June 9, 2026 • 10 mins
DV is joined by the Dodgers skipper for the weekly manager's meeting. Dave opens up about his upcoming family obligations, including his daughter's graduation from Stanford, and how it's made him realize the value of being present in the moment. He also discusses the evolving workplace culture, where employees are encouraged to prioritize family time. He also talks about the upcoming All-Star game and the helping his players with the mental part of the game.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
The Dodgers kicking off a six game road trip, and
we're joined right now by the manager. Our Managers meeting
brought to you by Downy Hunday, and that's the one
and only Dave Roberts.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Dave, thanks again for the time. It's good being with you, Dave.
We've got a family trip here. So we've got Pittsburgh,
we've got Chicago, the South Side, the White Sox, so
it's gonna be a good road trip. It's gonna be
a lot of fun. And yeah, we're playing good baseball.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
You are the guy that sets the tone for the
family of the Dodgers, and you're gonna be really trying
to focus on family and your job because you're flying
back to be part of your daughter's graduation this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I am, I am. So I've got three games here
and then I'll get the first two in Chicago, and
then I'll fly back to my daughter's graduation on Saturday night,
which is on Sunday, and she's graduate waiting from Stanford.
So I'm really proud. And it is weird though, because
you never want to miss a game but I think
that this is a good reason.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Hey, the Rangers manager Skip Schumacher left the team for
a day to be at his son's high school graduation.
What's the balance for you, because obviously you have a
lot of responsibility, but also your family comes first.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
You know. I think the one thing for me is
that the world has evolved, and many can argue not
in a good way, in some ways good, some ways bad.
But I do think in a lot of ways from
the workplace sense of things, it's more open to kind
of people spending time with their families and knowing that
those moments are important. They're fleeting and so you know,
(01:43):
the job is going to get done with it without you,
And so for me, I encourage my coaches to enjoy,
you know, graduations, things like that. One of our coaches
had to leave for a surgery for their daughter, and
I certainly welcome that because there's nothing more important than family.
And it also I think when you get to do
(02:03):
moments with your family and other things that are really important,
I think you do your job better and then you
feel better about the people you work with.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
And for you've done this before with your son, Cole,
I'm curious when you're at your daughter's graduation, will you
be looking at your phone a lot? How are you
able to be present in the moment?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's a great question. So I don't know what I
did for Cole's graduation, but Emmy, it is going to
be a day game, and I think they are going
to overlap, so I think I might just try to
put my phone down be completely present.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Dave Roberts is our guest in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers will
have shoey Otani on the mound again. He's coming off
a really good start in Arizona, but obviously we started
to see the blister that he'd been dealing with. Where's
that at, David? Is there any concern?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Possum? Our trainer does a good job with the blisters,
and he's been with the Dodgers since I played for
the Dodgers, and he is a clubhouse favorite, and he
says that the blister is totally manageable, totally fine. Uh,
you know, not a big deal at all. So I
expect Showhy to be good on Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
I have random thoughts and with the All Star Game
and the voting going on right now, Showho Tani most
certainly will be voted in and maybe the top vote getter.
But since he is pitching again, I'm curious, with the
game being in Philadelphia, Sanchez having such a great year,
would you rule out completely Otani possibly being the starting
pitcher for the National League Or since you're the guy
(03:31):
and the Dodgers have greater aspirations, that's not something you
would you would venture into.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You know. Yeah, I don't know how. You know, obviously
you're looking at Sanchez, You're looking at Miz, you're looking
at Showey. Who's my guy. I don't know the schedule
for all the guys, but obviously I think that I
know show He's done it before. You know, Sanchez at home,
I think matters. You know. So I haven't made that
(03:57):
decision yet, but as we get closer, you know, things
can change. But as we get closer, I'll put more
thought into it.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Yeah, that's the fun side of baseball. And you have
a few players that maybe aren't number one as far
as the popularity contest. But how much do you believe
that Max mounth Sy and Andy paj has have earned
to start at their respective positions.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I think they've both earned it, and still we have
a lot of baseball left for the first half. But
as we kind of get kick off the fan voting
for the All Star Game, I really hope that, you know,
Los Angeles Dodger fans and fans all over the country
pitch in and support Max and Andy, specifically because Andy
lost out last year. Max has been I think a
(04:39):
few years since he's been an All Star, but they're
both having tremendous seasons, and you know, we draw more
than anyone. We have the best fan base than anyone,
so hopefully that can be reflected in the voting for
our guys.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
As far as the pitchers go, do you believe that
it's out of the question or not out of the
question that Justin Robleski could earn a spot?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, I think that you' should certainly and will certainly
be in the conversation. And I think Robo you can't
argue the numbers and the performance, So if he continues
to do what he's doing, I hope that he certainly
gets some consideration.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Dave Roberts is our guest before first pitch between the
Dodgers and Pirates the Manager's Meeting, presented by Downy Hunday.
