11/5 H3: Roggin and Rodney talk to Dodgers insider David Vassegh, "It's Lit"

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we continue on Fred Rugan Rodney peint On A
five seventy LA Sports. All right, let's start this hour
off bringing on our friend David Vas. Say, Dave, good afternoon.
Have you recovered from everything yet?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
I would say I'm starting to come out of the
champagne fog? Should I say.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
You were all the way in it? David Bass, Say, listen,
I texted you a couple of times.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Man.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
First of all, great great job covering everything, man, you
had you were everywhere. And just first of all, because
we know you and we have you on, we know
how you know. Insightful and in depth you get and
you're right around the players. You're dialed into everything. But
just your analysis and everything they brought you on Major

(00:51):
League MLB Network. I saw that when I texted you,
and you got a chance to get in with Snyder
and ask him a few questions as well. Man, how
was it for you? Because you I just want to
give your flowers. Man, you did a great job covering
this whole world series.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh thank you. I really appreciate Rodney, you and Holly
have been so supportive and I really appreciate you saying
those kind words. And look, I was a kid growing
up in the eighties watching the Showtime Lakers from Afar,
and you just wish you could be part of that scene, right,
I wish I was twenty one years old in nineteen

(01:28):
eighty five, right, So, just being able to understand what
I'm living through and taking that responsibility seriously where I
want to do these guys justice. I want to document
and have them document through their words exactly what's going
through their minds, the emotions, the adulation, the disappointments of

(01:52):
just an incredible time of Dodger baseball. And I don't
take that lightly. I tell all these guys, I just
want to do you justice. That's all I'm trying to do.
I'm not It's not about me. It's not about my nipples.
It's about them. That's all I try to do.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Okay, hear that?

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Heard that?

Speaker 1 (02:08):
I heard it. Hey, Dave, When when you went back
to Toronto for Game six and seven, as you were
getting on the plane, did you think that Dodgers were
going to win?

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Absolutely? Fred I documented that as I was on the
runway heading to the plane, I had no doubts the
Dodgers would win Game six. Obviously it was not going
to be easy. It turned out to be an incredible,
exhilarating Game six, and I just felt like if the
Dodgers got to a Game seven, their pitching would be

(02:41):
in such a great place that it would give their
offense an opportunity to score against Max Scherzer. Did I
see Game seven going the way it did?

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Know?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
I actually bought into Shoho Tani going at least four
or five innings that obviously didn't materialized. He seemed to
be alone the gas tank. And I mean, I think
we all take for granted that he's pitching, he's hitting.
In the World Series games, some guys empty the tank,
just doing one of those things, and he was trying
to do both. But it proved to be true that

(03:14):
the Dodgers starting pitching, and even some of their key
relievers like Justin Robleski, who did not give up a
run in the World Series, delivered for them. And again
the offense struggled. But in all the postseason games this year,
not only Dodger or postseason games, but all postseason games,
whoever hit the most home runs in those games usually won,

(03:38):
and the Dodgers only hit two oh three in the
World Series, but after Game one they out homered Toronto
ten to five, and offensively that was the difference in
winning and losing.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt and just big moments. It just
felt you know, we often talked about it and you
talk about it often, Dave, about the moment, is the
moment too big? And at certain times throughout the World
Series it felt like the Dodgers' moments It wasn't too
big for them. It was a team that had been
there before, seeing it before. There was a calmness about

(04:14):
the Dodgers, and in reverse, I think the moments that
cost Toronto maybe was a lack of experience, lack of
being in those big moments, because there are a few
of them that were pivotal. What did you think about
about the moments and how the Dodgers handle it and
as opposed to Toronto handling it.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, I agree with you, Rodney. Toronto did a great
job of keeping their poise and hanging in there and
going blow for blow against the Dodgers. And you know,
the whole David and Goliath thing is still overplayed. The
Blue Jays had the fifth highest payroll in baseball. They
had a two hundred and thirty three million dollar payroll,

