0:01

From the Berkshars to the sound from

0:04

wherever you live in MLB America.

0:06

This is Inside the Parker.

0:08

You give us twenty two minutes and we'll give

0:10

you the scoop on major League Baseball.

0:13

Now, here's Baseball Hall of

0:15

Fame voter number seventy, Rob

0:18

Parker.

0:19

Welcome into the podcast.

0:20

I'm your host, Rob Parker, with a February

0:23

edition of Inside the Parker. Yes, pitchers

0:26

and catchers, we'll be reporting this spring training

0:28

in a few weeks.

0:30

What a show we have for you. Today, we're gonna

0:32

talk.

0:32

With a former major league outfielder,

0:35

Jack Jones. We'll talk about some things

0:37

going on in Major League Baseball this past all

0:39

season. Also, we're gonna go in

0:42

depth with Ned Keletti, the former

0:44

Los Angeles Dodger GM

0:46

listener.

0:49

Here comes the big interviews. Listen

0:51

and learn. So good.

0:54

Now, let's welcome into the podcast former

0:57

major league outfielder Jock Jones.

1:00

Courtse who played

1:03

for a number of major league teams, broken

1:05

with the Minnesota Twins in nineteen ninety

1:07

nine. Also played for the Cubs, the Tigers,

1:10

and the Florida Marlins. Welcome into

1:12

the podcast, my man, Jock, how are you?

1:15

Rob I'm doing fantastic man. Thanks for having

1:17

me.

1:17

Oh yeah, no doubt about it.

1:20

And I got a chance to chop

1:22

it up with you in two thousand and eight in Detroit

1:24

when you came through town and I was working

1:27

in the Motor City back then.

1:29

No doubt you did.

1:30

I just told Dusty about that yesterday

1:32

when I was talking to him.

1:34

Yeap, oh yeah, that was that was

1:36

good times. All right, let's talk here,

1:39

Jock. First, you're getting into

1:42

the media landscape.

1:44

You have a new podcast.

1:46

Yeah, former picture La Troy Hawkins

1:49

real well as well. Tell me

1:51

about the podcast and what do you

1:53

guys are doing, because I know you talk about everything.

1:55

It's not just a baseball podcast, right.

1:58

So I pitched

2:00

a La Troy right around

2:02

the time that Dar when

2:05

Hamblin was

2:08

going through his you know, the cardiac

2:11

arrest and all that, right, And I'll

2:14

kind of was was intrigued by his

2:16

story mainly because

2:18

one because I was pulling for him to get through that,

2:20

and two I

2:23

saw that he had a foundation that was going on

2:26

and he had probably a couple thousand dollars in

2:28

it at the time, and he had it going for a couple of

2:30

years. He gets hurt,

2:33

the world stops. Literally, the world

2:35

stopped for him, right, everyone's

2:38

pulling for and praying for him. And then all

2:40

of a sudden, the

2:42

funds in his foundation shot up

2:44

to ten million dollars, right

2:47

wow, which is great. It's

2:50

all great and not complaining. People do

2:52

what they want with their money. But my point till Latroit

2:54

was Latroit, we as athletes

2:57

get bad raps.

2:59

As you know, if something happens to us,

3:02

it's world news, especially a lot

3:04

of negative things, right, and not enough

3:06

things get pushed about

3:09

what guys like to do, or what where guy's parts

3:11

are, or who guys are as people. We're

3:14

fixated on them running,

3:16

throwing, hitting, catching and doing things

3:18

like that. And so I said, hey, man, I want to I

3:21

want to bring a podcast

3:23

to the world to let people know who GUIDs

3:26

are outside of being athletic. So

3:29

that's where our podcast came

3:31

to Fruition. It was born and you know, fixed

3:34

in with Jack and Hawk. We've been having a great

3:36

time with it.

3:37

And where can people get it and sign

3:39

up? Is it everywhere you could get podcasts?

3:42

Yes, people can subscribe to it where

3:44

we're on a Spotify and Apple

3:46

or wherever you can get your podcast.