All Right, Kyle Tucker. You've been asked a lot about him.
I thought it was interesting that Michael Conforto admitted last
week that he was trying to keep up with the
big boys on your team. That was a real candid answer.
(05:33):
Do you feel in some ways that Tucker may have
fallen into that same trap?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
You know, I don't know. I think that it's certainly
it's a big room. There's a lot of star power
in our room, and regardless of who you are, to
come into this is certainly daunting, can be daunting. It's
a very open, friendly clubhouse. But I certainly think as
peers and you kind of try to play the comparison game,
which is pretty tough. And yeah, Michael, I guess admitted
(06:01):
that a couple of weeks ago, and we had a
good heart to heart, you know, probably a little later
than it should have been, but you know, I was
always a big fan, and it wasn't for lack of
trying and preparation and just sort of talk to him
about getting back to himself and not comparing and trying
to you know, you know, be the athlete and fight
(06:21):
for everything you've got, because that's how we got to
the big leagues and I think it resonated with him,
and you know, we didn't get to kind of see
the fruits of that in the postseason, but he is
obviously having a great year this year, and I do
think that, you know, Kyle might be in that similar boat.
I haven't had that conversation with him yet, but I'm
still trying to learn him. And as a manager, you
(06:43):
don't want to push too much too soon and sort
of push players away. But I'm gaining more information every
day with Kyle. But I will say the last couple
of games he's been better. We gave him a day
off in that Philly series. I think that was a
better fit. And then so we'll get two out of three.
He had two out of the three days off with
(07:04):
the off day to come in come in fresh with
this series. So we'll see. But I'm keeping a watchful
eye on him.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Dave, you don't get enough credit for having to be
a counselor and understand every player is different. How big
of the job is that, especially with some of the
bigger names that you have in your clubhouse.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I would say it's it's the biggest part of the job.
If you have a pie chart, I would say that
the kind of the mental counseling, mentoring side of the
job is I would say probably you know, thirty five
forty percent. And I think that the end game, which
gets a lot of the scrutiny and the criticism, is
(07:47):
probably you know, thirty percent. So there's a lot of different,
you know, slices to the pie of my job, but
I will say that it's the biggest part, and it's
the most satisfying part, you know, of my job.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
A lot of people would, you know, guess that because
you have so many accomplished players, you wouldn't have to
be that positive reinforcement for a lot of these guys.
But it seems like you may have to do that
more than what people on the outside believe happens.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, absolutely, you know, just you know, I had a
couple of conversations this past homestand when we're playing the
Angels in the series, sat a couple of players down
and just kind of wanted to see where they were
at because they've been going through it and and I
think that we got to a good place and try
to give them some perspective on expectations and what they
are doing well and try to free them up and
(08:39):
so yeah, it's not talked about a lot because obviously
I have to, you know, mind the privacy and respect
the privacy of the clubhouse and the players. But these conversations,
Dave were happening all the time with guys in the bullpen,
the pitchers, you know, me and miggi Row, which we've
talked about a lot. Last year had a lot of conversations,
you know, when he was looking at being done with
(09:02):
the game because he was so frustrated and trying to
talk him off the ledge and keep him positive and
you know, and it's obviously we know he had his
moment in the World Series. So these are these are
good things and these are more life lesson conversations.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Some of my favorite scenes over the years with you
being the manager is how you have those conversations with
players as the game is going on, You'll call somebody
down and have a conversation with them.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I do. I like that because it just I want
to there's certain moments, there's certain things that are happening
there as certain players that are performing that I want
that I feel that it resonates with them and their
game and I want them to not miss that moment
and so you know, whether it's Robo, it's Roki, it's
Max Munsey when he was younger, it's it doesn't matter,
(09:47):
it's Dalton rushing. There's certain guys, Emma Shehan, you know,
you know certain guys that are doing certain things. I
want these guys not to you know. I like them
talking to each other, you know, a little banter around
the end of the bench, and that's all, and they
are watching the game. But I think as a manager
it's important for me it also pick them out, single
them out and take a little bit of time with
(10:07):
them to kind of point something out to them. Love it.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Thank you for the insight. It's always great catching up
with you, and again another great week with you. And
congratulations to you, your wife and your daughter for accomplishing
something big graduating from Stanford. So congratulations to a great dad,
a proud papa.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Thanks Dave, I appreciate you. And let's win a ball
game tonight.
