February 1, 2025 • 48 mins
A special edition of Dodger Talk with David Vassegh at DodgerFest 2025. DV talks to Gavin Stone, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's been a great first two hours at Dodger Fest.
David Vaz say live on your home for the World
Series Champion Dodgers. Thank you to Andrew Freeman for answering
very uncomfortably and candidly to some of those questions about
Keik Hernandez and showho Tani's timeline. But he's awesome. He
was balancing taking care of his daughters. So he is
(00:23):
a hero to the people for resigning Taoscar Hernandez and
a hero to me personally for bringing in the two
times two time Cy Young Award winner Snell Zilla, Blake Snell,
Blake Snell. And I'm joined right now by a man
that I need in my life every day, and we're
gonna have to FaceTime while he's rehabbing from that shoulder surgery.
(00:45):
A man that made more starts than any other Dodger
last year, a man that pitched more innings than any
other Dodger last year. A man that was the only
Dodger to pitch a complete game shutout last year in
Chicago against the White Sox. That is the one and
only Gavin Stone from Arkansas.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Thank you, Dave.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
What an introduction that was.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Thank you man, I'm happy to see you. I'm happy
you were just hanging out in that green room doing
absolutely nothing to.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Cut on the show.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
That was my downtown. I didn't have anything to do
with that time.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
It was so weird and creepy how you and Kyle
Hurt put your heads through the door like kids at
summer camp. I mean, like it was so creepy the
way you guys were creeping up on me.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I haven't seen Yoshi yet. That was the first time
I saw Yoshi. Yeah, he looks good, and yeah, I
thought I was. I know he's Yamamoto said I had
to lose weight, did Yeah, Youiro lost some weight.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah he did. Maybe that's why he's on me.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
To you on that train.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Dang it.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I know my doctor said I have to lose ten pounds.
That's the shortcut, waist stone. I think I'm going to
do that.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Maybe the people that walk by here, if you feel
like they've lost abnormally a lot of weight, we could
just pick and say Ozimpik yes.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Or no, Okay, there's probably I mean, are you.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
A Kardashian fan? How about this guy from my heart
right here, Skinny Rob Kardashing Ozempig Rob Kardashian right.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Here, I know zero about the Kardashians. Yeah, help with
them at all.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Okay, you're not keeping up with the Kardashians. Hey, hey, hello, No,
I'm not at all. I try not to anyways. Gavin Stone,
how's life.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It's good. It's good.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Just been back home from Arkansas and Phoenix back and
forth all off season. But I'm in Phoenix now for good.
So be there for a while.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, you will.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I heard. It's a real examination. It's like being in
the desert for forty days and forty nights grinding through rehab.
Walker Buehlers told me about it.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, I mean, I love Phoenix is a beautiful area
of beautiful town. I mean, so that part will be nice,
but you know, I'll definitely miss being on the mound pitching,
being a competitor in that aspect of it. But just
found new hob for this.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
This year, I guess, I mean being such a competitor, right,
you have to find a way to turn rehab into
a competition, I would imagine.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, that's that's probably the hardest part, is is there
not being any like sort of competition in that aspect
of like pitching in a big league game, So that'll
be tough, and you know, the adrenaline that that we
all thrown for and just find the new ways to
find that throughout this year and and you know, staying
positive is a big thing and keep the momenttal good.
So yeah, looking forward to just you know, getting through
(03:29):
it and getting back on the mound.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
When you look back at your great rookie season, obviously
disappointing that you couldn't be part of October, but you
were such a big part to help the Dodgers get there.
Was there one game? Was it Chicago? Was it the
complete game? Is there moments in time that you think
back and say, man, that's when I arrived?
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Uh yeah, maybe I think just you know, being in
a clubhouse with a bunch of veterans like we had
and and learning from them, learning and watching and and
you know, just having them there and helped me along
the way. But Chicago was a big one, really definitely
a confidence boost there. And then had a little downstretch
through or after the All Star break and curse was
(04:10):
kind of the one to kind of put me back.
Cursing Barnes kind of help helped me like get back
on track after that, and so you know, credit to
those guys in the clubhouse, they really they really help
each other and help everybody around him.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Gavin Stone is joining us here at Dodger Fast on
m five seventy LA Sports and I'm glad you brought
up Kershaw because he really took an interest in you.
How much did he help you? And I guess that
says a lot about you for him to even want
to help you.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, I mean just figuring out what kind of competitor
he was and then trying to be trying to replicate
that on the mound.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I think that was the.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Biggest thing, you know, in all aspects of it, in
the weight room, on the mound, you know, eating with
his family, like he's he's a great dude overall and
at all aspects, and he's a great competitor, and so
just learning how how he goes out there and competes
every day and and and trying to replicate that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
When you saw Walker Buehler come out of the bullpen
in Game five of the World Series, what was Gavin
Stone thinking.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
I knew he was going to go in as soon
as I saw him walk down there, I knew he
was going to go in. We didn't have a lot
of arms to begin with, and I mean he was
he was pretty much he was good to go. That
was the last game of the year, and so he
was on a couple of days' rest, I think, more
than what we had in the bullpen at the time.
So I knew that if it was closed, then he
was definitely gonna get his shot, and that's that's what
(05:29):
he lives for, and I'm glad he got that shot.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Were you in the dugout that night in Game five?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah, I was, And I was in the dugout and
watched him run down. I don't even think Mark knew
he ran down at that time, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Did he tip any of you guys off that he
was doing it.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
No, I just seen him walk behind me because I
was on the rail and I just saw him walk
behind me with the spikes on his glove, and you
just took.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Off when you see a guy like that do what
he did and you saw the result winning the World Series.
Did you visualize Gavin Stone one day being that guy?
Would you love to be that guy in that situation?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Oh? I think everybody, everybody that loves baseball and wants
to be a competitor, would thrive in that situation and
love to be put in that situation, but Walker's a
different animal, and to succeed in that situation, and and
just to know how much he has succeeded in the postseason,
especially the World Series. He was the right man for
that job. And that was really cool that he got
that moment.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Man so cool because he's meant so much to the
Dodgers and if that's going to be the last image,
I mean, that's what a way to go out, right. Yeah,
he's a post.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
He's a hero forever.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Have you thought about your post? Would you do a
Walker Bueller post? No, you don't seem to be that
type of guy.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
No, Walk's got the poses down and he was actually
he was trying to decide. I feel like he was
trying to decide what he wanted to do, and that
was that was what he came up with, which I
mean credit to him, it was great, but uh, yeah,
that was that was really cool.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
We were debating about holidays, me and Gavin Stone before
we came on the air. You're a big Thanksgiving guy.
I might skip the country next year for Thanksgiving. Why
do you love? Why do you love Thanksgiving so much.
I mean, I'm not a Turkey guy.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I love the Fall. My birthday's in the fall, Halloween's
in the fall. Christmas is not in the fall.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
You won the World Series in the Fall, the Fall
classic exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
The Fall is the best time of the year.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
When's your birthday?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
October fifteenth?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Mine's October tenth. You were a Libra? Are you really? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Nice?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
There we go. And October fifteenth, I believe, is the
date that Kirk Gibson hit his walk off home run.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Nineteen ninety eight. Right, eighty eight eighty eight, okay, ten
years before I was born.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
You didn't tell me happy birthday.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
You didn't tell me happy birthday.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I didn't know your birthday was a tenth day.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I never knew it was the fifteenth.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
By the way the Dodgers posted it, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I mean, they give everybody a happy Birthday wish.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I know you saw it.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
They even give Tim never to Happy Birthday wish on Twitter.
I mean, you think you're special.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
You're right, You're right. You seem to be.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
A guy that really wants to promote his birthday two
weeks before I'm learning a lot about you holidays and
birthdays right now.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
No, I'm not at all.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You just promoted your birthday.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I'm just saying all the greatest events of the year
are in You.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Just promoted your October fifteenth birthday on February first.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, if you want to give me a cake or something, yeah, exactly,
birthday present. Six month mark is coming up. My half birthdays.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Can you celebrate half birthdays too? You're like, my kids.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Might as well if people are going to give you presents.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Oh my gosh. By the way, Fourth of July barbecue
way better than Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
That's debatable. I don't know about that. Where I'm from,
there's mosquitos everywhere, and so you can't really like you
can enjoy Fourth of July.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
I don't think you can enjoy a lot from where
you're from. You just said Phoenix. Yeah, trust me, I
will never be in Arkansas, I don't. You're the best thing.
And Derek Fisher too, the greatest things to come out
of Arkansas. And Bill Clinton Yeah yeah, Hey, I don't
know where you stand politically, but Bill Clinton a famous
(09:01):
guy either way. Those are the three famous guys.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Derek Fisher, Joe Johnson. We got Joe Johnson.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Please we sind it right here. Hey, thanks a lot.
And like I said, while you're grinding in Arizona coming
back to be better than ever, you better not ignore
my face times.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I won't. I won't if you bring a boom box
with it. I want to unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Hey, man, I love you and I loved watching you
do your thing last year. You're gonna come back. You're
gonna be bigger, stronger, greater. It's all gonna come together.
Everything happens for a reason, even your birthday.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Thank you. I appreciate it too.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
I love you, Gavin Stone, You're the man. Seriously, Hey,
Freddy Freeman's coming on next? What should I ask him? Landon?
I wasn't expecting Landon. That doesn't look Hey, I have
to hate to break this to you. That doesn't look
like Freddy Freeman. I love Landon neck, but uh see
that's what I'm telling you. This wall right here, you
never know. It's like a socize it pops out.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I know.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I people just surprise you all the.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Hey Guanderado player relations. If I stand next to him,
maybe Yamamoto will think I lost weight. Right Hey, Hey, hello,
Dodger Fest Unplugged.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Get out.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
You didn't get all Hey neck, do you know what
Gavinstone's birthday is? He just promoted it October fifteenth. He
just promoted on February first that his birthdays on October fifteenth.
He wants to give me.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
A birthday present exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Thank you. We're gonna take a time out here on
Dodger Tuck. I think three things you learned from this segment.