3:48

Oh that's pretty awesome. Yeah, I love it.

3:50

Yeah, I mean and and you're right,

3:53

there's a lot of different things that happen

3:56

in the media and what's covered.

3:59

And I say this, and you

4:01

know this. You've been a reporter for.

4:03

Almost forty years and the hard thing

4:05

that what people don't understand is news

4:08

is usually something that's

4:12

unusual, different, right,

4:15

that that people flock

4:17

to. Right, Jock, You've never read

4:19

a story that said every plane landed

4:21

safely at La X yesterday.

4:23

Do you know what I'm saying?

4:25

Exactly?

4:25

Because that's the expected Exactly, there's

4:27

a plane crash.

4:28

It's a story because that's right.

4:31

Had I once had this conversation with Rob

4:33

dibblewhen I covered the Cincinnati Reads and

4:35

he was the closer for the Reds,

4:38

and he said, you know, you guys only come

4:41

over to my locker when I blow a game.

4:43

And I said, Dibbs, you're

4:46

so good, right,

4:48

I know, it's not fair.

4:50

You know where I'm going.

4:51

You're so good that

4:54

we expect you to close the game that when

4:56

you don't close it, it is news

4:59

to us what ha happened? Because

5:01

the last twent of the games you closed and you

5:03

blow this one, what happened today?

5:05

Why didn't you get it done?

5:06

For sure, it comes off as negative, you know what

5:08

I mean, Like all these guys only come

5:11

over here when I failed.

5:12

But that's the reason why you're so good.

5:14

Yeah, So, I mean, it's

5:17

it's a situation that's tough for people

5:19

to always accept and I get

5:21

it, and it's a part of the business. But a

5:24

couple of things I want to ask you about in baseball.

5:26

Let's let's go around the diamond. H Juan

5:29

Soto was traded from the Padres, your

5:32

hometown San Diego, right for

5:34

Padres.

5:35

He got traded there by the Nationals.

5:37

He was okay, I don't

5:39

think he was the same player was in Washington

5:42

and Juan Soto turned down four hundred

5:44

and forty million dollars guaranteed

5:48

now here he comes going to be in the Bronx and

5:50

the Yankees, not the not really

5:52

a home run here to even know.

5:53

The short porch and right field. He

5:55

should have a good year.

5:57

But did he blow his opportunity of making a

5:59

half of billion dollars

6:01

or is that still in play for him?

6:04

I don't know if half a billion dollars is

6:06

still in play, especially with UH well,

6:08

actually maybe with showhead toiney set in the

6:10

market.

6:11

To when you saw that seven hundred million, just be

6:13

honest as a mental you've played in the big league,

6:15

yeah, like seven Like even

6:17

football players, basketball players,

6:19

they just like, oh my god.

6:22

Yeah yeah, And it's gonna keep going up.

6:24

Man, It's gonna keep going.

6:25

They told me baseball was dead.

6:27

No it's not. It's alive and kicking, man.

6:30

And they I don't think the owners want to stop. I

6:32

don't think the players want to stop. Uh,

6:34

because it's going so good. There'll be some

6:36

tweaks here and there like they've been doing, and we'll

6:38

touch on that here in a little bit. But

6:41

yeah, man, I think it's still in play,

6:44

especially when he had the bounce back year he had

6:46

last year. He had over thirty homers,

6:49

he had over one hundred run driven.

6:50

Ay All Star team, maybe All Star team.

6:52

He was back up to around two to eighty. Uh.

6:55

He walks a lot, he gets on base, he's a machine.

6:57

His defense might have slipped a little bit, but

7:00

you know, I mean, they're they're gonna

7:03

pay him for his offense and people

7:05

that he can put in the seats.

7:07

No doubt about it's gonna be interested to see in

7:09

the Bronx how that plays out.

7:11

The Texas Rangers.

7:12

I picked him before the season to win the division

7:15

and then they had the most unbelievable playoff

7:18

front.

7:18

They didn't lose a road game. I mean, you

7:20

don't see that job, right?