(04:55):
so it wasn't like, oh the little Blue Jays. Now
they had really good players, and they paid a lot
of money for a lot of good players. But in
Game six, in Game seven, the Dodgers all of a
sudden started doing the little things a lot better than
what they had done in the first five games of
the World Series. And you know what Key k Hernandez

(05:18):
was able to do to end Game six, just using
his baseball instincts to step in a little more shallow
on that flare by him as because of what he
had seen, and you know, having the awareness, the field
awareness to throw to second base and Rojas make an
incredible play to be able to stay off the bag

(05:42):
and pick that throw from Key K. That stood out
to me a lot. Rojas, I know the home run, obviously,
but how about the defense in the ninth inning where
he was able to snag a hard hit ball with
the infield in keep his balance and make a throw
to Will Smith who somehow some way got his toe
back on home plate before Isaiah Kana Fileffa was able

(06:06):
to slide in. So those are the things that really
stood out to me, and I never I know, Dave
Roberts got a little defensive with Dan Patrick this morning.
I don't know who was second guessing him to allow
Rojas to hit in that situation. I certainly wasn't because
there was no better option. And I was a big
advocate for Rojas to be starting since Game two of

(06:28):
the World Series. So I just think that finally, Dave
Roberts and the Dodgers, you know, being as loyal as
he was to Andy Paaz, but at a certain time,
you got to realize the guy's not getting it done.
And Rojas, as everybody sung his praises, has been the
glue all year long and is actually a great security

(06:49):
blanket for Mookie Betts. They were turning double plays in
Game six and Game seven that they weren't turning before.
And it just seems like he's that MOOKI security blanket
because he not only plays better defense and knows where
to be defensively, but he also hits ninety points higher
when Miguel Rojas is in the starting lineup right next
to him.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
All Right, Dave, on the topic of Mickey Rojas, let's
now you can be Andrew Freeman and start looking forward.
All right, who's back? Is making come back another year?

Speaker 2 (07:22):
I think so I think him and Keith A Hernandez
come back for another year, but you've got to supplement
that bench with some youth. I believe Alex call is
also on the roster. I mean they are not tied
to him to necessarily be on the team next year.
But you have to find a way to get younger
but also thread that needle of not breaking up this team.

(07:45):
And that's going to be a big challenge for Andrew Friedman.
It would have been a lot easier if the Dodgers
had lost Game seven for him to make some more
significant changes, but he's got to thread that needle of
getting younger somehow because this is becoming an older team.
And you know, you saw that after the eighteen inning

(08:07):
game where the Blue Jays were able to bounce back
better than the Dodgers, where I think that eighteen inning
game took a lot out of the Dodgers more than
some would admit, and that was a product of them
being a majority thirty something team. And they've got to
find a way to thread that needle position player wise,

(08:27):
to keep the guys that you need in the postseason,
but also incorporate some younger players, whether that's from inside
the organization or outside the organization.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
But a guy like Munsey who was in his thirties,
do you think he'll be back? Right? He's got one
more year.

Speaker 2 (08:43):
You would think so, considering there's a club option for
only ten million dollars, and you know Munsey is we
saw when he wasn't in the lineup how different the
lineup looks without having that type of style hitter in it.
And it's only going to cost you ten minut million dollars.
So I would assume the Dodgers do pick up that

(09:03):
club option. I would be a little surprised if they don't.
But there are better third base younger options the year
after this one, so you know, this might be the
last stance for a Monthsye as an everyday starter for
the Dodgers at least.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
Dave Clayton Kershaw goes out as a champion again, and
just to see him and Ellen and the kids on
the field after the game and then during the parade.
You've known him for a long long time. What was
it like talking to him afterwards, and your thoughts on
just him going out the way he went out as

(09:43):
a Dodger eighteen years and what he's meant to this organization.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's just so perfect, right, Rodney, I'm still trying to
think of a player or pitcher of his caliber that
ended their career on their own terms this way. Going
out as a World Series champion, let alone a back
to back World Series champion in any sport, a lot
of guys don't get that opportunity. So it's just so perfect.