Gavin Stone a great guy. We got a lot of
love for each other. His birthday's October fifteenth. He celebrates
his half birthday, and he's got a lot of mosquitos
in his house in Arkansas. Dodger Tuck rolls on from
Dodger Stadium on a five seventy LA Sports David Vassey
(10:54):
Live at Dodger Fest. Thanks to my guy, Gavin Stone
for being a great spoil. Always loved talking to Gavin
and what an ultimate competitor he was for the Dodgers
with all their pitching injuries to their veterans last year,
it was the rookie that made more starts and pitched
more innings than any other Dodger last year, and that
was Gavin Stone. And that will be. One of the
(11:16):
highlights of twenty twenty four's regular season was Gavin Stone
pitching that complete game shutout. And one thing I'll never
forget is that Gavin Stone wants me to celebrate his
half birthday, and that he's a guy that promotes his
birthday on February first, which is going to be on
October fifteenth. So a guy that I will never forget.
(11:37):
Oh man, I'm so nervous for this. I don't know
why I'm so nervous for this. I brought my notes.
My guy, Freddie Freeman is here, Freddy, Freddy Man, Oh
there he is number five.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Have you been sitting in this corner all day?
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Yes? I wanted to. I should have brought a lava lamp.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
You know we have some for the kids now. Taking
it back to when I was a.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Kid, right right, Everything retro is current again, Freddy?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I like it. Yeah, Yeah, I'm retro.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
You're retro. You're retro.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Thank god, you look good.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Yamamoto said, I need to lose weight. Do you feel
like I've gained a lot of weight this off season?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Freddy, No, way, he said that he did.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
He did? He said, ah, you know a little bit,
a little bit too much?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Then why would he say that.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
I feel like I have. I'm projecting and I know
I have, But I'm not taking any medical or pharmaceutical shortcuts.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Freddy, No, I am not going to answer those questions
about weight. Just not going to do that. I think
you look great.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Did you know Gavin Stone announced to us his birthdays
on October fifteenth? He's a guy that likes to promote
his birthday. Would you think Gavin Stone was that type
of guy?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
No, I know, I didn't know. He talked very much.
I know exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
It was depressing when he said there were a lot
of mosquitoes in Arkansas. I said, who would have guessed
that October fifteenth?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Huh? Yeah, all right, it's good to know.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Great segue. By the way, October fifteenth, nineteen eighty eight,
was the day Kirk Gibson hit his walk off home
run the world.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Now, I understand why you brought up Gavin Stone's birthday. Well,
you're good at this.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
This was lined up perfectly. It was meant to be,
like Freddie Freeman was meant to be at the plate
that night, in that moment.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, so let me to talk about it.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
I'm nervous so that's why I brought I felt like
Chris Farley here, just like you know, I feel like
I'm more emotional about October.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
I didn't October, No, it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
But that's when Gibson hit his. Yours was a different date.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
You hit it in the same same area. I heard
it was like the same time.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Yeah, they might put like a blue seat where you
hit it, like where they did for Kirk Gibson. Cool
it would, Yeah, it will live in infamy.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, I've thought about it every day pretty much.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
I mean, when you go to the grocery store, what's
it like.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I really can't go anywhere right now, which is which
is fun because you know that sports in general can
it just means so much to some two people. And
obviously as I'm out in the community and I don't
think I've made it through one outing without someone coming
up to me, which is really cool that people care
(14:11):
so much and care about the Dodgers. And and with
that home run, I just did a luncheon and there's
a guy that had a tattoo of me on his leg.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
So geez, that's when you know it means something.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, and then obviously a lot of other people were
coming up at the luncheon saying how much that home
run meant and the world series and telling us where
it was. One guy was there for Kurt Gibson's home run.
So it's to hear people like like when you do
it and you're out there and then you go home
and you got to get ready for the next game.
But then I've told people like about a month ago,
(14:43):
Charlie and I went down a rabbit hole on YouTube
because he wanted and with YouTube, right, yeah, and just
to see all the reactions and how it affected people
in such a positive way. It's it does bring chills
to you. And to be able to be a part
to that and to deliver because I mean just and
(15:03):
how like I watched the video later on and how
they panned out over the stadium Joe Davis is talking,
and how the whole thing was set up. It it's
like giving me kind of goosebumps right now when you
when you look back at it and think about it,
and to be able to come through in those kind
of moments, I mean, that's what you dream about, you know,
(15:25):
just like how Joe said, it is what you think
about in backyards. I mean it's the same thing that
I was doing with my two brothers when we were
playing woofot balls in our front yard. Our backyard wasn't
pick enough what we did in the front yard, and
and and for it to happen again, like but in
a big League game thirty years later, when I was
playing woofotball with my brothers, it's it's incredible. And like
(15:45):
Joe Davis and how he set that whole thing up
was you know, obviously I didn't know anything about it
until I watched it and I was like, wow, you know,
Joe was incredible and to hit it on the head
and then after he sets the whole thing up to
do it on the first pitch, it was like, I
think that made it that, you know, Like, I mean,
it would have been awesome if it was like the
twelfth pick too, but after he set that up to
(16:06):
happen immediately, that's But Yeah, the grocery store things kind
of out. Yeah, I don't really try.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Hey, you're out of going to the grocery store.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
I've been out of a lot of things with the surgery,
so but yeah, I believe me, I think I have
when I'm out. There's no lesson at least if it's
just a like, I'll go to Jan's Health Bar. It's
in Orange County and I get a smoothie there. And
I don't think I've made it out of Jans without
taking pictures or anything like that. And that's oh, Chris,
(16:39):
I haven't been there. We did Mastros the other day
and one of the chefs comes out and he's got
a Dodger hat on. So yeah, I don't think. I don't.
I can't go anywhere right now. But that's a good
thing because that means really good things happened.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Freddie, you and your wife also had a little vacation together. Yeah,
deservedly so. And I'll just out myself right now. I
zoomed in on your right foot, yeah, to see if
you had a boot on or sandals I've had.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I've had some interesting sandals. I didn't pick any of
those outfits. I think everyone knows that. Yeah. I just
whatever is in the bag and what I'm told to
where I wear. Yeah. So we did that a couple
of weeks ago. It was it was planned because our
ten year anniversary was in November. A little busy, didn't
have much time to plan. Uh, so we kind of
(17:25):
waited through the holidays and we did Mexico for a
ten year anniversary. So we had a good time. Obviously,
our family's been through a lot. Max is doing better,
so we just needed a we just needed a week,
you know, just to relax because you I mean, you know,
you're married and so when when you have kids, you're
just trying to get You're doing everything with your kids
(17:46):
every single day, and it's nice to be able to
reconnect and you know, just sit there and hang out
with your wife. And you know, we had a great time.
It was a great week. We came home and it's
right back into we We got home in the door
and they just started crying. Someone was hit each other.
I was just like, yeah, I'm sure we should have
stayed longer, but it was a great time. Where but
(18:07):
now it's back to you know, getting ready for the
season again.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
How do you feel physically? I mean, obviously we knew
about the ankle, but you know, the ribs and all
that stuff. Yeah, how does is Freddy Freeman like tape
together right now?
Speaker 3 (18:20):
To be here?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I'm two of the injuries or one hundred percent. My
broken fingers all good, my broken ribs all good. I
am two months eight weeks as of two days ago
Thursday out of surgery, and that was the first day
I hit. So I hit for the first time two
days ago, I felt good. I hit again yesterday felt
good again. Still not clear to run, but yeah, two
(18:43):
days ago was a big day for me because if
I wasn't able to respond like I did yesterday, I
think we would have been in trouble. Being able to
be ready by Tokyo. It was a good sign. I
feel good today with back to back days of hitting,
so I would have been able to hit today if
but it was you know, scheduled days off and Monday
I work. I did four sets of seven and tes
(19:06):
the last two days, so twenty eight swings, and on Monday,
I will it goes into flips too. So I think
I will be full bore hitting by by the time
probably spring training, when I get the spring training, because
I'm gonna stay here this whole next week and be
doing my PTE down in Orange County for a whole
nother week and then I'll get the spring training. So
(19:27):
I think hitting wise, I'll be ready to roll. I'll
be able to hit, batting practice, do all that. But
I start doing I think by the end of next
week some side to side stuff, you know, like movement,
and then being able to do uh, you know, then
I'll be a running progression in spring training. So I
will probably not be playing the first couple of games
of spring training, as you guys probably know, I'll get
(19:49):
antsy and try and force my way into somehow. You know,
I'll just DH, you'll have one, so I'll just runner. No,
I'll just dh we don't have a DH, so right,
and then but the beauty of spring training is I'll
be able to even a show he's playing. In the
real games, I can go into the backfields and get
a bat, so I will be able to I think,
(20:10):
be able to hit and see some live abs and
then hopefully the running progression. I feel good, you know,
that's it's all about how I feel. So but I'm
in a good spot going into I was, you know,
it was a little up and down. I was a
little nervous how I was going to feel a couple
of days ago. But ultimately I am feeling pretty good right.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Now, Freddie, I know you have to go, but I'm
just curious. The day of Game one of the World Series, Yes,
when you got out of bed that day and put
your your right foot down and just start to get
yourself going. Did you know, did you feel like, oh, wow,
I feel a lot better than I did even five
days ago.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I was feeling pretty good two days going into that.
I had still not run since Game five of the NLCS,
because then we had the day off and then I
didn't play six. Hi Brandon, who are you Joe? So
I hadn't run, but I was feeling good walking and
(21:10):
and doing all that. But the first time I ran,
like I told you guys, I ran when we did
the introduction was the first time I took more than
a walk and I was running out there. I was like, oh,
I actually feel pretty good. And as I was coming
down the line, all the trainers like, Freddy, you look great,
and I was like, I know, I feel pretty good.
And but I was feeling good. My swing was like
I said, I have I called my dad, like two
(21:32):
days before game one, I said, Dad, I figured it out.
And I mean as as my dadd said yeah, he
was all and he was like, yeah, I didn't think
you figured it out, and he goes. I watched you
play in the Mets series and you were awful. So
he was like, I was just hoping that you were
being honest, and I did. I felt really good. I
got my foot in a spot where I could actually
(21:52):
have some some strength into that into the ground, and
I felt like my swing was in a good spot.
So I was feeling good swing wise. I just didn't
know how my ankle was gonna hold up. And my
ribs were feeling pretty good by then. My finger was
feeling pretty good by then. But you just didn't know.
And I'm you know, a lot of people go, I
(22:12):
can't believe you had to run out a triple in
the first in your first step bat and actually said, no,
that was actually a good thing because I was able
to do that and get up and I was like, oh,
I'm okay. So it was almost like a weight was
able to come off my shoulders when I knew I
was able to run those bases and get up and
not be like, oh man, my ankle's killing me. I
got a limp now. I never limped once in the
(22:33):
World Series. I felt good. We had a great treatment
plan going, and that's why I thought after the World Series,
it was like, oh, I'll just rest and you know,
do some pt and I'll be good to go. But
three weeks after the World Series end, I was I'm like,
something's not right, you know, like my ankle still hurts.