7:21

That was crazy that the

7:24

home teams didn't lose on the road, which

7:27

was crazy.

7:28

That just doesn't happen in baseball.

7:29

She was going to be the opposite man, and it was. It

7:32

was. It was almost like textbook

7:34

down the line, and that's how it played out. It was crazy.

7:37

The last American league to repeat

7:39

as champs or the ninety

7:41

nine two thousand Yankees. Okay,

7:44

so that's almost twenty five years ago. And

7:46

the last National League team? Do you know

7:49

the last National League team to repeat?

7:53

I do not the seventy

7:55

five seventy six Cincinnati

7:57

read the Big She.

8:00

Can you believe that no national team has

8:02

repeated the seventies?

8:06

I can believe it. Man. And we people

8:08

talk about parody, right, and that's never

8:10

gonna be parody with the Yankees and the Braids

8:12

and the Dodgers and the teams like that that have all

8:15

kinds of money, man. But uh, and

8:18

I tell people all the time when they asked me, hey,

8:21

if like Apple or

8:23

IBM, right, they hired the best

8:25

people around the world to help their company

8:27

run. And if the Yankees and the Dodgers and the

8:30

Raves and the Red Sox, and hey man, you

8:32

make money, you're putting it back into your team. God bless

8:34

you. Doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna win, but

8:37

you're you're trying to put the best product

8:39

out on the field to make the fans happy

8:41

and to make the players happy.

8:42

No doubt.

8:43

I'll guess there is Josh Jones, former Major league

8:45

outfielder, joining

8:47

us here on inside the parker the

8:50

Mets, let's go there.

8:52

Yeah, looks like.

8:53

They've thrown the talent.

8:54

I mean they got one of the richest owners,

8:57

Steve Cohen threw a gazillion

8:59

dollar at it. You know, got

9:02

Verlander, Schurser

9:04

older pictures. Right, they had

9:07

one one hundred and one games the year before.

9:09

You figure you add Verlander, who was the American

9:11

League Young Award winner and America

9:14

League Comeback Player of the Year. So you figure

9:17

add a star pitcher,

9:19

add some water stir and they're going to

9:21

the World Series.

9:22

Right.

9:22

It all blew up in their face.

9:24

Now it looks like they've pulled back and

9:27

and like I've heard from met

9:29

fans saying, this is the least

9:32

anticipated season, Like they got

9:34

a no name manager, they

9:36

got they just didn't do anything.

9:38

Hey man, sometimes Rob, it has

9:41

a weird way of unfolding,

9:44

right with so much expectation, like you said

9:47

with with Surser and uh

9:50

Orlander Verlander and

9:52

them losing to Grim which I think was big

9:54

for them, But I think it started

9:56

with when Diaz went down in the World Baseball

9:58

Classic.

9:59

Man, they just never in the celebration.

10:02

It wasn't even an.

10:03

They never really recovered from that because

10:05

that put their bullping. They were putting people in positions

10:08

that they weren't supposed to be in, uh

10:10

from from spring training and it just

10:12

it just snowball from.

10:13

There, no doubt.

10:15

Okay, So the Dodgers spent like one point

10:17

one billion dollars.

10:18

We talked about it show. Hey, yeah,

10:20

I'm a Moto glass

10:23

now.

10:23

I mean, like the Dodgers are

10:25

the Evil Empire I'm calling them now because

10:27

they've spent all this money. But are they

10:30

still the best team for sure? I mean,

10:32

we got I'm Amoto's got to make up.

10:34

Uh you know an

10:36

adjustment coming to the United States.

10:39

We already know that show Hay is not pitching this

10:41

year.

10:42

Will he be one he comes back from you

10:45

know, full recovery last

10:47

now used to pitch in Tampa where nobody

10:49

was paying attention. Now you're in LA. I know

10:52

he's an LA guy. But there's

10:54

a there's a Are they the best team in the

10:56

National League?

10:56

Was?

10:56

It's still the Braves?