(10:11):
And you know, you have to believe that karma was
in play here because of how much he's given to
the game of baseball and just how he lives his life.
With a stand up guy he is. And I'll tell
you from Kershaw's perspective, just being around him, it's hard
for him want he will if his body would allow
him to pitch one more year, there's no doubt in

(10:33):
my mind he would pitch. But he doesn't want to
be embarrassed. You know, he had to grind through a
lot of starts. He found a way to get it done,
to be a ten game winner with an Elra under three,
making you know, the most starts this side of Yamamoto.
I mean, he made the second most starts of any
Dodger this year. But as he had said many times

(10:54):
in the postseason, to get guys out with eighty eight
miles an hour, and nowadays it's just it's just not
that easy. So he's at peace with his decision, and
it's just, you know, a huge, huge end of an
era with a guy that played his entire eighteen years

(11:15):
with the Dodgers and you know, was there when it
wasn't great and came out on the other end of
it when they turned it into this dynasty. And the
dynasty didn't just start in twenty twenty. I believe this
started back in twenty seventeen, with you know, five World
Series appearances in the last nine years.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
Dave pre Agents, Michael Conpordo obviously will not be back.
They will have an outfield opening. Is that Kyle you
got to.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Talk about if they don't bring him back, Fred, I
think they should bring him back, just so you could
have somebody to really go after, right.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
Well, I don't think they're going to look dominate and
he gave with all due respect, I think they're going
to go in that road direction. Is Kyle Tucker the guy?

Speaker 2 (11:57):
I don't He's a good player, but I'm not sure
he's the guy. I know everybody's going to point to
the Dodgers that they're going to be in on them,
and look as every other free agent going back to
when they had interest in Bryce Harper. If it's at
the right price point, then yeah, he could be the guy.
But there are other options for the Dodgers. I mean,

(12:20):
there's no secret the Dodgers and Guardians were talking about
Stephen Kwan at the trade deadline. So if they were
talking about Stephen Kwan at the trade deadline, why wouldn't
they pick up those conversations this offseason. So Kyle Tucker
is not the end all be all. He's just one
of the options the Dodgers have. And look when Mark

(12:41):
Walter is on stage in front of fifty thousand plus
in the world saying we want to do it again
next year. I wouldn't rule out anybody. I wouldn't rule
out the Dodgers engaging the Tigers and at Trek Schoobole trade.
They had interest in him a couple of years ago
when the Tigers were not very good. If the Tigers
are listening to offers about Terrek Skuball, the Dodgers aren't

(13:01):
going to send an offer to the Tigers for Terry Scoublem.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
Oh Man it's why would they ignore that?

Speaker 2 (13:11):
That means I just wouldn't put anything off the table.

Speaker 3 (13:17):
Now you love that, and so much for haters talking
about running baseball. If you got a chance, go spend
the money, go do it. Hell with everybody else, David Bassei.

Speaker 2 (13:28):
I mean, think about it, right, Rodney, Because you may
think the Dodgers have more than enough pitching, But just
as we saw this year with a lot of their relievers,
after pushing themselves to the limits as far as they
went last year to win the World Series, don't you
believe there's going to be some residual effect and the
Dodgers are going to be extra careful with Otani, with Snell,

(13:52):
with Glass, now with Yamamoto. Especially if you get a
guy like Schoolball to be a reinforcement or fresh arm,
that obviously takes a lot of pressure off of rushing
those guys back.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
Oh yeah, it's gonna I mean, I think people are
taking notice of how they handled it because you know,
as you pointed out throughout the season, and probably guys
could have probably came back earlier than what they came
back from, especially especially the starting pitching o'tawny probably could
have gone more innings throughout the year, but they were planning,
planning for October and and so in that regard, you

(14:25):
can't have enough reinforcement.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
You know.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
The guy I got a whole new level of respect
for as Roboleski uh to come in in those moments
that he did and then have that kind of dog
in him when he when he threw out your minees
and told him to come see me, Dave, I loved it.
I didn't know that that he was that kind of guy, Dave.