(22:53):
And so I was in Atlanta for Thanksgiving doing it
with all our family there, and I texted Thomas, our
head trainer. I was like, I think it's time to
get this thing looked at. It's just not that I
can't get the swelling out. And so when I came
home from Atlanta, that's when we got the MRI. And
I got the MRI, I go up and look in
(23:14):
there like you need surgery? Wait a second, what? And
so that's the how that hold because I was feeling
great during the World Series. So that's why I was like, oh,
I'll just heal bit some time. That's why I know.
I've been asked the question of why did you wait
so long after the World Series and I was like, whoa,
I've just played the World Series and felt pretty good.
So I thought, just some rest. And so that was
the reason of why it was about four weeks after
(23:37):
that I had the surgery, because I was like, I
just wasn't getting better. So but luckily we got it
done and it wasn't. I had tore some ligaments too
and my ankle, but that had healed enough in those
weeks after the World Series that I didn't have to
thankfully get those fixed, because if I had to repair those,
I probably wouldn't have been able to make it to Tokyo,
which would have been a more extensive rehab. So a
(23:58):
lot of being good actually happened. So we cleaned up
the ankle and I'm feeling pretty good and hopefully the
running progression like it's going to start next week and
I have no setbacks. I think everyone that knows me,
I'll probably just tell everyone that I don't have any
setbacks and I feel great. Yeah, I feel great, but
(24:19):
I'm in a good spot, way better. My ankle's feeling
better each day, more work on it every day, and
it's it's responding really well. So I feel like I'm
in a good spot to be able to make it
to Tokyo in six weeks. I can't believe it's already happening.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I know, I can't believe it even.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Such a short off season, but a good reason why.
It's sweet, right, Definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
It'll be great, Freddie, when you're on that third baseline
and you get your ring and you'll get to feel
everything that the fans deserve to give you that day.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
I know, getting here and you know, seeing all these
fans and the excitement, I just can't wait to get
the ring and just to experience spring training and the excitement.
I mean, you saw our ownership group went out and
did it again this offseason, and I think that's why
fans are so excited, because you know, the hard working fans,
(25:13):
they come and support us, spend the money here, and
to see the organization that you're support supporting us, spending
your money on is going right back into the to
the product that is awesome to see. And I think
that's why everyone. I mean, obviously we have great players,
but to go out there and see the ownership you're
into year out, go out and try and put the
best team on the field. I think that's why everyone
(25:35):
there's such a buzz around here, and I think we're
all hungry to try and be the first team in
twenty five years to do this back to back, you know,
since the Yankees, and it's incredibly hard to do obviously,
but I think we've put ourselves in a good spot
to be able to go out there and do it,
and we got to get us a little bit healthy,
and yeah, some of us need this. We needed an
(25:56):
extra month, but I think we're gonna be ready to
go and try and start this journey again.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Freddie. It was truly an honor and a privilege to
watch your journey last year and the way it ended.
Like I told you so many times, I think the
game in bigger picture life rewarded you, Freddie, because you're
a champion of a person, even before all of that,
and I mean everything that you and Chelsea went through
(26:24):
and how strong Maximus was and just who you are.
I mean, honestly, what a great journey. And man, I
feel like I need ankle certainty after everything you just said.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yeah, but I appreciate those kind words. And my family's
doing good. Maximus is doing well and we'll get the
spring training and I'm sure Chelsea will share some pictures
and he's he's still not walking completely normal, but he's
so close. And if you would have told us five
months ago that he would have been where he is now,
we would have been ecstatic. And he's doing great. If
(26:56):
you walk into the house and you saw him on
the couch, you would know nothing is wrong. He's still
a joy, he's still fun. He's starting to run more so.
Once we get that strength back into his left it's
his left leg. Once he gets that strengthened his left leg,
he was going to be flying around the bases. You'll
see him after on Sunday's basis. Yeah, and so we're
looking forward to it. We're looking forward to getting back
(27:17):
out in spring training, getting this thing going.
Speaker 5 (27:18):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Ye, thank you, Freddie.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Great to see you. Oh man, it's been awesome. Truly
your privileged, really Freddy, to be around you and just
to see the way you live your life and the
way you go about things. It really is awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Man.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
World Series MVP.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I mean cool.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I mean thirty years from now I'll be hosting. Let's
look back at the twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Being a walker.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
I might be in the walk there.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
There, Freddy seventy.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Hopefully I'll lose weight by that, right, Freddy.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
No, I'm not Freddy David.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
I love you to Freddy. Freddie Freeman the World Series MVP,
A champion to the people. And when we continue, Mookie
Betts eto one's favorite son from Japan. Well, join us
next on a five seventy LA Sports. We are coming
down the home stretch here of Dodger Fest. We are
alive at Dodger Stadium. Thank you to Freddie Freeman. I
(28:13):
kept it together, you know, I didn't freak out or
fanboy out too much. Mookie bets with Freddy Freeman. When
do you think the line is when I could stop
asking him about that walk off grand slam.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
I'm gonna set it at four.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
I don't know if I told four what.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Hey, by the way, the way I knew that was
a grand slam out of the ballpark was watching you
from my vantage point. Oh yeah, I saw you jump off.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
I remember that.
Speaker 6 (28:41):
I remember that, and that I remember seeing that that
moment of his bat hitting the ball and.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
The this what it looked like.
Speaker 6 (28:52):
I just instantly jumped and uh yeah that was that
was amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
That was That's what I saw. I saw you jump.
I know, see you jump that high before it. And
then Magic Johnson was right there and he like pointed
at me after after they I'm all like.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
This is yeah.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
That was crazy man. That was for him to do that.
I mean, the real the impressive thing was just he
what what.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
He was going through together.
Speaker 6 (29:17):
Yeah, that was what he's going through to get ready,
and you could not tell. I mean, I guess you
could tell, but you couldn't tell.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
At the same time, that seemed like, probably behind the scenes,
kind of set the tone for everybody else, whatever nagging
injury you had going on, this guy's going out there
with a broken ankle and bad ribs and all that.
Speaker 6 (29:35):
And it was like, no matter what, you just got
to get ready to play and get ready to play
and give us what you got. And everybody did. I
mean even show, you know, show played through hurting his
shoulder right there, and that was huge. That was that
was for him, just to show up and play every
day and prepare like that.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Like you said, it's just set the example.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You know. What I also remember was the first conversation
you and I I had in spring training last year.
How you were on a mission. You had a chip
on your shoulder from day one, and and you it
came to fulfillment. You silenced all the critics.
Speaker 5 (30:12):
Yeah, that was that was good man, That was really good.
Speaker 6 (30:16):
I was proud of myself, proud of myself for really
kind of locking myself in in uh in the cage
and and really getting to it and getting after it
and then but you know, it was really my teammates. Man,
that my teammates that that was the.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
They're they're the best. They're the best.
Speaker 6 (30:34):
I mean, those guys really rallied behind me. You know,
they were in the cage support me. I mean it
was it was really like unbelievable stuff that nobody would
ever hear or see. You know, those are things that
that helped us win. I mean, yeah, but my my
teammates are really responsible for you know a.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Lot of that.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
You got the same guys coming back.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
Yeah, that's the beauty. That's the beauty about it. So
I know, I'm good. I know I got my boys.
We we're gonna ride it together. That's for damn sure.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
That's what's special. You get to try to run this
back with the same group of guys.
Speaker 6 (31:06):
Yeah, I mean obviously you know doing it. There have
been no back to back so well, I mean, there's
been something, but it's been so long, and so for
us to have an opportunity to do it, you know,
that's something special. Shout out to our front office for
giving us the opportunity. Yeah, so it'll be tough. You know,
we still got to play good Dodger baseball.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
So you just came back from Japan. Has been on
this radio station all last year, and I know you're
now the face of a certain extent.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
No, I mean, I'm doing some work with him, but yeah,
that's cool.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Oh, Tani's the supporting cast, you're the main guy.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
No, that's that's a lot. That's a lot.
Speaker 6 (31:41):
Everywhere everywhere I walked, everywhere we drove. You know, his
signature was there, he had been there, his picture was there.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
So it was really neat. It was really neat.
Speaker 6 (31:53):
It was really neat to see how how much a
country supports a player.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Did you realize how big he was there? I mean
we hear about it, but you got to see it firsthand.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Yeah, yeah, you don't really, You don't really. You can.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
You can picture it all you want, but do you
really see it to really see how how much he, uh,
he affects that country?
Speaker 5 (32:15):
It's wild.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Hey, Mookie Betts. He dips his toe on Ventura Boulevard
once in a while. I heard you were in the
Grade one eight this offseason taking ground balls and shortstop,
putting in a lot of work.
Speaker 6 (32:27):
I mean I've been. I've been working, man, I've been working,
and so we'll see. You know, I'm a big I'm
a big, big person that thinks about you got to
do it in the game. You can do it in
practice all day, but if you don't do it in
the game, then none of it really matters.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
How does it feel? I mean, it's got to be
somewhat of a relief to prepare instead of yeah, for
a full off season, instead of five days.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
Yeah, I was, man, I was. I never.
Speaker 6 (32:54):
I've never I've never started training this early in my life.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
And wow, so after a long season, after a.
Speaker 5 (33:02):
Long season, like.
Speaker 6 (33:05):
The work I put in this off season, nobody would
even fathom it. And so I really feel like I'm
a new person there. So, like I said, we'll see.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
All right, before I let you go in, you got
your little boy with you on your lab. Mookie's doing
double duty daddy daycare today.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Yeah, it's tough, but it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
You know.
Speaker 6 (33:24):
He comes here and I want him to see what
daddy does and maybe he'll want to do it one day.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
He's so cute too, thank god, he looks like his mom.
All right, Hey, mooki I've been driving around the Valley
the last couple of days since I heard Adam Silver
talk about floating out that, you know, people think you're
coming to Dodger Fest and you want to talk to
Mookie Bets about baseball, not me. I have been booming
at the mouth waiting to talk to you about this,
(33:52):
Adam Silver floating out that maybe the NBA is thinking
about shortening quarters from twelve minutes to ten minutes like
the euro and National because of low attention span and
just trying. The ratings are down a little bit in
the NBA. I don't. I'm just completely against doing that.