10:58

Hey? On paper they're the best team, right,

11:00

but they don't play the game on paper? Uh?

11:03

You know? To me and the

11:06

Dodgers, to me are the cowboys of

11:08

Major League Baseball. Wow, they

11:10

win a million games during the regular season,

11:13

they beat it, they beat up on their teams in the West,

11:15

they get to the playoffs, and it

11:19

just it just doesn't happen. Right. And I'm

11:21

a Padres fan, and I love seeing it right because.

11:24

No, I think it's I think that's a fair assessment

11:26

when you think of the last two years where they

11:28

won over one hundred games.

11:30

Yes, they got beat by the Padres two years ago.

11:32

Last year against Arizona, they didn't

11:35

even lead for one inning in the

11:37

entire series.

11:38

I laughed with my friends and

11:40

I already told them, right and I make a little post on

11:42

Facebook and stuff like that. I say, here,

11:45

here's the Dodgers season, said they're gonna go a million

11:47

and sixty two and they're live

11:49

in October. It's just the

11:51

way it is.

11:52

It is pretty amazing, and we'll see how it all

11:54

on. False.

11:55

Last thing, I was

11:57

against some of the Baseball's rule changes.

12:00

I thought that they were trying to make the game

12:03

for people who don't like baseball. When I

12:05

go to a game, John, I expect

12:08

I expected to go for three hours.

12:10

The game runs long, I get up, I leave.

12:12

I listened to the rest on the radio on my way home,

12:15

and that was it, you know what I mean, Like, I'm not trying

12:17

to rush through the game

12:19

because people wanted to go home in two hours.

12:22

But they made changes last year. The

12:24

pitch clock, I thought would be intrusive. It

12:26

wound up not being, and the games

12:29

cut off thirty minutes, like

12:31

a real thirty minutes off the game.

12:33

Yep.

12:35

The bigger basis the guys are sliding

12:37

in the pizza boxes. But it gave you

12:39

more action on the base pass and

12:41

I did love. The only one I did really loved

12:44

was the shift to stop the shift because

12:46

that was taking away a lot of hits. Guys would

12:48

hit the balls on the screws in

12:51

between the first and second base hole

12:53

and there was a third basement standing in there,

12:55

like, that's not baseball. Which

12:58

rules do you like? And and

13:01

did you like this brand of baseball last year?

13:03

Because the tenants was way up and TV

13:05

ratings were way up.

13:06

Yeah, so I liked. I was. I

13:08

was like he was on the fence with the pitch clock, right,

13:11

because I thought it was just gonna

13:14

mess up the game. And I think they will revisit

13:16

it in the playoffs at some point in time because it will

13:19

become a factor in the playoffs at some point. Right,

13:22

But it worked out,

13:25

and as always, the players

13:27

complained, but then they adjust. Okay,

13:30

so the pitch clock worked out. I love

13:32

the bases being bigger, so less

13:34

injury, less contact between the players.

13:37

Uh, the shift. I was on the fence

13:40

because I feel like this hit

13:43

the ball where they're not.

13:45

No, I get it.

13:46

I mean that that's what people would say, right,

13:48

But here's my only issue, and I'm gonna push back

13:51

on you.

13:51

Okay.

13:52

I don't want my.

13:55

Thirty five home run hitter, Yeah,

13:57

going the other way to get a week's

14:00

go through the third bad you know like that as

14:03

a fan, that's not what I want.

14:04

To go to. Okay, you're right, he

14:06

could get three hits that way.

14:08

Okay, but that's not what I don't want, three singles

14:10

through the left side of the infield.

14:12

I want this guy to hit the ball out the park.

14:14

But I'm gonna push back on you with this,

14:17

my thirty five home run guy,

14:20

my thirty five home run guy, I want my thirty five home

14:22

run guy to go out of the ballpark pole. The pole.

14:24

So it's not just forcing it over there. I'm

14:26

not saying just force it over there. I'm saying, smoke

14:29

it over there, hit it hard. Complete

14:31

hitters, right, that's what I

14:33

want. I want it, and that's what plays in the

14:35

postseason. Complete hitters

14:37

play in the postseason.