Speaker 2 (14:51):
He's that kind of guy. We saw that during the season.
He's got a lot of testicular fortitude. He doesn't scare away,
and Dave Roberts started to give him more bigger moments,
as we saw even in Game seven, and for him
to keep his poise and not back down from a
guy that was trying to intimidate him, and for him

(15:12):
to bark back at him, Yeah, that says a lot
about him because you might be cruising along to that point,
but once that kind of emotional thing happens, bench is clearing.
Sometimes younger pictures that have never been there before get rattled.
He never got rattled, and he's found a home in
the bullpen. Those bullpen Dogs want Justin Robleski part of

(15:34):
their team next year.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
All right, Dave, who do you have on Dodger Talk
tonight seven o'clock? Anybody special?

Speaker 2 (15:43):
I'm working on somebody extremely special, but it all depends
on his practice time, so I'll just leave it right there.

Speaker 3 (15:51):
Okay, all right, okay, well find out tonight, tune in
seven o'clock.

Speaker 1 (15:58):
Dave, thanks for coming on, really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (16:01):
Thank you guys.

Speaker 1 (16:02):
All right, what has happened in the two hours and
twenty minutes we have been on? Kevin will let us
know what it's slit next? Many thanks to David Vassey.

Speaker 3 (16:11):
You know, Fred, he he as we've said it all along.
He's dialed in with the guys, and there's a fine
line of being able to tell it like it is
and still command to respect that guys are still okay
being around you, and he does it better than better
than anyone because I've you know, even in my time playing,

(16:34):
there were guys that you know, kept it fair, but
then you know when they would criticize you or talk
bad about you, they would never show up and never
be around. And David is all around and always around
to give guys an opportunity if they feel like they've
been disrespected or he got it wrong. He's willing to
have that conversation. And that's you can't say that about everybody.

Speaker 1 (16:58):
I don't get how he does it, quite honestly, I've
done this a long time. I've never seen anybody like him.
I've never seen anybody who can be as brutally honest
and have everybody go, yeah, that was fair, Rodney, you played. Yeah,
that's really hard to do as a reporter, very to
be critical of someone right to their face, say it

(17:21):
on the air and the guy turns around and goes, yeah,
you're probably right. I mean when Tanner Scott dodged those
questions in the clubhouse after we got rocked, remember that game, Yeah,
David on the air and criticized him. Tanner Scott came
back and then answered questions the next time, right, think

(17:43):
about that. It was David Vasse saying that they got
Tanner Scott to go back and do it the next
time and apologizing for not doing it the first time.
That is a remarkable skill.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
He has tremendous skill set, so many thanks to David Vassi.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
He's always dial Dan.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
As we say seven o'clock to night, Dodger Talkie's got
a special guest to hear.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
We'll see who that is. Fred. All right, let's get
you caught up on what's going on, Kevin.

Speaker 4 (18:10):
So, guys, as well as we've discussed Game seven of
the World Series, the highest rated Game seven since twenty
seventeen when the Dodgers played the Astros. But Richard Dice
of The Athletic just released this which I find interesting.
The series as a whole average fifteen and a half
million viewers nationwide, which is also the highest since twenty seventeen,
two points higher than last year's World Series between the

(18:31):
Dodgers and the Yankees. We had all the star power,
and you had Cole, and you had Otani, and you
had Judge and you at Stanton and for whatever reason,
and maybe it brings to the point you guys made
a couple of days ago, the hate watching of the Dodgers.
This year's World Series actually in amalgam as a whole,
had better ratings than last year's World Series, despite the
fact that last year had the Yankees and the Dodgers.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
What does that tell us, Well, does it mean this
that honestly the games were better does that have anything
to do with it? Potentially? Yeah, I think that had
something to do with it. I think the eighteen game
put everybody on high alert that anything coulda happen that year.