(34:13):
I wanted to hear what Mookie Be's thought about.
Speaker 5 (34:16):
I feel like you would you would change change the game.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
Change that would change the integrity of the game, because
I feel like there's like a pace and the timing
that that you develop playing basketball, just like you developed
playing anything else.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
But you know, even though there's a pitch clock in baseball,
there's still twenty seven outs.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
Yeah, there's still twenty seven outs. I mean there's change.
Speaker 6 (34:39):
There's change that that people may not like that end
up being a really good thing.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
So you know, you just got to be open minded
to it. I'm not saying I.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
Agree or disagree, but you simmer on that, Yeah, I
would have to think about that, because you know, there
that's some changes has been.
Speaker 5 (34:54):
Really good, like the pitch clock. I know, I don't want.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
People to get hurt by any means, but you know,
just for from a player position player perspective, it.
Speaker 5 (35:02):
Really does speed the game up. You know.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
So my tweaks for the NBA enlarge the court, which
brings the three point line back, and maybe it's a
little bit more challenging for bigger, more athletic players.
Speaker 6 (35:16):
So now you're just trying to Now we're just trying
to create a game. That's how good is that? Like,
that's how good Wemby is. We're trying to create a
game to slow him down. I mean, come on now.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
I just like can't do that.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
The players in the seventies and eighties weren't as big
and fast as what they.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
Are now, right right, I mean, simmer.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
On that one too. We'll we'll regroup. Maybe you have
it on their next podcast. You have like an NBA
guy you were on all the Smoke. I enjoyed that.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
That was that was that was super cool. That was
super cool.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
Here and two real basketball minds, So I'll be curious
to ask them.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Two basketball minds bowing at the altar of a great
baseball player.
Speaker 6 (35:58):
Yeah, I guess I wouldn't call it, but I did. Yeah,
but it was fun. It was fun. Those guys are awesome.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
I love it all right. So when I see you
in Arizona, when you're making that long dry through the desert,
you'll be hearing my voice in your head saying, no way,
no way to a forty minute game. Expand the court.
Speaker 5 (36:16):
I'll make it of a of a car and let
you know what I come up with.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Okay, sounds good, sir. We love you, Mooki. LA really
putting their arms around you, Mooki, and I think it's
always sweet when a great athlete people don't appreciate it.
They always want more. They want more, and you delivered,
and I know there's more.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
Thank you, sir, Thank you, sir.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
He's a great player and a great dad man, Mookie
putting me the shame. I can't be this good at
fatherhood either. When we continue from Dodger Stadium, the Great Show,
Hey O Tani will join us as well, and we'll
wrap things up from Dodger Stadium. It's been a great
day out here, and it's gonna be a great season.
On five seventy LA Sports, your home of Mookie and
(37:00):
the world champion. Los Angeles Dodgers FanFest is official as
we are live at Dodgers Stadium, and I'm joined right
now by a man that just one is third MVP
Award and his shoe right now is hotter than any
Air Jordan or Kobe shoe out there already. I went
to go look for the Otani trainer lab. The only
(37:22):
size available left SiZ sixteen. I'm ten and a half
and the great show Hey Otani joins us right now
live on Dodgers Radio show. Hey, thank you so much
for the time. Will Ireton, thank you for being here
as well. So the shoe sold out already, show, Hey,
you did a great job of marketing. Everybody bought it.
(37:46):
How much did you influence the way the shoe looks
on design?
Speaker 7 (37:51):
I'm on commit it, Hi on.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
My I did get involved in the deesig. I know
the shoes and really happy that so many people are
buying it.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
When you look at the way Los Angeles has embraced you. Show, Hey,
do you feel like after the season you had last
year and the parade. You know how much the fans
truly appreciate the way you play.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Fund me and also I started that.
Speaker 8 (38:25):
My Famda Madad.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Come back.
Speaker 4 (38:44):
You know, I really had the chance to be able
to play in front of the fans, so I really
got to feel the passion. And today just at the
stage too, So it's really nice to be able to
interact with the fans and kind of feel their passion,
and you know to for twenty twenty five season. You know,
we're literally just about to start, so we have a
lot of work to do, but again, really excited to
(39:06):
be you know, part of the Dodgers and play in
front of these fans.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
And the Dodgers are going to start the season at
the Tokyo Dome, a place you're very familiar with. How
excited are you about that opportunity to wear a Dodger
uniform and play in Tokyo?
Speaker 9 (39:23):
Excited to shamasca A well cut it.
Speaker 8 (39:46):
You don't need.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
You know, you don't really get an opportunity like this
to play in front of the fans. Uh with two
teams of Dodgers in the cubs and obviously Imaga is
there as well, and you know other Japanese play ayers too,
So really excited to be able to you know, play
and hopefully we win a couple of games and make
sure that the fans come out of that thinking dodge
of blue show.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Hey was around me for a year, so he knows
I'm very awkward and really uh socially, uh sometimes clumsy.
Do you have any tips for me to handle myself
in Tokyo, Japan? So I don't embarrass your name, my
name or the Dodger's.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
Name says to you nothing in particular, but I think
one good thing to do is to just remember a
few Japanese phrases and they would very much love that.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Can you give me one?
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Right now? How about right now? How about let's start
with this show? Hey, bathroom bathroom? Yeah, where's the bathroom?
Speaker 9 (41:02):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (41:06):
All right, I could do that, like like, okay, all right,
good to know if I wear a show hey jersey
and new balanced shoes, do you think they might confuse
us uniform?
Speaker 4 (41:25):
I'm sure they'll be excited to see you.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
So, Hey, before I let you go, one more baseball question.
I've told people I am anticipating the night that you
pitch for the first time at Dodgers Stadium. I don't
believe it's going to be just another baseball game. It
will be a bigger event than what we've seen. Have
you visualized that moment being on the mound at Dodger Stadium,
(41:49):
as wearing this uniform.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
Mounting to I'm not getting so you made it, you know,
White Musca definitely imagine myself pitching on the mound. Now.
(42:16):
I'm not exactly sure what when that's gonna happen, but
I'm going to do the best I can to make
it as early as possible.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Since we know each other a little bit better now,
if you need me, I'm almost the same height as
Manny Machado. If you need me to stand in for
a bullpen just to help you get ready, let me know.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Okay, right there for you.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Okay, thank you man.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
So great to see, love seeing the smile. The m
vps are great. But now we can say World Champion show.
Hey O Tani and Roki Sazaki, you helped bring him here.
I heard you text Andrew Friedman we got him, So
maybe you Yamamoto Nobu made the deal happen with it?
Speaker 7 (43:01):
Hi, mam Mont call you.
Speaker 4 (43:37):
Know I played with him as a player for the
WBC team Japan. So I got to really know him
as a as a player and as a friend and
just first and foremost, I'm really you know, what I
wanted to really tell him was that, you know, regardless
of the teams that he that he ends up choosing,
I wanted him to be successful. And of course I
wanted him to be a Dodger, but first and foremost
(43:59):
as a person as a player, just really rooting for
him to be successful.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
Man, that was the right pitch. You didn't seem too needy,
you know, you just like, yeah, do what you want. Yeah,
you know, it's okay. You play a suave like Oscar Hernandez.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Right there.
Speaker 4 (44:15):
It's about us, you, messa.
Speaker 8 (44:18):
He went to student.
Speaker 9 (44:23):
We do all day, he suppled.
Speaker 4 (44:26):
Yeah, Yo, Shinoba and I are here. So I'm really,
you know, excited that I'll be able to support him
in this transition.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Can't wait for the season to start. I can't wait
to be in Tokyo with you. You're an expecting proud father.
If you need any fatherhood tips, I can help. I
have two young children. My wife does all the work,
but I could, uh, you know, help you out if
you need stand in for bullpen session and father advice,
I could be a mentor.
Speaker 8 (44:52):
My company.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
I don't think he's.
Speaker 4 (44:55):
Yeah, maybe maybe spring training.
Speaker 1 (44:57):
Yeah, if you send in and I'm gonna hit you,
thanks so awesome to be with you, and I'll have
these by spring training. All right, Great, I'll be wearing
turf shoes.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
All right.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
There, he is the great show Heyo Tani, world champion
and a champion of the people. Thank you show Hey,
show Heyo Tani. That's a great way to end Dodger Fest.
Right there. He said he would nail me. I mean
he was gonna hit me if I stood in and
helped him recover from his shoulder and Tommy John, I mean, man,
(45:31):
how about that? That would just melt down social media.
If I stood in for show Heo Tani bullpen session,
I mean, I think the whole camp would circle around
behind home plate and cheer if he did hit me
in the ribs. I mean I think he would anyway.
That was amazing and honestly, that's the most open show
(45:52):
Hey has ever been in interviews with me. I mean,
that's the vibe out here at Dodger Fest. Everybody's happy, relaxed.
How could you not be your World Champions and ring
day here. I'm the home opener. Once the Dodgers returned
from Tokyo, Japan is going to be spectacular. I want
to say thank you to the Dodgers, Lon Rosen, Juan Dorado,
(46:14):
player relations, Joe Jerk, Ali Salvach, who was very nervous
during that entire Otani interview. Everybody thought I was offending
the guy by talking to him like a human being. Hey,
but Gavin Stone appreciate it. Thank you for announcing and
promoting your birthday on October fifteenth. We will all send
(46:35):
you a tweet or maybe some donuts on your birthday.
You know that's high class living right there for Gavin Stone.
Thank you to Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Thank you
to Michael Confordo. Thank you to Dave Roberts. I'm missing
some guys, but in case you missed any of the
show or any of the interviews, you can find it
(46:56):
on the iHeartRadio app. And our next Dodger talk show
is going to be on Monday night at seven o'clock.
You will hear from Tommy Edman, Alex Vesia, and Austin
Barnes on Monday Night for our Dodger talk. Want to
say thank you to the crew out here from iHeart
Bert Weiner who went all three hours of the show
(47:18):
not asking for a Dodger dog. So that's a big victory. Bert.
I will let Petros and Money know about this. Thank
you to Doug Hall aka Skinny Rob Kardashian for being
out here as well. Thank you to Johnny FACTORO as
well for all his help. Solid Warris World series hat
(47:40):
Joe Jeric wearing his Nike Windbreaker. Thank you to everybody
for listening. It's been a fabulous Saturday. Can't wait to
recap on Monday night. We will talk to you next week.
Until then, have a great weekend. Be safe see
It's been a great first two hours at Dodger Fest.