14:39

Yeah.

14:40

No, it's hard to argue with that, but

14:42

you do need that long ball ivery, so.

14:44

Well, yeah, you can go hope

14:48

correct me if I'm wrong. A home run

14:50

counts over the left field fen just as much as

14:52

it counts over the right field fins.

14:54

Yeah, that's true. It's

14:56

gonna be interesting to see. But I went to

14:58

a game last year I was in Milwaukee.

15:01

It was the Astros and the Brewers.

15:03

Yep, okay, Jockets started

15:05

at it was a Wednesday Afternoon

15:08

special, twelve ten.

15:09

Yeah.

15:10

The game was over in two hours

15:12

and three minutes.

15:14

And my buddy, my buddy and I

15:16

we looked at each other and

15:18

were like, like we felt like we got cheated

15:20

now, Like it was like the

15:23

score was like five to two.

15:24

It wasn't like it was one nothing.

15:26

Two hours and three minutes, and you know

15:28

what, I enjoyed it. It

15:31

moved along. There was not a lot of dead time

15:33

like it used to be. You know, you play when

15:35

guys are rearranging themselves, christ

15:37

fans and.

15:38

All the stuff, stepping out on every pitch.

15:41

Yeah, and then you go really

15:44

pitcher for one hitter, really picture for two, and

15:46

I'm ridiculous. I love

15:48

I love it, dude, I love it, no

15:51

doubt.

15:51

And also I want to announce that the Jack

15:54

Jones will be joining mlbbro

15:57

dot com this coming season, man

16:00

be Yes offering his analysis

16:03

and so I can't wait.

16:05

I mean, thank you, Jock. That's gonna be great.

16:06

Thank you man, thank you for the invite.

16:08

I appreciate it, no doubt. All right, Jack Jones,

16:10

join us here inside the parking bet.

16:12

We appreciate you and we'll be in touch

16:14

and talking to you as the baseball season.

16:17

Spring training is about twenty twenty

16:20

four days away, twenty three days away.

16:22

Games report day is

16:24

less than that.

16:25

Yeah, coming up pretty soon. All right,

16:27

my man, appreciate you.

16:29

Rob, Thank you man.

16:30

When Rob was a newspaper columnist,

16:32

he lived by this motto. If I'm

16:35

writing, I'm ripping. Let's

16:37

bring in a writer or broadcaster, old

16:39

or new.

16:40

All right, now, let's welcome into the podcast,

16:42

Ned COLLETTI man, this guy's

16:44

got forty years of Major League

16:47

baseball, but he does a lot of course.

16:49

The former Dodger general manager uh

16:52

Currently he also works for the San Jos and Ay

16:54

Sharks. Used to be an NHL scout now

16:56

with the Sharks and work

16:58

till Red Pepperdine as well.

17:01

Ned, Welcome to the podcast. What's up buddy?

17:03

Hey Rob? Good to see you, Good to hear your voice.

17:06

No doubt, man, We

17:08

got stuff to talk about. Do

17:11

the Dodgers have any more money? Is what I want

17:13

to know, because they spent money like it was

17:15

going out of style and net When you were a GM,

17:18

there was no one point one billion dollars

17:20

to spend.

17:21

What do you make of that?

17:22

When you see Yamamoto

17:25

was the last one they signed obviously three

17:28

hundred and twenty five million. They also

17:30

signed glass Now to a contract,

17:32

but the seven hundred million

17:34

to show Hey, just the

17:37

dynamics of seeing that unfold, well.

17:39

It was. I can't tell you. I was

17:42

surprised.

17:43

I you know, I worked for Mark

17:45

Walter for a long time, both

17:48

as a GM for three years and then with

17:50

the organization doing television,

17:53

so I know how we thinks, and

17:55

I know.

17:55

That, and I know how he thinks.