Speaker 3 (19:04):
And you don't know the game's gonna be better, right,
You don't know the game's been better when people are
tuning in, So you know, the people tuned in to
tune in and then the game happens to be great.
But I then going into the game, nobody knows that
game's gonna go eighteen to eight eighth, or go or
or be a nail bider, you know, to say that

(19:25):
it was better than just on the surface that the
Dodgers playing the Yankees, you would think that that blows
everything away, And this exceeded that.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
That's pretty impressive.

Speaker 4 (19:35):
And I'll say this too, looking back in last year's
World Series, there was one game that was a blowout
in Game four, the Yankees beat the Dodgers eleven to four.
Every other game seven to six, four to two, four
to two, six to three. So all those games, with
the exception of one, were competitive. This year, all the
games Toronto won, they won't going away for the most part.

Speaker 3 (19:53):
Right, right, So you know what does that tell you
that people were and do you think it has anything
to do with Canada versus USA that that kind of
vibe to it? Or is it just like like we
talked about earlier, more of people were tuning in to
really see the Dodgers lose.

Speaker 1 (20:15):
Well, look at it like this too. If you add
the Canadian ratings on TSN, and then how about the
Japanese ratings? Right, yeah, to fonx's ratings. I mean, this
thing was monstrous. Monstrous, by the.

Speaker 4 (20:30):
Way, I will say too. So dis also found the
top five markets based on household ratings for the series.
Obviously La was number one. Who do you guys think
was number two?

Speaker 1 (20:39):
Okay? Top five? Yeah, number two was Are we talking
in US? Yeah, you're not. Just this is all domestic.

Speaker 4 (20:49):
It's all event domestic. Yes, Chicago, all right, you say Chicago, Rodney,
what do you say?

Speaker 1 (20:57):
San Diego?

Speaker 4 (20:58):
Rodney nailed it.

Speaker 1 (20:59):
I talked.

Speaker 4 (21:00):
I hate watching all those Padre fans down in San Diego.
The second highest household ratings of the entire series came
out of San Diego.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
That's interesting. Do you have the other ones?

Speaker 4 (21:09):
So Seattle, Saint Louis, and Milwaukee round out the top five.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
Wow. Interesting, Right, that was a hate watch too.

Speaker 4 (21:18):
I always think so too right for yeah, Seattle, maybe
a little bit of a hate watch. They don't want
Toronto to win. I'm guessing I don't know. Yeah, and
maybe Milwaukee for the same situation. They got swept by
the Dodgers. They want to see if they would lose.

Speaker 3 (21:30):
Yes, there's something too, I think cities or teams or
whatever that Hey, uh, at least we lost to the
World champions and well, yeah, you know, the team that
beat us went on to win at all, so there's
some saving grace to that.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
Yeah, so you know what, We're still a loser, but
not quite as much of one because they got beat
by the best team.

Speaker 4 (21:53):
We've been talking about. Kyle Tucker uh and Betsy came
on with this last segment and said, there's other guys
you can pursue, not necessarily guy you want to go after.

Speaker 2 (22:01):
Now.

Speaker 4 (22:01):
We talked about the report earlier from Alvi Gonzalez saying
that the Dodgers want to go after a reliever. That's
what they're prioritizing. In that same report, he also said
that they are going to check in on Turick's schooble
of the Tigers and Kyle Tucker, but they will be
on the periphery of their priorities, So those guys are
not going to necessarily be top billing and what they're
looking for this offseason. And also, I believe Jeff Passon

(22:22):
had a report yesterday saying that Kyle Tucker is going
to be seeking a contract worth upwards up three hundred
million dollars. So I guess the question is, if you're
the Dodgers, do you churn out three hundred million dollars
for Kyle Tucker? Or maybe it's the all important question, Fred,
because you talk about you don't want ten to twelve
year deals. If the money's all the same, would you
give him that much money in a shorter term deal.