David Vaz say live on your home for the World
Series Champion Dodgers. Thank you to Andrew Freeman for answering
very uncomfortably and candidly to some of those questions about
Keik Hernandez and showho Tani's timeline. But he's awesome. He
was balancing taking care of his daughters. So he is
(00:23):
a hero to the people for resigning Taoscar Hernandez and
a hero to me personally for bringing in the two
times two time Cy Young Award winner Snell Zilla, Blake Snell,
Blake Snell. And I'm joined right now by a man
that I need in my life every day, and we're
gonna have to FaceTime while he's rehabbing from that shoulder surgery.
(00:45):
A man that made more starts than any other Dodger
last year, a man that pitched more innings than any
other Dodger last year. A man that was the only
Dodger to pitch a complete game shutout last year in
Chicago against the White Sox. That is the one and
only Gavin Stone from Arkansas.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Thank you, Dave.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
What an introduction that was.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Thank you man, I'm happy to see you. I'm happy
you were just hanging out in that green room doing
absolutely nothing to.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Cut on the show.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
That was my downtown. I didn't have anything to do
with that time.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
It was so weird and creepy how you and Kyle
Hurt put your heads through the door like kids at
summer camp. I mean, like it was so creepy the
way you guys were creeping up on me.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I haven't seen Yoshi yet. That was the first time
I saw Yoshi. Yeah, he looks good, and yeah, I
thought I was. I know he's Yamamoto said I had
to lose weight, did Yeah, Youiro lost some weight.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah he did. Maybe that's why he's on me.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
To you on that train.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Dang it.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I know my doctor said I have to lose ten pounds.
That's the shortcut, waist stone. I think I'm going to
do that.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Maybe the people that walk by here, if you feel
like they've lost abnormally a lot of weight, we could
just pick and say Ozimpik yes.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Or no, Okay, there's probably I mean, are you.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
A Kardashian fan? How about this guy from my heart
right here, Skinny Rob Kardashing Ozempig Rob Kardashian right.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Here, I know zero about the Kardashians. Yeah, help with
them at all.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Okay, you're not keeping up with the Kardashians. Hey, hey, hello, No,
I'm not at all. I try not to anyways. Gavin Stone,
how's life.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It's good. It's good.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Just been back home from Arkansas and Phoenix back and
forth all off season. But I'm in Phoenix now for good.
So be there for a while.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, you will.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I heard. It's a real examination. It's like being in
the desert for forty days and forty nights grinding through rehab.
Walker Buehlers told me about it.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, I mean, I love Phoenix is a beautiful area
of beautiful town. I mean, so that part will be nice,
but you know, I'll definitely miss being on the mound pitching,
being a competitor in that aspect of it. But just
found new hob for this.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
This year, I guess, I mean being such a competitor, right,
you have to find a way to turn rehab into
a competition, I would imagine.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah, that's that's probably the hardest part, is is there
not being any like sort of competition in that aspect
of like pitching in a big league game, So that'll
be tough, and you know, the adrenaline that that we
all thrown for and just find the new ways to
find that throughout this year and and you know, staying
positive is a big thing and keep the momenttal good.
So yeah, looking forward to just you know, getting through
(03:29):
it and getting back on the mound.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
When you look back at your great rookie season, obviously
disappointing that you couldn't be part of October, but you
were such a big part to help the Dodgers get there.
Was there one game? Was it Chicago? Was it the
complete game? Is there moments in time that you think
back and say, man, that's when I arrived?
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Uh yeah, maybe I think just you know, being in
a clubhouse with a bunch of veterans like we had
and and learning from them, learning and watching and and
you know, just having them there and helped me along
the way. But Chicago was a big one, really definitely
a confidence boost there. And then had a little downstretch
through or after the All Star break and curse was
(04:10):
kind of the one to kind of put me back.
Cursing Barnes kind of help helped me like get back
on track after that, and so you know, credit to
those guys in the clubhouse, they really they really help
each other and help everybody around him.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Gavin Stone is joining us here at Dodger Fast on
m five seventy LA Sports and I'm glad you brought
up Kershaw because he really took an interest in you.
How much did he help you? And I guess that
says a lot about you for him to even want
to help you.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, I mean just figuring out what kind of competitor
he was and then trying to be trying to replicate
that on the mound.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I think that was the.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Biggest thing, you know, in all aspects of it, in
the weight room, on the mound, you know, eating with
his family, like he's he's a great dude overall and
at all aspects, and he's a great competitor, and so
just learning how how he goes out there and competes
every day and and and trying to replicate that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
When you saw Walker Buehler come out of the bullpen
in Game five of the World Series, what was Gavin
Stone thinking.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
I knew he was going to go in as soon
as I saw him walk down there, I knew he
was going to go in. We didn't have a lot
of arms to begin with, and I mean he was
he was pretty much he was good to go. That
was the last game of the year, and so he
was on a couple of days' rest, I think, more
than what we had in the bullpen at the time.
So I knew that if it was closed, then he
was definitely gonna get his shot, and that's that's what
(05:29):
he lives for, and I'm glad he got that shot.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Were you in the dugout that night in Game five?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah, I was, And I was in the dugout and
watched him run down. I don't even think Mark knew
he ran down at that time, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Did he tip any of you guys off that he
was doing it.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
No, I just seen him walk behind me because I
was on the rail and I just saw him walk
behind me with the spikes on his glove, and you
just took.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Off when you see a guy like that do what
he did and you saw the result winning the World Series.
Did you visualize Gavin Stone one day being that guy?
Would you love to be that guy in that situation?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Oh? I think everybody, everybody that loves baseball and wants
to be a competitor, would thrive in that situation and
love to be put in that situation, but Walker's a
different animal, and to succeed in that situation, and and
just to know how much he has succeeded in the postseason,
especially the World Series. He was the right man for
that job. And that was really cool that he got
that moment.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Man so cool because he's meant so much to the
Dodgers and if that's going to be the last image,
I mean, that's what a way to go out, right. Yeah,
he's a post.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
He's a hero forever.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Have you thought about your post? Would you do a
Walker Bueller post? No, you don't seem to be that
type of guy.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
No, Walk's got the poses down and he was actually
he was trying to decide. I feel like he was
trying to decide what he wanted to do, and that
was that was what he came up with, which I
mean credit to him, it was great, but uh, yeah,
that was that was really cool.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
We were debating about holidays, me and Gavin Stone before
we came on the air. You're a big Thanksgiving guy.
I might skip the country next year for Thanksgiving. Why
do you love? Why do you love Thanksgiving so much.
I mean, I'm not a Turkey guy.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I love the Fall. My birthday's in the fall, Halloween's
in the fall. Christmas is not in the fall.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
You won the World Series in the Fall, the Fall
classic exactly.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
The Fall is the best time of the year.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
When's your birthday?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
October fifteenth?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Mine's October tenth. You were a Libra? Are you really? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Nice?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
There we go. And October fifteenth, I believe, is the
date that Kirk Gibson hit his walk off home run.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Nineteen ninety eight. Right, eighty eight eighty eight, okay, ten
years before I was born.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
You didn't tell me happy birthday.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
You didn't tell me happy birthday.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I didn't know your birthday was a tenth day.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I never knew it was the fifteenth.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
By the way the Dodgers posted it, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I mean, they give everybody a happy Birthday wish.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I know you saw it.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
They even give Tim never to Happy Birthday wish on Twitter.
I mean, you think you're special.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
You're right, You're right. You seem to be.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
A guy that really wants to promote his birthday two
weeks before I'm learning a lot about you holidays and
birthdays right now.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
No, I'm not at all.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You just promoted your birthday.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I'm just saying all the greatest events of the year
are in You.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Just promoted your October fifteenth birthday on February first.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, if you want to give me a cake or something, yeah, exactly,
birthday present. Six month mark is coming up. My half birthdays.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Can you celebrate half birthdays too? You're like, my kids.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Might as well if people are going to give you presents.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Oh my gosh. By the way, Fourth of July barbecue
way better than Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
That's debatable. I don't know about that. Where I'm from,
there's mosquitos everywhere, and so you can't really like you
can enjoy Fourth of July.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
I don't think you can enjoy a lot from where
you're from. You just said Phoenix. Yeah, trust me, I
will never be in Arkansas, I don't. You're the best thing.
And Derek Fisher too, the greatest things to come out
of Arkansas. And Bill Clinton Yeah yeah, Hey, I don't
know where you stand politically, but Bill Clinton a famous
(09:01):
guy either way. Those are the three famous guys.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Derek Fisher, Joe Johnson. We got Joe Johnson.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Please we sind it right here. Hey, thanks a lot.
And like I said, while you're grinding in Arizona coming
back to be better than ever, you better not ignore
my face times.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I won't. I won't if you bring a boom box
with it. I want to unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Hey, man, I love you and I loved watching you
do your thing last year. You're gonna come back. You're
gonna be bigger, stronger, greater. It's all gonna come together.
Everything happens for a reason, even your birthday.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Thank you. I appreciate it too.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
I love you, Gavin Stone, You're the man. Seriously, Hey,
Freddy Freeman's coming on next? What should I ask him? Landon?
I wasn't expecting Landon. That doesn't look Hey, I have
to hate to break this to you. That doesn't look
like Freddy Freeman. I love Landon neck, but uh see
that's what I'm telling you. This wall right here, you
never know. It's like a socize it pops out.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I know.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
I people just surprise you all the.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Hey Guanderado player relations. If I stand next to him,
maybe Yamamoto will think I lost weight. Right Hey, Hey, hello,
Dodger Fest Unplugged.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Get out.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
You didn't get all Hey neck, do you know what
Gavinstone's birthday is? He just promoted it October fifteenth. He
just promoted on February first that his birthdays on October fifteenth.
He wants to give me.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
A birthday present exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Thank you. We're gonna take a time out here on
Dodger Tuck. I think three things you learned from this segment.
Gavin Stone a great guy. We got a lot of
love for each other. His birthday's October fifteenth. He celebrates
his half birthday, and he's got a lot of mosquitos
in his house in Arkansas. Dodger Tuck rolls on from
Dodger Stadium on a five seventy LA Sports David Vassey
(10:54):
Live at Dodger Fest. Thanks to my guy, Gavin Stone
for being a great spoil. Always loved talking to Gavin
and what an ultimate competitor he was for the Dodgers
with all their pitching injuries to their veterans last year,
it was the rookie that made more starts and pitched
more innings than any other Dodger last year, and that
was Gavin Stone. And that will be. One of the
(11:16):
highlights of twenty twenty four's regular season was Gavin Stone
pitching that complete game shutout. And one thing I'll never
forget is that Gavin Stone wants me to celebrate his
half birthday, and that he's a guy that promotes his
birthday on February first, which is going to be on
October fifteenth. So a guy that I will never forget.