17:57

To a certain extent, I should say that

18:00

he you know that they lost to a Z, didn't

18:02

lead for an inning I think three straight,

18:04

and then got swell up by San Diego the

18:07

year before. I

18:09

just had a feeling that they were going to

18:11

go all in on everybody

18:13

they thought that they could they could,

18:16

they could use and obviously the

18:19

Shohey deal I think is genius

18:21

on everybody's part. And then

18:23

you sign Yamamoto after that, you

18:25

know you're starting to really build your pitching staff,

18:27

your trade for gladsnow and then signed him.

18:30

So I think it's been a off

18:32

season of historic magnitude,

18:35

both in money spent and

18:37

talent acchoired. You're talking about three

18:40

high end performers. Hey,

18:42

maybe maybe the greatest player of all time.

18:45

Still a lot of time left. They

18:47

kind of figure that out, but certainly in

18:49

the conversations, so I'm

18:52

not surprised. That's how they think. They

18:54

have a huge appetite for winning despise

18:58

losing, and I think that I

19:00

told a few writers in fact, as we started

19:02

to talk during the beginning of the off season, don't

19:05

be surprised. I don't know about the Glasnow

19:07

Park, but don't be surprised if

19:10

both both of Shahy and

19:12

Yamamoto end up in the

19:14

Dodgers, and they'll go for more starting pitching

19:16

as well.

19:16

And that's what they've done.

19:18

Now, give me a scouting report on Yamamoto,

19:20

obviously, you know, you never know, you've heard

19:23

although Japanese pictures and pictures

19:25

have come from other places, and you know,

19:28

I could go back to when I.

19:29

Covered Deckyrabu's

19:32

first start.

19:32

With the Yankees, you know what I mean, and that

19:35

didn't work out long term, he was okay,

19:37

But Yamamoto, Just tell

19:40

me what's great about this guy?

19:42

Well, obviously he's been very, very

19:44

successful and he's really a

19:47

young picture when you think about it. I think he's twenty

19:49

five years old, so you've got youth

19:51

on your side. You don't have a lot of

19:53

wear and tear. You've got some, but certainly

19:55

not as much as you would if he was thirty thirty

19:58

five years old. So

20:00

I think that he is a very

20:02

precision driven performer.

20:06

I think you're going to see a great

20:08

feel for pitching. I think you're going

20:11

to see him use a lot of different

20:13

pitches, maybe a little bit different deliveries

20:15

from time to time, release points. I

20:18

think he's even at this age, I

20:20

think he's almost got a PhD in

20:22

the craft of pitching, so I

20:25

expect him to be one of the best.

20:28

There's also an adjustment period, there's no

20:30

doubt, and pitchers from Japan

20:32

typically pitch once a week, once

20:34

every six days, so there

20:36

will be a little bit of an adjustment there, unless

20:39

they end up with a six band rotation, which

20:41

you never know. You know, their thought

20:43

process is usually way ahead of everybody

20:46

else's, but I think that

20:48

will be the one adjustment. Length

20:50

of season will also be a little bit of an adjustment.

20:53

But I think that they've got themselves really

20:55

an Ace. You know, they do their homework.

20:58

You know, they're due, diligent

21:00

in everything they do. So to spend what they've spent

21:03

and to do what they've done, it's obviously

21:05

they've been paying attention to him for quite a while

21:08

and they know who he is and they know how

21:10

he approaches a sport.

21:12

Now with the show Hay deal ned,

21:14

obviously they did everything that's legal.

21:17

They didn't do anything illegal by you know,

21:21

pushing the money down the road, and you

21:23

know, and just an unheard

21:25

of contract like players just don't

21:28

say, well, I'll take the money twenty

21:31

years from now, whatever it is. But

21:33

well, Baseball, do you think make an adjustment,

21:36

because that is a it's an unfair

21:39

advantage if you're able to

21:41

spread out the money over a long period

21:44

of time and yet sign four

21:46

or five guys. Will there maybe be some

21:48

sort of cap as

21:50

to how much money you can defer going

21:53

forward or no.