And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
The Dodgers kicking off a six game road trip, and
we're joined right now by the manager. Our Managers meeting
brought to you by Downy Hunday, and that's the one
and only Dave Roberts.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Dave, thanks again for the time. It's good being with you, Dave.
We've got a family trip here. So we've got Pittsburgh,
we've got Chicago, the South Side, the White Sox, so
it's gonna be a good road trip. It's gonna be
a lot of fun. And yeah, we're playing good baseball.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
You are the guy that sets the tone for the
family of the Dodgers, and you're gonna be really trying
to focus on family and your job because you're flying
back to be part of your daughter's graduation this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I am, I am. So I've got three games here
and then I'll get the first two in Chicago, and
then I'll fly back to my daughter's graduation on Saturday night,
which is on Sunday, and she's graduate waiting from Stanford.
So I'm really proud. And it is weird though, because
you never want to miss a game but I think
that this is a good reason.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Hey, the Rangers manager Skip Schumacher left the team for
a day to be at his son's high school graduation.
What's the balance for you, because obviously you have a
lot of responsibility, but also your family comes first.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
You know. I think the one thing for me is
that the world has evolved, and many can argue not
in a good way, in some ways good, some ways bad.
But I do think in a lot of ways from
the workplace sense of things, it's more open to kind
of people spending time with their families and knowing that
those moments are important. They're fleeting and so you know,
(01:43):
the job is going to get done with it without you,
And so for me, I encourage my coaches to enjoy,
you know, graduations, things like that. One of our coaches
had to leave for a surgery for their daughter, and
I certainly welcome that because there's nothing more important than family.
And it also I think when you get to do
(02:03):
moments with your family and other things that are really important,
I think you do your job better and then you
feel better about the people you work with.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
And for you've done this before with your son, Cole,
I'm curious when you're at your daughter's graduation, will you
be looking at your phone a lot? How are you
able to be present in the moment?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's a great question. So I don't know what I
did for Cole's graduation, but Emmy, it is going to
be a day game, and I think they are going
to overlap, so I think I might just try to
put my phone down be completely present.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Dave Roberts is our guest in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers will
have shoey Otani on the mound again. He's coming off
a really good start in Arizona, but obviously we started
to see the blister that he'd been dealing with. Where's
that at, David? Is there any concern?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Possum? Our trainer does a good job with the blisters,
and he's been with the Dodgers since I played for
the Dodgers, and he is a clubhouse favorite, and he
says that the blister is totally manageable, totally fine. Uh,
you know, not a big deal at all. So I
expect Showhy to be good on Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
I have random thoughts and with the All Star Game
and the voting going on right now, Showho Tani most
certainly will be voted in and maybe the top vote getter.
But since he is pitching again, I'm curious, with the
game being in Philadelphia, Sanchez having such a great year,
would you rule out completely Otani possibly being the starting
pitcher for the National League Or since you're the guy
(03:31):
and the Dodgers have greater aspirations, that's not something you
would you would venture into.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You know. Yeah, I don't know how. You know, obviously
you're looking at Sanchez, You're looking at Miz, you're looking
at Showey. Who's my guy. I don't know the schedule
for all the guys, but obviously I think that I
know show He's done it before. You know, Sanchez at home,
I think matters. You know. So I haven't made that
(03:57):
decision yet, but as we get closer, you know, things
can change. But as we get closer, I'll put more
thought into it.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Yeah, that's the fun side of baseball. And you have
a few players that maybe aren't number one as far
as the popularity contest. But how much do you believe
that Max mounth Sy and Andy paj has have earned
to start at their respective positions.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I think they've both earned it, and still we have
a lot of baseball left for the first half. But
as we kind of get kick off the fan voting
for the All Star Game, I really hope that, you know,
Los Angeles Dodger fans and fans all over the country
pitch in and support Max and Andy, specifically because Andy
lost out last year. Max has been I think a
(04:39):
few years since he's been an All Star, but they're
both having tremendous seasons, and you know, we draw more
than anyone. We have the best fan base than anyone,
so hopefully that can be reflected in the voting for
our guys.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
As far as the pitchers go, do you believe that
it's out of the question or not out of the
question that Justin Robleski could earn a spot?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Well, I think that you' should certainly and will certainly
be in the conversation. And I think Robo you can't
argue the numbers and the performance, So if he continues
to do what he's doing, I hope that he certainly
gets some consideration.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Dave Roberts is our guest before first pitch between the
Dodgers and Pirates the Manager's Meeting, presented by Downy Hunday.