(11:37):
Oh man, I'm so nervous for this. I don't know
why I'm so nervous for this. I brought my notes.
My guy, Freddie Freeman is here, Freddy, Freddy Man, Oh
there he is number five.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Have you been sitting in this corner all day?
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Yes? I wanted to. I should have brought a lava lamp.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
You know we have some for the kids now. Taking
it back to when I was a.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Kid, right right, Everything retro is current again, Freddy?
Speaker 2 (12:06):
I like it. Yeah, Yeah, I'm retro.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
You're retro. You're retro.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Thank god, you look good.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Yamamoto said, I need to lose weight. Do you feel
like I've gained a lot of weight this off season?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Freddy, No, way, he said that he did.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
He did? He said, ah, you know a little bit,
a little bit too much?
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Then why would he say that.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
I feel like I have. I'm projecting and I know
I have, But I'm not taking any medical or pharmaceutical shortcuts.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Freddy, No, I am not going to answer those questions
about weight. Just not going to do that. I think
you look great.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Did you know Gavin Stone announced to us his birthdays
on October fifteenth? He's a guy that likes to promote
his birthday. Would you think Gavin Stone was that type
of guy?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
No, I know, I didn't know. He talked very much.
I know exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
It was depressing when he said there were a lot
of mosquitoes in Arkansas. I said, who would have guessed
that October fifteenth?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Huh? Yeah, all right, it's good to know.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Great segue. By the way, October fifteenth, nineteen eighty eight,
was the day Kirk Gibson hit his walk off home
run the world.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Now, I understand why you brought up Gavin Stone's birthday. Well,
you're good at this.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
This was lined up perfectly. It was meant to be,
like Freddie Freeman was meant to be at the plate
that night, in that moment.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, so let me to talk about it.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
I'm nervous so that's why I brought I felt like
Chris Farley here, just like you know, I feel like
I'm more emotional about October.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
I didn't October, No, it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
But that's when Gibson hit his. Yours was a different date.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
You hit it in the same same area. I heard
it was like the same time.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Yeah, they might put like a blue seat where you
hit it, like where they did for Kirk Gibson. Cool
it would, Yeah, it will live in infamy.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, I've thought about it every day pretty much.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
I mean, when you go to the grocery store, what's
it like.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
I really can't go anywhere right now, which is which
is fun because you know that sports in general can
it just means so much to some two people. And
obviously as I'm out in the community and I don't
think I've made it through one outing without someone coming
up to me, which is really cool that people care
(14:11):
so much and care about the Dodgers. And and with
that home run, I just did a luncheon and there's
a guy that had a tattoo of me on his leg.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
So geez, that's when you know it means something.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, and then obviously a lot of other people were
coming up at the luncheon saying how much that home
run meant and the world series and telling us where
it was. One guy was there for Kurt Gibson's home run.
So it's to hear people like like when you do
it and you're out there and then you go home
and you got to get ready for the next game.
But then I've told people like about a month ago,
(14:43):
Charlie and I went down a rabbit hole on YouTube
because he wanted and with YouTube, right, yeah, and just
to see all the reactions and how it affected people
in such a positive way. It's it does bring chills
to you. And to be able to be a part
to that and to deliver because I mean just and
(15:03):
how like I watched the video later on and how
they panned out over the stadium Joe Davis is talking,
and how the whole thing was set up. It it's
like giving me kind of goosebumps right now when you
when you look back at it and think about it,
and to be able to come through in those kind
of moments, I mean, that's what you dream about, you know,
(15:25):
just like how Joe said, it is what you think
about in backyards. I mean it's the same thing that
I was doing with my two brothers when we were
playing woofot balls in our front yard. Our backyard wasn't
pick enough what we did in the front yard, and
and and for it to happen again, like but in
a big League game thirty years later, when I was
playing woofotball with my brothers, it's it's incredible. And like
(15:45):
Joe Davis and how he set that whole thing up
was you know, obviously I didn't know anything about it
until I watched it and I was like, wow, you know,
Joe was incredible and to hit it on the head
and then after he sets the whole thing up to
do it on the first pitch, it was like, I
think that made it that, you know, Like, I mean,
it would have been awesome if it was like the
twelfth pick too, but after he set that up to
(16:06):
happen immediately, that's But Yeah, the grocery store things kind
of out. Yeah, I don't really try.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Hey, you're out of going to the grocery store.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
I've been out of a lot of things with the surgery,
so but yeah, I believe me, I think I have
when I'm out. There's no lesson at least if it's
just a like, I'll go to Jan's Health Bar. It's
in Orange County and I get a smoothie there. And
I don't think I've made it out of Jans without
taking pictures or anything like that. And that's oh, Chris,
(16:39):
I haven't been there. We did Mastros the other day
and one of the chefs comes out and he's got
a Dodger hat on. So yeah, I don't think. I don't.
I can't go anywhere right now. But that's a good
thing because that means really good things happened.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Freddie, you and your wife also had a little vacation together. Yeah,
deservedly so. And I'll just out myself right now. I
zoomed in on your right foot, yeah, to see if
you had a boot on or sandals I've had.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I've had some interesting sandals. I didn't pick any of
those outfits. I think everyone knows that. Yeah. I just
whatever is in the bag and what I'm told to
where I wear. Yeah. So we did that a couple
of weeks ago. It was it was planned because our
ten year anniversary was in November. A little busy, didn't
have much time to plan. Uh, so we kind of
(17:25):
waited through the holidays and we did Mexico for a
ten year anniversary. So we had a good time. Obviously,
our family's been through a lot. Max is doing better,
so we just needed a we just needed a week,
you know, just to relax because you I mean, you know,
you're married and so when when you have kids, you're
just trying to get You're doing everything with your kids
(17:46):
every single day, and it's nice to be able to
reconnect and you know, just sit there and hang out
with your wife. And you know, we had a great time.
It was a great week. We came home and it's
right back into we We got home in the door
and they just started crying. Someone was hit each other.
I was just like, yeah, I'm sure we should have
stayed longer, but it was a great time. Where but
(18:07):
now it's back to you know, getting ready for the
season again.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
How do you feel physically? I mean, obviously we knew
about the ankle, but you know, the ribs and all
that stuff. Yeah, how does is Freddy Freeman like tape
together right now?
Speaker 3 (18:20):
To be here?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I'm two of the injuries or one hundred percent. My
broken fingers all good, my broken ribs all good. I
am two months eight weeks as of two days ago
Thursday out of surgery, and that was the first day
I hit. So I hit for the first time two
days ago, I felt good. I hit again yesterday felt
good again. Still not clear to run, but yeah, two
(18:43):
days ago was a big day for me because if
I wasn't able to respond like I did yesterday, I
think we would have been in trouble. Being able to
be ready by Tokyo. It was a good sign. I
feel good today with back to back days of hitting,
so I would have been able to hit today if
but it was you know, scheduled days off and Monday
I work. I did four sets of seven and tes
(19:06):
the last two days, so twenty eight swings, and on Monday,
I will it goes into flips too. So I think
I will be full bore hitting by by the time
probably spring training, when I get the spring training, because
I'm gonna stay here this whole next week and be
doing my PTE down in Orange County for a whole
nother week and then I'll get the spring training. So
(19:27):
I think hitting wise, I'll be ready to roll. I'll
be able to hit, batting practice, do all that. But
I start doing I think by the end of next
week some side to side stuff, you know, like movement,
and then being able to do uh, you know, then
I'll be a running progression in spring training. So I
will probably not be playing the first couple of games
of spring training, as you guys probably know, I'll get
(19:49):
antsy and try and force my way into somehow. You know,
I'll just DH, you'll have one, so I'll just runner. No,
I'll just dh we don't have a DH, so right,
and then but the beauty of spring training is I'll
be able to even a show he's playing. In the
real games, I can go into the backfields and get
a bat, so I will be able to I think,
(20:10):
be able to hit and see some live abs and
then hopefully the running progression. I feel good, you know,
that's it's all about how I feel. So but I'm
in a good spot going into I was, you know,
it was a little up and down. I was a
little nervous how I was going to feel a couple
of days ago. But ultimately I am feeling pretty good right.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Now, Freddie, I know you have to go, but I'm
just curious. The day of Game one of the World Series, Yes,
when you got out of bed that day and put
your your right foot down and just start to get
yourself going. Did you know, did you feel like, oh, wow,
I feel a lot better than I did even five
days ago.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I was feeling pretty good two days going into that.
I had still not run since Game five of the NLCS,
because then we had the day off and then I
didn't play six. Hi Brandon, who are you Joe? So
I hadn't run, but I was feeling good walking and
(21:10):
and doing all that. But the first time I ran,
like I told you guys, I ran when we did
the introduction was the first time I took more than
a walk and I was running out there. I was like, oh,
I actually feel pretty good. And as I was coming
down the line, all the trainers like, Freddy, you look great,
and I was like, I know, I feel pretty good.
And but I was feeling good. My swing was like
I said, I have I called my dad, like two
(21:32):
days before game one, I said, Dad, I figured it out.
And I mean as as my dadd said yeah, he
was all and he was like, yeah, I didn't think
you figured it out, and he goes. I watched you
play in the Mets series and you were awful. So
he was like, I was just hoping that you were
being honest, and I did. I felt really good. I
got my foot in a spot where I could actually
(21:52):
have some some strength into that into the ground, and
I felt like my swing was in a good spot.
So I was feeling good swing wise. I just didn't
know how my ankle was gonna hold up. And my
ribs were feeling pretty good by then. My finger was
feeling pretty good by then. But you just didn't know.
And I'm you know, a lot of people go, I
(22:12):
can't believe you had to run out a triple in
the first in your first step bat and actually said, no,
that was actually a good thing because I was able
to do that and get up and I was like, oh,
I'm okay. So it was almost like a weight was
able to come off my shoulders when I knew I
was able to run those bases and get up and
not be like, oh man, my ankle's killing me. I
got a limp now. I never limped once in the
(22:33):
World Series. I felt good. We had a great treatment
plan going, and that's why I thought after the World Series,
it was like, oh, I'll just rest and you know,
do some pt and I'll be good to go. But
three weeks after the World Series end, I was I'm like,
something's not right, you know, like my ankle still hurts.