21:54

There may be, but it's gonna have to be

21:56

negotiated with the union too. And

21:59

from everything you're read, this was

22:01

as much his idea as anybody's idea.

22:03

Maybe it was his idea. So

22:06

anything of that magnitude

22:08

in any sport, any professional sport,

22:10

in this country is

22:12

going to have to be collectively bargained, I

22:14

believe so.

22:16

I think that it may.

22:18

Happen like that, But again, it's

22:20

so far out of the box. And I think

22:22

it showed a lot of people

22:24

a lot about Rohi too, that his appetite

22:28

for victory was so much that he was

22:30

willing to defer that amount

22:32

of money to years eleven through twenty.

22:34

I mean, that's a while from now. And again,

22:37

the Dodgers are very, very bright. They

22:40

know what they're doing, and I think when you think

22:42

about what they'll do with

22:44

the sixty eight million, you know they'll

22:46

more than make that up and how

22:49

they manage it. So I

22:51

think it's a genius deal on all points.

22:53

I think it allows the Dodgers to add

22:55

Yamamoto for one, and maybe

22:57

some others along the way. But

23:00

I just thought it was a genius deal, very

23:03

unique and back in

23:05

the day. Back in the day, it would

23:07

be tough to get an agent to

23:09

go for that and the player let alone

23:11

perhaps suggested, But

23:14

I think it tells you how what his

23:16

appetite is for winning and

23:18

how he he doesn't want to stand in the way

23:21

of this organization because of what his salary

23:23

is going to be from being as good as it

23:25

can be in adding players that are at the at

23:27

the highest level. So you know,

23:30

congrats to him because that was that

23:32

was a great, great decision on his

23:35

part.

23:35

We did hear a baseball

23:38

analyst say it was the greatest signing

23:40

by the Dodgers in its history,

23:42

in the Dodgers' history, and people stopped and said,

23:45

as great as it was, it wasn't Jackie

23:48

Robinson. They've had two great right

23:50

of Mede like, it was a great signing,

23:52

But Jackie Robinson's signing by the Dodgers

23:54

is the all time greatest.

23:56

I think that's that's one of the greatest signings

23:59

in the history of the world, let alone

24:01

baseball. I guess if you want to separate

24:03

Brooklyn in Los Angeles, maybe

24:06

that's the way to get that one in there. But Jackie

24:09

Robinson's signing was

24:11

historic in so many ways.

24:14

I don't change the country, right, change

24:16

the world.

24:17

I was dear friends with the great

24:19

Don Nukeomb.

24:20

I love Don nukemb and I.

24:21

Spent many years talking to him pregame,

24:24

a little bit postgame, and he was

24:27

We would talk for an hour at a time,

24:30

sometimes longer depending on schedules,

24:32

and we talked baseball, don't get me wrong, but

24:34

we also talked Jackie

24:36

Robinson, We talked Roy Campanella,

24:38

we talked Doctor King because

24:41

they all knew each other and they all worked

24:43

for the good of unity and to give

24:45

everybody an opportunity. So many

24:47

of my conversations with Nuke were wrapped

24:50

around Jackie Robinson, what he

24:52

went through and also what he stood for,

24:54

and also Doctor King and Campy.

24:57

So there'll be no signing

25:00

ever as big or as life

25:02

changing, world changing as

25:04

signing Jackie Robinson.

25:06

No doubt.

25:07

Our guest is Ned Colletti, former Dodgers

25:09

GM of course worked

25:11

with the San Jose Sharks now Pepperdina

25:13

University.

25:14

Uh but forty years in baseball

25:17

and did.

25:17

Spectrum spectrum

25:19

sports, spectrum

25:21

tv LA for

25:24

a long time. Just stop doing that as

25:26

analyti should watch you all the time after the games

25:28

or whatever.

25:29

But now the Dodgers got

25:31

all this, all these great

25:33

players.

25:34

The last two years have been disasters, over

25:37

one hundred wins where they ran through the

25:39

you know, the regular season and

25:42

ran into a buzz song.