All Right, Kyle Tucker. You've been asked a lot about him.
I thought it was interesting that Michael Conforto admitted last
week that he was trying to keep up with the
big boys on your team. That was a real candid answer.
(05:33):
Do you feel in some ways that Tucker may have
fallen into that same trap?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
You know, I don't know. I think that it's certainly
it's a big room. There's a lot of star power
in our room, and regardless of who you are, to
come into this is certainly daunting, can be daunting. It's
a very open, friendly clubhouse. But I certainly think as
peers and you kind of try to play the comparison game,
which is pretty tough. And yeah, Michael, I guess admitted
(06:01):
that a couple of weeks ago, and we had a
good heart to heart, you know, probably a little later
than it should have been, but you know, I was
always a big fan, and it wasn't for lack of
trying and preparation and just sort of talk to him
about getting back to himself and not comparing and trying
to you know, you know, be the athlete and fight
(06:21):
for everything you've got, because that's how we got to
the big leagues and I think it resonated with him,
and you know, we didn't get to kind of see
the fruits of that in the postseason, but he is
obviously having a great year this year, and I do
think that, you know, Kyle might be in that similar boat.
I haven't had that conversation with him yet, but I'm
still trying to learn him. And as a manager, you
(06:43):
don't want to push too much too soon and sort
of push players away. But I'm gaining more information every
day with Kyle. But I will say the last couple
of games he's been better. We gave him a day
off in that Philly series. I think that was a
better fit. And then so we'll get two out of three.
He had two out of the three days off with
(07:04):
the off day to come in come in fresh with
this series. So we'll see. But I'm keeping a watchful
eye on him.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Dave, you don't get enough credit for having to be
a counselor and understand every player is different. How big
of the job is that, especially with some of the
bigger names that you have in your clubhouse.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I would say it's it's the biggest part of the job.
If you have a pie chart, I would say that
the kind of the mental counseling, mentoring side of the
job is I would say probably you know, thirty five
forty percent. And I think that the end game, which
gets a lot of the scrutiny and the criticism, is
(07:47):
probably you know, thirty percent. So there's a lot of different,
you know, slices to the pie of my job, but
I will say that it's the biggest part, and it's
the most satisfying part, you know, of my job.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
A lot of people would, you know, guess that because
you have so many accomplished players, you wouldn't have to
be that positive reinforcement for a lot of these guys.
But it seems like you may have to do that
more than what people on the outside believe happens.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, absolutely, you know, just you know, I had a
couple of conversations this past homestand when we're playing the
Angels in the series, sat a couple of players down
and just kind of wanted to see where they were
at because they've been going through it and and I
think that we got to a good place and try
to give them some perspective on expectations and what they
are doing well and try to free them up and
(08:39):
so yeah, it's not talked about a lot because obviously
I have to, you know, mind the privacy and respect
the privacy of the clubhouse and the players. But these conversations,
Dave were happening all the time with guys in the bullpen,
the pitchers, you know, me and miggi Row, which we've
talked about a lot. Last year had a lot of conversations,
you know, when he was looking at being done with
(09:02):
the game because he was so frustrated and trying to
talk him off the ledge and keep him positive and
you know, and it's obviously we know he had his
moment in the World Series. So these are these are
good things and these are more life lesson conversations.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Some of my favorite scenes over the years with you
being the manager is how you have those conversations with
players as the game is going on, You'll call somebody
down and have a conversation with them.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I do. I like that because it just I want
to there's certain moments, there's certain things that are happening
there as certain players that are performing that I want
that I feel that it resonates with them and their
game and I want them to not miss that moment
and so you know, whether it's Robo, it's Roki, it's
Max Munsey when he was younger, it's it doesn't matter,
(09:47):
it's Dalton rushing. There's certain guys, Emma Shehan, you know,
you know certain guys that are doing certain things. I
want these guys not to you know. I like them
talking to each other, you know, a little banter around
the end of the bench, and that's all, and they
are watching the game. But I think as a manager
it's important for me it also pick them out, single
them out and take a little bit of time with
(10:07):
them to kind of point something out to them. Love it.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Thank you for the insight. It's always great catching up
with you, and again another great week with you. And
congratulations to you, your wife and your daughter for accomplishing
something big graduating from Stanford. So congratulations to a great dad,
a proud papa.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Thanks Dave, I appreciate you. And let's win a ball
game tonight.
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com