(22:53):
And so I was in Atlanta for Thanksgiving doing it
with all our family there, and I texted Thomas, our
head trainer. I was like, I think it's time to
get this thing looked at. It's just not that I
can't get the swelling out. And so when I came
home from Atlanta, that's when we got the MRI. And
I got the MRI, I go up and look in
(23:14):
there like you need surgery? Wait a second, what? And
so that's the how that hold because I was feeling
great during the World Series. So that's why I was like, oh,
I'll just heal bit some time. That's why I know.
I've been asked the question of why did you wait
so long after the World Series and I was like, whoa,
I've just played the World Series and felt pretty good.
So I thought, just some rest. And so that was
the reason of why it was about four weeks after
(23:37):
that I had the surgery, because I was like, I
just wasn't getting better. So but luckily we got it
done and it wasn't. I had tore some ligaments too
and my ankle, but that had healed enough in those
weeks after the World Series that I didn't have to
thankfully get those fixed, because if I had to repair those,
I probably wouldn't have been able to make it to Tokyo,
which would have been a more extensive rehab. So a
(23:58):
lot of being good actually happened. So we cleaned up
the ankle and I'm feeling pretty good and hopefully the
running progression like it's going to start next week and
I have no setbacks. I think everyone that knows me,
I'll probably just tell everyone that I don't have any
setbacks and I feel great. Yeah, I feel great, but
(24:19):
I'm in a good spot, way better. My ankle's feeling
better each day, more work on it every day, and
it's it's responding really well. So I feel like I'm
in a good spot to be able to make it
to Tokyo in six weeks. I can't believe it's already happening.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I know, I can't believe it even.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Such a short off season, but a good reason why.
It's sweet, right, Definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
It'll be great, Freddie, when you're on that third baseline
and you get your ring and you'll get to feel
everything that the fans deserve to give you that day.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
I know, getting here and you know, seeing all these
fans and the excitement, I just can't wait to get
the ring and just to experience spring training and the excitement.
I mean, you saw our ownership group went out and
did it again this offseason, and I think that's why
fans are so excited, because you know, the hard working fans,
(25:13):
they come and support us, spend the money here, and
to see the organization that you're support supporting us, spending
your money on is going right back into the to
the product that is awesome to see. And I think
that's why everyone. I mean, obviously we have great players,
but to go out there and see the ownership you're
into year out, go out and try and put the
best team on the field. I think that's why everyone
(25:35):
there's such a buzz around here, and I think we're
all hungry to try and be the first team in
twenty five years to do this back to back, you know,
since the Yankees, and it's incredibly hard to do obviously,
but I think we've put ourselves in a good spot
to be able to go out there and do it,
and we got to get us a little bit healthy,
and yeah, some of us need this. We needed an
(25:56):
extra month, but I think we're gonna be ready to
go and try and start this journey again.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Freddie. It was truly an honor and a privilege to
watch your journey last year and the way it ended.
Like I told you so many times, I think the
game in bigger picture life rewarded you, Freddie, because you're
a champion of a person, even before all of that,
and I mean everything that you and Chelsea went through
(26:24):
and how strong Maximus was and just who you are.
I mean, honestly, what a great journey. And man, I
feel like I need ankle certainty after everything you just said.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yeah, but I appreciate those kind words. And my family's
doing good. Maximus is doing well and we'll get the
spring training and I'm sure Chelsea will share some pictures
and he's he's still not walking completely normal, but he's
so close. And if you would have told us five
months ago that he would have been where he is now,
we would have been ecstatic. And he's doing great. If
(26:56):
you walk into the house and you saw him on
the couch, you would know nothing is wrong. He's still
a joy, he's still fun. He's starting to run more so.
Once we get that strength back into his left it's
his left leg. Once he gets that strengthened his left leg,
he was going to be flying around the bases. You'll
see him after on Sunday's basis. Yeah, and so we're
looking forward to it. We're looking forward to getting back
(27:17):
out in spring training, getting this thing going.
Speaker 5 (27:18):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Ye, thank you, Freddie.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Great to see you. Oh man, it's been awesome. Truly
your privileged, really Freddy, to be around you and just
to see the way you live your life and the
way you go about things. It really is awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Man.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
World Series MVP.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I mean cool.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I mean thirty years from now I'll be hosting. Let's
look back at the twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Being a walker.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
I might be in the walk there.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
There, Freddy seventy.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Hopefully I'll lose weight by that, right, Freddy.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
No, I'm not Freddy David.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
I love you to Freddy. Freddie Freeman the World Series MVP,
A champion to the people. And when we continue, Mookie
Betts eto one's favorite son from Japan. Well, join us
next on a five seventy LA Sports. We are coming
down the home stretch here of Dodger Fest. We are
alive at Dodger Stadium. Thank you to Freddie Freeman. I
(28:13):
kept it together, you know, I didn't freak out or
fanboy out too much. Mookie bets with Freddy Freeman. When
do you think the line is when I could stop
asking him about that walk off grand slam.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
I'm gonna set it at four.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
I don't know if I told four what.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Hey, by the way, the way I knew that was
a grand slam out of the ballpark was watching you
from my vantage point. Oh yeah, I saw you jump off.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
I remember that.
Speaker 6 (28:41):
I remember that, and that I remember seeing that that
moment of his bat hitting the ball and.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
The this what it looked like.
Speaker 6 (28:52):
I just instantly jumped and uh yeah that was that
was amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
That was That's what I saw. I saw you jump.
I know, see you jump that high before it. And
then Magic Johnson was right there and he like pointed
at me after after they I'm all like.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
This is yeah.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
That was crazy man. That was for him to do that.
I mean, the real the impressive thing was just he
what what.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
He was going through together.
Speaker 6 (29:17):
Yeah, that was what he's going through to get ready,
and you could not tell. I mean, I guess you
could tell, but you couldn't tell.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
At the same time, that seemed like, probably behind the scenes,
kind of set the tone for everybody else, whatever nagging
injury you had going on, this guy's going out there
with a broken ankle and bad ribs and all that.
Speaker 6 (29:35):
And it was like, no matter what, you just got
to get ready to play and get ready to play
and give us what you got. And everybody did. I
mean even show, you know, show played through hurting his
shoulder right there, and that was huge. That was that
was for him, just to show up and play every
day and prepare like that.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Like you said, it's just set the example.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You know. What I also remember was the first conversation
you and I I had in spring training last year.
How you were on a mission. You had a chip
on your shoulder from day one, and and you it
came to fulfillment. You silenced all the critics.
Speaker 5 (30:12):
Yeah, that was that was good man, That was really good.
Speaker 6 (30:16):
I was proud of myself, proud of myself for really
kind of locking myself in in uh in the cage
and and really getting to it and getting after it
and then but you know, it was really my teammates. Man,
that my teammates that that was the.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
They're they're the best. They're the best.
Speaker 6 (30:34):
I mean, those guys really rallied behind me. You know,
they were in the cage support me. I mean it
was it was really like unbelievable stuff that nobody would
ever hear or see. You know, those are things that
that helped us win. I mean, yeah, but my my
teammates are really responsible for you know a.
Speaker 5 (30:52):
Lot of that.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
You got the same guys coming back.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
Yeah, that's the beauty. That's the beauty about it. So
I know, I'm good. I know I got my boys.
We we're gonna ride it together. That's for damn sure.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
That's what's special. You get to try to run this
back with the same group of guys.
Speaker 6 (31:06):
Yeah, I mean obviously you know doing it. There have
been no back to back so well, I mean, there's
been something, but it's been so long, and so for
us to have an opportunity to do it, you know,
that's something special. Shout out to our front office for
giving us the opportunity. Yeah, so it'll be tough. You know,
we still got to play good Dodger baseball.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
So you just came back from Japan. Has been on
this radio station all last year, and I know you're
now the face of a certain extent.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
No, I mean, I'm doing some work with him, but yeah,
that's cool.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Oh, Tani's the supporting cast, you're the main guy.
Speaker 5 (31:38):
No, that's that's a lot. That's a lot.
Speaker 6 (31:41):
Everywhere everywhere I walked, everywhere we drove. You know, his
signature was there, he had been there, his picture was there.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
So it was really neat. It was really neat.
Speaker 6 (31:53):
It was really neat to see how how much a
country supports a player.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Did you realize how big he was there? I mean
we hear about it, but you got to see it firsthand.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Yeah, yeah, you don't really, You don't really. You can.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
You can picture it all you want, but do you
really see it to really see how how much he, uh,
he affects that country?
Speaker 5 (32:15):
It's wild.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Hey, Mookie Betts. He dips his toe on Ventura Boulevard
once in a while. I heard you were in the
Grade one eight this offseason taking ground balls and shortstop,
putting in a lot of work.
Speaker 6 (32:27):
I mean I've been. I've been working, man, I've been working,
and so we'll see. You know, I'm a big I'm
a big, big person that thinks about you got to
do it in the game. You can do it in
practice all day, but if you don't do it in
the game, then none of it really matters.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
How does it feel? I mean, it's got to be
somewhat of a relief to prepare instead of yeah, for
a full off season, instead of five days.
Speaker 5 (32:50):
Yeah, I was, man, I was. I never.
Speaker 6 (32:54):
I've never I've never started training this early in my life.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
And wow, so after a long season, after a.
Speaker 5 (33:02):
Long season, like.
Speaker 6 (33:05):
The work I put in this off season, nobody would
even fathom it. And so I really feel like I'm
a new person there. So, like I said, we'll see.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
All right, before I let you go in, you got
your little boy with you on your lab. Mookie's doing
double duty daddy daycare today.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Yeah, it's tough, but it is what it is.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
You know.
Speaker 6 (33:24):
He comes here and I want him to see what
daddy does and maybe he'll want to do it one day.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
He's so cute too, thank god, he looks like his mom.
All right, Hey, mooki I've been driving around the Valley
the last couple of days since I heard Adam Silver
talk about floating out that, you know, people think you're
coming to Dodger Fest and you want to talk to
Mookie Bets about baseball, not me. I have been booming
at the mouth waiting to talk to you about this,
(33:52):
Adam Silver floating out that maybe the NBA is thinking
about shortening quarters from twelve minutes to ten minutes like
the euro and National because of low attention span and
just trying. The ratings are down a little bit in
the NBA. I don't. I'm just completely against doing that.
(34:13):
I wanted to hear what Mookie Be's thought about.