Speaker 1 (22:42):
First, I don't think they'd give him that much money
in a shorter term deal. A three hundred million dollars
over five years, I don't think that's going to happen.
I don't think i'd signed Kyle Tucker for ten years.
I think the Dodgers are in a very good spot here,
and I hope Kyle Tucker gets paid and has a
magnificent continuation of his career. You don't need to sign
a guy for ten years. You really don't, and I

(23:03):
don't think they will. It's dangerous. I mean, they're getting
older as it is. You cannot keep locking yourself into
these long term deals because there's going to be a
point where there's going to be diminishing returns. It won't
be next year in my opinion, but that point will
come and you just can't do it. You cannot sign
somebody for that long rotting.

Speaker 3 (23:25):
Yeah, I get it with him, And you know, it's
kind of unfortunate because before the All Star Break, when
he was tearing the cover off the ball and everybody
was clamoring over him, he would the numbers were like
four to five hundred million dollars. They were putting them
in Blad Guerrero territory. And since you know, when he
got hurt and really didn't play a whole lot and
his play kind of diminished, after the All Star break

(23:46):
is when it really fell off. I'm actually a little
surprised that went down to three hundred because if you
do remember he was he was the guy for the
first half of the season, the biggest sought after free
the agent was going to be Kyle Tucker and north
of four hundred million dollars. So now I don't think
you can go ten years with a guy like that.

(24:10):
Six seven maybe, but then it comes to the number
per year, we'll see. But he would fit in nicely
with the Dodgers right and right field.

Speaker 1 (24:20):
He's very solid, fundamental, gets his work done and does
it at a high level.

Speaker 4 (24:27):
Well, I'll throw this into since we're talking about, you know, guys,
the Dodgers can pursue and apparently according to how the
Gonzales his report that a reliever and a closer is
their top billing. So if Edwin Diaz is going to
be a free agent and he's on the market, if
he's going to command a contract similar to what Tanner
Scott got last offseason, do you run the risk of
signing another guy to a contract like that and hoping

(24:47):
that he brings you the production that he previously had
and not the production that Tanner Scott brought you this year.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
I don't sign a guy jing to Tanner Scott deal again.

Speaker 4 (24:55):
Four year seventy two is what Tanner got, By the way, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
I don't do that. I just I mean, we saw
the downside and the dangers of it, and I think,
you know, If a guy wants a two year deal,
that's great for whatever amount of money, that's great. But
I'm not signing a guy. I'm not signing a closer
to a four year deal now, you know, buyer beware.
We've seen what happens. And by the way, Tanner Scott

(25:18):
can come back this year and be a stud. Yeah,
and be the exact guy he was, and that would
be great for Tanner Scott and great for the Dodgers.
But I'm not rolling the dice again like that Rodney. Yeah,
I got a feeling that Tanner Scott will will do that.
I'm rolling that dice that he will.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
You know, after being here a year, seeing this, getting
a feeling, getting a taste of the World Series, and winning,
it takes a lot of pressure off of him because
had the Dodgers lost and the problems of the bullpen,
everybody would appoint it to the bullpen as they are
doing anyway, but appointed to the bullpen as the reason
why the Dodgers couldn't close the deal, and him being

(25:58):
the most sought after free agent and that bullpen, all
the fingers would have been pointed towards him. So I
think a lot of pressure was taken off of him,
and I expect him to come back and have a big,
big year next year and be the guy that everybody
thought he was going to be.

Speaker 4 (26:12):
This past year, some new news on the Aspiration Clippers controversy.
So Steve Barmer said that he was the frauded out
of millions of dollars by this company. Well, according to
this civil suit that's being filed against Aspiration, Steve Balmer
and his company have been added to that lawsuit as
a defendant. They say that Steve Barmer was actually complicit

(26:32):
in this entire defrauding situation and basically he was acting
as as a collaborator with this company defrauding people out
of their money. They say, Steve Barmer was continuously investing
millions and millions of dollars into this company that we
knew was basically a giant fraud, and he was doing
it as a front so we can pay Kawhi Leonard
to circumit the salary cap. The Clippers have not responded

(26:53):
to this allegation, but they haven't added as a defendant
to this case. By all of these people who felt
that they were as eleven former investors felt they were
defrauded by this company and that Steve Barmer was complicit
and then being defrauded.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
Uh, well, you go after the deep pockets, right, and
I believe the deal was these people said, well I
invested because he invests.

