,
they don't see, you know, high end defense there. Here's
(06:44):
the thing, you know, and I know, I mean the
Dodgers' front office is filled with really smart people. They
know all this, and as one executive said to me
this week, they built this pitching staff that strikes out
a lot of people. And so the the in the
equation and the feeling is probably within the Dodgers front
office that they can out hit some of their defensive
(07:06):
mistakes and that their pitchers can strike out a lot
of guys and lead runners on base.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, hopefully that happens for them. They're walking more than
they're striking out these days, and their starters aren't going.
In fact, buster early on, their relief pitchers have thrown
more innings than their starters. This famed starting rotation has
less innings pitched than their bullpen, which has been stellar
to start again.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
And that's in keeping with a trend in recent years
where it does feel like at the end of every
year and you look at you know, who throws the
most innings within the Dodgers' rotation, they're always less than
just about anybody else. You know, if their staff leader
has been one like one hundred and thirty innings, one
hundred and forty innings, they they're not getting a Zach
Wheeler with a two hundred inning plow horse. I think they,
(07:53):
you know, felt that, you know, a guy like Blake
Snell would get my hundred eighty innings. So far, that
hasn't happened. We'll see if they're healthier as we go
along this season.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Buster Olney is our guest. He is part of the
Sunday Night Baseball crew which will be back at Dodger
Stadium on Sunday, and Buster, part of the reason why
I'd love to have you on the show tonight was
because so much of the talk has been about breaking
the Mariners record from people outside of the Dodger Clubhouse,
with the exception of Miguel Rojas, but the Stars, Otani, Freeman,
(08:24):
bats and even Dave Roberts have only talked about trying
to win back to back championships for the first time
since the Yankees that you covered twenty five years ago.
What do you remember about that two thousand season when
they were going through it. How how can you compare
it to what we may expect from this Dodger team
during the regular season, as that is their main goal.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
So the Dodgers, when healthy or the best team that
I've ever seen. When you're talking about the you know,
if you have Blake Snell and let's say Glasnow's healthy, Yamamoto,
let's say Otani later in the year, Clayton Kershaw, you know,
Dustin May, backed up by the best bullpen that Dave
(09:08):
Roberts has ever put together, backed up by that incredible
lineup they have. It's the best team that I've seen.
It's better than the team that I covered with the
ninety eight Yankees, which is saying something. You know, that
team won one hundred and fourteen games in the regular season.
They won one hundred and twenty five after they blew
through the World Series, including a sweep of the Podres.
(09:29):
What distinguished that team that year was this incredible drive.
I mean, you know, and I know, you know, fans
go and I think they expect players to, you know,
go to the ballpark every day with the with at
absolute peak enthusiasm. But that's not how any of us
do our jobs. That's not human to do that. And
(09:51):
what just absolutely stood out to me that year in
ninety eight was the Yankees had been beaten in the
playoffs the year before by the guard then Cleveland Indians,
and they were so motivated through the ninety eight season.
They were just on a mission and they played with
such such high energy, even against really bad teams. Now
(10:13):
in September they played a couple of bad games against
Tampa Bay Rays. You know, Joe Torri, who was managing them,
called a meeting and chewed them out and they got
back on track. That's the challenge to win that many
regular season games, you know, all these guys. Once you
get to postseason, you can get ramped up for a
playoff game, a World Series game, and that's not going
(10:35):
to be an issue. But to push yourself through one
hundred and eighty days, one hundred and eighty one days
in regular season, that is a challenge. And that's why,
you know, generally speaking, I think it's really tough for
any team to win that many games in a regular season.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
What about winning a back to back championship. Charlie Steiner,
who's now part of the Dodger radio broadcast, was with
those guys and he said they treated the race regular
season as a warm up to the postseason. What they
really cared about.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
That's exactly right. In fact, when you know that Yankee
team won the World Series in ninety eight and ninety
nine and two thousand and I think it actually the
regular season got harder and harder and harder for a
veteran group, and they did increasingly point towards the postseason
to the degree that they actually crawled into the playoffs
(11:25):
in a couple of those years. And then they got
into October and all of a sudden, the bright lights
hit and they were back to full intensity. You know.
That's the challenge that Dodgers have. Which is one thing
that I heard constantly from players, especially retrospectively looking back
at those teams, is they felt like it was really
important to bring in new guys from year to year,
(11:47):
a new energy, players who were driven to win, So
a Kirby eight for example, being really important, Blake Snell
being really important, you know, as you go through the
long regular season to be driven. And those Yankee teams
in the year two thousand, which was the last of
the three consecutive championships, I think they added seven guys
(12:09):
during the July August waiver period because Brian Cashman knew
they needed some new blood.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Well, if you want some perspective on that Yankee dynasty
and the team, the Dodgers are chasing in some ways
the last team to win back to back championships. Buster
published one of the best books on that Yankee dynasty,
The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty Brings it All Together,
and it's still out there on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
(12:35):
It's one of my favorite books. So Buster, love having
you on. I think you're the best at what you
do and you always have great perspectives. So thank you
for taking the time out and can't wait to see
you on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
That'll be fun day. But I always love talking with you,
except when he talks Max about Vermont.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
I'll withhold on Sunday when I see you. From here
on now, for the rest of Lent, I will not
say anything negative about Vermon.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Okay, I'll take it. I will take it.
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