Speaker 5 (34:16):
I feel like you would you would change change the game.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
Change that would change the integrity of the game, because
I feel like there's like a pace and the timing
that that you develop playing basketball, just like you developed
playing anything else.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
But you know, even though there's a pitch clock in baseball,
there's still twenty seven outs.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
Yeah, there's still twenty seven outs. I mean there's change.
Speaker 6 (34:39):
There's change that that people may not like that end
up being a really good thing.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
So you know, you just got to be open minded
to it. I'm not saying I.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
Agree or disagree, but you simmer on that, Yeah, I
would have to think about that, because you know, there
that's some changes has been.
Speaker 5 (34:54):
Really good, like the pitch clock. I know, I don't want.
Speaker 6 (34:56):
People to get hurt by any means, but you know,
just for from a player position player perspective, it.
Speaker 5 (35:02):
Really does speed the game up. You know.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
So my tweaks for the NBA enlarge the court, which
brings the three point line back, and maybe it's a
little bit more challenging for bigger, more athletic players.
Speaker 6 (35:16):
So now you're just trying to Now we're just trying
to create a game. That's how good is that? Like,
that's how good Wemby is. We're trying to create a
game to slow him down. I mean, come on now.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
I just like can't do that.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
The players in the seventies and eighties weren't as big
and fast as what they.
Speaker 5 (35:33):
Are now, right right, I mean, simmer.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
On that one too. We'll we'll regroup. Maybe you have
it on their next podcast. You have like an NBA
guy you were on all the Smoke. I enjoyed that.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
That was that was that was super cool. That was
super cool.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
Here and two real basketball minds, So I'll be curious
to ask them.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
Two basketball minds bowing at the altar of a great
baseball player.
Speaker 6 (35:58):
Yeah, I guess I wouldn't call it, but I did. Yeah,
but it was fun. It was fun. Those guys are awesome.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
I love it all right. So when I see you
in Arizona, when you're making that long dry through the desert,
you'll be hearing my voice in your head saying, no way,
no way to a forty minute game. Expand the court.
Speaker 5 (36:16):
I'll make it of a of a car and let
you know what I come up with.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Okay, sounds good, sir. We love you, Mooki. LA really
putting their arms around you, Mooki, and I think it's
always sweet when a great athlete people don't appreciate it.
They always want more. They want more, and you delivered,
and I know there's more.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
Thank you, sir, Thank you, sir.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
He's a great player and a great dad man, Mookie
putting me the shame. I can't be this good at
fatherhood either. When we continue from Dodger Stadium, the Great Show,
Hey O Tani will join us as well, and we'll
wrap things up from Dodger Stadium. It's been a great
day out here, and it's gonna be a great season.
On five seventy LA Sports, your home of Mookie and
(37:00):
the world champion. Los Angeles Dodgers FanFest is official as
we are live at Dodgers Stadium, and I'm joined right
now by a man that just one is third MVP
Award and his shoe right now is hotter than any
Air Jordan or Kobe shoe out there already. I went
to go look for the Otani trainer lab. The only
(37:22):
size available left SiZ sixteen. I'm ten and a half
and the great show Hey Otani joins us right now
live on Dodgers Radio show. Hey, thank you so much
for the time. Will Ireton, thank you for being here
as well. So the shoe sold out already, show, Hey,
you did a great job of marketing. Everybody bought it.
(37:46):
How much did you influence the way the shoe looks
on design?
Speaker 7 (37:51):
I'm on commit it, Hi on.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
My I did get involved in the deesig. I know
the shoes and really happy that so many people are
buying it.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
When you look at the way Los Angeles has embraced you. Show, Hey,
do you feel like after the season you had last
year and the parade. You know how much the fans
truly appreciate the way you play.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Fund me and also I started that.
Speaker 8 (38:25):
My Famda Madad.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Come back.
Speaker 4 (38:44):
You know, I really had the chance to be able
to play in front of the fans, so I really
got to feel the passion. And today just at the
stage too, So it's really nice to be able to
interact with the fans and kind of feel their passion,
and you know to for twenty twenty five season. You know,
we're literally just about to start, so we have a
lot of work to do, but again, really excited to
(39:06):
be you know, part of the Dodgers and play in
front of these fans.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
And the Dodgers are going to start the season at
the Tokyo Dome, a place you're very familiar with. How
excited are you about that opportunity to wear a Dodger
uniform and play in Tokyo?
Speaker 9 (39:23):
Excited to shamasca A well cut it.
Speaker 8 (39:46):
You don't need.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
You know, you don't really get an opportunity like this
to play in front of the fans. Uh with two
teams of Dodgers in the cubs and obviously Imaga is
there as well, and you know other Japanese play ayers too,
So really excited to be able to you know, play
and hopefully we win a couple of games and make
sure that the fans come out of that thinking dodge
of blue show.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
Hey was around me for a year, so he knows
I'm very awkward and really uh socially, uh sometimes clumsy.
Do you have any tips for me to handle myself
in Tokyo, Japan? So I don't embarrass your name, my
name or the Dodger's.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
Name says to you nothing in particular, but I think
one good thing to do is to just remember a
few Japanese phrases and they would very much love that.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Can you give me one?
Speaker 2 (40:52):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Right now? How about right now? How about let's start
with this show? Hey, bathroom bathroom? Yeah, where's the bathroom?
Speaker 9 (41:02):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (41:06):
All right, I could do that, like like, okay, all right,
good to know if I wear a show hey jersey
and new balanced shoes, do you think they might confuse
us uniform?
Speaker 4 (41:25):
I'm sure they'll be excited to see you.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
So, Hey, before I let you go, one more baseball question.
I've told people I am anticipating the night that you
pitch for the first time at Dodgers Stadium. I don't
believe it's going to be just another baseball game. It
will be a bigger event than what we've seen. Have
you visualized that moment being on the mound at Dodger Stadium,
(41:49):
as wearing this uniform.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
Mounting to I'm not getting so you made it, you know,
White Musca definitely imagine myself pitching on the mound. Now.
(42:16):
I'm not exactly sure what when that's gonna happen, but
I'm going to do the best I can to make
it as early as possible.
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Since we know each other a little bit better now,
if you need me, I'm almost the same height as
Manny Machado. If you need me to stand in for
a bullpen just to help you get ready, let me know.
Speaker 2 (42:35):
Okay, right there for you.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Okay, thank you man.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
So great to see, love seeing the smile. The m
vps are great. But now we can say World Champion show.
Hey O Tani and Roki Sazaki, you helped bring him here.
I heard you text Andrew Friedman we got him, So
maybe you Yamamoto Nobu made the deal happen with it?
Speaker 7 (43:01):
Hi, mam Mont call you.
Speaker 4 (43:37):
Know I played with him as a player for the
WBC team Japan. So I got to really know him
as a as a player and as a friend and
just first and foremost, I'm really you know, what I
wanted to really tell him was that, you know, regardless
of the teams that he that he ends up choosing,
I wanted him to be successful. And of course I
wanted him to be a Dodger, but first and foremost
(43:59):
as a person as a player, just really rooting for
him to be successful.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
Man, that was the right pitch. You didn't seem too needy,
you know, you just like, yeah, do what you want. Yeah,
you know, it's okay. You play a suave like Oscar Hernandez.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Right there.
Speaker 4 (44:15):
It's about us, you, messa.
Speaker 8 (44:18):
He went to student.
Speaker 9 (44:23):
We do all day, he suppled.
Speaker 4 (44:26):
Yeah, Yo, Shinoba and I are here. So I'm really,
you know, excited that I'll be able to support him
in this transition.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Can't wait for the season to start. I can't wait
to be in Tokyo with you. You're an expecting proud father.
If you need any fatherhood tips, I can help. I
have two young children. My wife does all the work,
but I could, uh, you know, help you out if
you need stand in for bullpen session and father advice,
I could be a mentor.
Speaker 8 (44:52):
My company.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
I don't think he's.
Speaker 4 (44:55):
Yeah, maybe maybe spring training.
Speaker 1 (44:57):
Yeah, if you send in and I'm gonna hit you,
thanks so awesome to be with you, and I'll have
these by spring training. All right, Great, I'll be wearing
turf shoes.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
All right.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
There, he is the great show Heyo Tani, world champion
and a champion of the people. Thank you show Hey,
show Heyo Tani. That's a great way to end Dodger Fest.
Right there. He said he would nail me. I mean
he was gonna hit me if I stood in and
helped him recover from his shoulder and Tommy John, I mean, man,
(45:31):
how about that? That would just melt down social media.
If I stood in for show Heo Tani bullpen session,
I mean, I think the whole camp would circle around
behind home plate and cheer if he did hit me
in the ribs. I mean I think he would anyway.
That was amazing and honestly, that's the most open show
(45:52):
Hey has ever been in interviews with me. I mean,
that's the vibe out here at Dodger Fest. Everybody's happy, relaxed.
How could you not be your World Champions and ring
day here. I'm the home opener. Once the Dodgers returned
from Tokyo, Japan is going to be spectacular. I want
to say thank you to the Dodgers, Lon Rosen, Juan Dorado,
(46:14):
player relations, Joe Jerk, Ali Salvach, who was very nervous
during that entire Otani interview. Everybody thought I was offending
the guy by talking to him like a human being. Hey,
but Gavin Stone appreciate it. Thank you for announcing and
promoting your birthday on October fifteenth. We will all send
(46:35):
you a tweet or maybe some donuts on your birthday.
You know that's high class living right there for Gavin Stone.
Thank you to Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Thank you
to Michael Confordo. Thank you to Dave Roberts. I'm missing
some guys, but in case you missed any of the
show or any of the interviews, you can find it
(46:56):
on the iHeartRadio app. And our next Dodger talk show
is going to be on Monday night at seven o'clock.
You will hear from Tommy Edman, Alex Vesia, and Austin
Barnes on Monday Night for our Dodger talk. Want to
say thank you to the crew out here from iHeart
Bert Weiner who went all three hours of the show
(47:18):
not asking for a Dodger dog. So that's a big victory. Bert.
I will let Petros and Money know about this. Thank
you to Doug Hall aka Skinny Rob Kardashian for being
out here as well. Thank you to Johnny FACTORO as
well for all his help. Solid Warris World series hat
(47:40):
Joe Jeric wearing his Nike Windbreaker. Thank you to everybody
for listening. It's been a fabulous Saturday. Can't wait to
recap on Monday night. We will talk to you next week.
Until then, have a great weekend. Be safe see
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