Speaker 4 (27:13):
Correct, that's what it is.

Speaker 1 (27:14):
Fred, Yes, yes, Hey, he told me to do it,
I did it.

Speaker 4 (27:17):
Or he kept doing it, So he's who's more legitimate.
But yeah, who's more legitimate to Steve Barmber. So if
he's going to keep investing, so will I.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
Right, I think that's what happened. That's that's on them.
That's on them, unless Steve Bomber said, hey, here's an
insight tip. If I was you, I'd keep pouring money
into this thing, and good things are going to happen.
Because I know I don't think he did that. But
now you go after deep pockets, you go after anybody
and everybody you can. I don't know if that sticks.

(27:45):
We don't know all the details, Kevin, We don't know
what Bamber's necessarily said. But to me, that seems like
kind of a stretch.

Speaker 3 (27:55):
Yeah, it feels that way, feels that way. That exactly
what you said. Uh, Steve Balmer's involved, I'm gonna be involved. Too,
and he should have told us that it was a
fraudulent company or these these guys were not on the
up and up. So I'm blaming him more so or
just as much as as we're blaming the company. Steve

(28:18):
Balmer should have known, and if he didn't know, I'm
blaming him for losing my money. So yeah, it feels
like they're they're trying to again, like you said, for
they go off to deep pockets. But also blame Balmer
for not at least well warning them because his money,
he can lose two million dollars. We couldn't lose two

(28:40):
million dollars, right.

Speaker 4 (28:42):
It sounds like they're a problem to me. I mean,
Balmber's one who sat down with Romana Shelburner said they
de fraught of me out of my money. So he's saying,
I'm in the same both as everybody else. I just
happened to give the company a lot more than you
guys did. Yeah, all right, and that's what's lighting up
the headlines.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
Okay, when we come back, we'll wrap it up. And
was this the best Dodger team ever? Fred Rogan Rodney
pet wrapping up our thanks to David Basse who came
on the show, and also want to thank Dan Wiki
who made an appearance on the show. So we started
out at the top of the neon hour talking about

(29:18):
culture and what the Dodgers have done with culture and
how despite the fact they have spent the most money
in baseball, Max Munsey told Jack Harrits of The Times,
it's the culture that made the difference. And in any business,
culture is what determines success or failure. You've worked in
places with good culture, you know that. And you've worked

(29:40):
in places businesses that aren't operated as well and it's
been not fun to go to work. So given the
culture that has been established through the front office through
Dave Roberts, then it comes they've won two in a row.
They've won three since twenty twenty. That's pretty remarkable and
you start to wonder, is this Dodger team the best

(30:02):
Dodger team of all time? Now, we had a caller
earlier taking us back to the sixties. Okay, I wasn't there.
I don't remember that. You and I should know that
because we do this for a living, but that was
not top of mind for me to be honest with you,
and you don't want to be a prisoner of the moment.

(30:22):
You don't want to be sitting here held hostage by
what you just saw because you're so overwhelmed and excited.
But I think, really, this Dodger team, and the majority
of it is the same group, might have to be
considered the best in Dodger history.

Speaker 3 (30:39):
Rodney, Yeah, yeah, And it's hard. You know, people love
to debate, specially in the aid now of social media
debate eras and who's the greatest of all time? And
is it Bill Russell won eleven titles, but Michael Jordan
was six for six and Lebron James been it. All
those things come into play. But when you talk about

(31:00):
a team, a team effort and the players, and you
start going and stacking up player for player, position for
position with this Dodger team, and you throw in the
pitching staff, that's a part of this. It's hard to
argue that this is not the best Dodger team of
all time given the players they have on this roster.

(31:25):
And would you trade or substitute the majority of these
players versus somebody else.

Speaker 1 (31:34):
And I don't know if I would. I don't know
if I would.

Speaker 3 (31:36):
The pitching staff are what they have right now the
run that they're on three and six years, especially when
you look at the stats that we haven't had a
back to back winner since the Yankees did it in
ninety eight through two thousand, and in the National League
FRED it hadn't happened since Cincinnati Reds seventy five seventy six.

(31:58):
So we're talking, this is not an easy thing to do,
to go back to back. And football is different, and
basketball is different, but in mains League baseball, and everybody
wants to yell that the Dodgers are ruining it and
there's no parody or anything like that. Just think, look
at that stat alone. There's not been a repeat winner

(32:20):
in baseball prior to the Dodgers just doing it since
two or nineteen ninety eight, ninety nine, two thousand with
the Yankees, and on the National League side since nineteen
seventy five seventy six. That's so incredible.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah, and maybe, and you touched on it a bit,
maybe even look at it like this. You can have
any player in baseball, You can have anybody on your team,
and every team has a good player, you can have
any of them. Really, if you could construct a roster,
look at the Dodger pitching. Yeah, you gotta have Cherich
school Blell, you gotta have Garrett Crochet, you can have everybody,

(33:01):
but really, the Dodgers have aces in every slot on
their pitching staff. Nobody has that. So if you replaced
Crochet with Snell or Scooball with Yamamoto, it's still the
Dodgers have five aces. So they went in pitching. They
have five Terrorist Schoobles, they have five Garrett Crochets, they

(33:23):
have five. So they went in pitching. Look around their lineup.
Freddie Freeman at first base. I was sitting there thinking
the other day. Remember when Freddie went back to Atlanta
some years ago, started crying and was very upset that
the Braves had handled things the way they had. He
is the luckiest human being on the planet because he

(33:43):
could be Matt Olson in Atlanta. He ended up here,
all right, Second base, Tommy Edmund, steady, solid, perfect guy
for your roster. Shortstop, Mookie Betts, all right done, third base, Muncie.
Are there guys that might be better, Sure, but when
once he's in the lineup, it's an entirely different team,

(34:06):
and he has earned a spot here. Tayo Hernandez you know,
you see what he did against Toronto. Think back through
the rest of the playoffs. He made a huge impact.
Yet Pie has young player couldn't hit in the playoffs,
but a young player still hit well during the regular season.
You keep him. He's cost effective in right field, You'll

(34:27):
find a new right fielder. You got a catcher who's
going to be here, I think eight more years. Is
there anybody you'd rather have right now than will Smith?
Clutch as it gets in baseball right now. So if
you just look at the composition of the roster, it's
built for sustained success. You gotta believe, Yeah, this is
the best Dodger team, with all due respect to all
the others and all the great players that wore the

(34:49):
Dodger uniform. But just the way these guys are built
in the collection of talent, and how they have the
ability to go back to back and per perhaps make
a tree in a row. I tell you that's very rare,
highly unusual. We're all fortunate to be here at this
time for this. All of that. Yeah, that being said,

(35:10):
I can't think they are the best. I think so too.
I think so too.

Speaker 3 (35:15):
You went down that lineup, I mean Bill Russell, all
due respect, but you have Bill Russell and Mookie Bett's
playing short stuff for you. Start like that, Yeah, just
do it like that, all respect to the garf, Freddy
Freeman versus the garf. I think I'm taking Freddy, all
due respect to the garvy taking Freddy, you know. And

(35:37):
then you talk about the pitching staff and the catcher
and you know Sosha and Jeger are great, but been
many more catchers clutched, more clutched than Will Smith. Yeah,
it's hard to argue with this team. Hard, although I
still take Oral on the staff Orl's got to be
on the staff. Yes, Oral be on the staff.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
All right, Ronnie, thank you, great job today. Kevin appreciate
it as well. And Rodney we are back tomorrow, sir,