25:43

You said it earlier.

25:44

The Arizona Series was probably bad

25:47

enough to lose to the Padres two years ago,

25:49

get swept, lose that series,

25:52

I should say, but the

25:54

Arizona where they didn't even lead like

25:56

they were they were annihilated.

25:59

How much pressure is now on Dave Roberts.

26:01

I don't think there's any excuses. If

26:03

you don't win, and you've just

26:06

spent over a billion dollars and you have pitching

26:08

and you have an unbelievable lineup,

26:13

it's almost like you can't lose.

26:14

Well, you can always lose. You're gonna

26:17

have to win playoff games.

26:18

I mean, you can't lose it and keep your job. It's probably

26:21

what I've met. Well.

26:24

I really hope

26:26

that doesn't happen because I have so much respect

26:28

for him and love my conversations with him

26:30

as well.

26:32

You know, you can't predict the sport.

26:34

That's why people go to games, and you

26:36

don't know what's going to happen between now and October.

26:39

People will get hurt, people make other deals,

26:42

don't We don't know necessarily.

26:45

Is there gonna be added pressure?

26:47

Yeah? I think so. But this isn't

26:49

a team.

26:50

That is like come out of nowhere,

26:52

and so now they're going to be an environment

26:54

that is new to them. They've

26:57

been this way since, going back to my time

26:59

there. So this is who

27:01

the Dodgers are. They expect their

27:03

expectations are always at this level,

27:06

and Arizona down for a while,

27:08

came back, expectations different,

27:11

San Diego different. With the Dodgers

27:13

and their players and their staff, they've

27:15

lived with this rout for well

27:18

over a decade, so this is

27:20

really nothing new, and if

27:22

anything, it may sharpen their preparation

27:24

a little bit, sharpen their presentation

27:26

a little bit, but I think

27:29

the bandwidth and the

27:32

knowledge inside the organization, including

27:34

in the dugout, is as good

27:36

as it gets.

27:37

And one other.

27:38

Little editorial comment, I guess you know, when

27:41

a manager gets let go because

27:44

players don't perform,

27:46

I always have to examine that because

27:49

for me, if a man, if

27:51

the players have continued to play hard

27:55

for the manager and for the team,

27:57

for the city and for the organization and all

27:59

that, and for their team mates, that's

28:01

not on the manager. Players stop being

28:03

fundamentally sound, players start

28:05

to walk to positions and start

28:08

to take it easy and things like that.

28:10

Okay, that's on the staff in my mind,

28:13

but it's not on the staff. If everybody

28:15

plays hard and everybody's doing all

28:17

they can and something just happens.

28:19

You can't control some things that happen.

28:22

But you know, the manager is the one that always

28:24

always sits in the in the focus of these

28:26

types of conversations. I

28:28

never thought it was really a fair evaluation.

28:31

If teams play hard for the manager, that's

28:35

that to me is one of the great qualifiers

28:37

to take and leaving.

28:40

I agree with that, But we do give managers

28:43

credit like they like, this is the one

28:45

pushback.

28:45

I'll have with that. Well, he not the

28:48

guy who made an error.

28:49

Well, he didn't strike out in the bottom

28:51

of the ninth But when the guy hits the Grand

28:53

Slam home run in the bottom of the night and

28:56

and the picture strikes out the side in the

28:58

ninth inning, the manager, they win,

29:00

he gets credit, He gets the new contract

29:02

things.

29:03

See, gets a little bit of credit.

29:05

Well, he gets credit. All I'm saying is,

29:07

can't have it both ways.

29:09

Like when the players don't perform, it's

29:11

all, well, they didn't perform, and when

29:13

they perform while.

29:14

The manager's pushing all the right buttons. That's

29:16

all I'm saying. Like there's gotten to be some sort

29:18

of gauge for manager, whether.

29:20

Or not right, no

29:22

doubt.

29:23

But you know, like, well you just said it to pushing

29:25

the right buttons.

29:27

It's not that easy.

29:28

I know.

29:28

It's I'll give

29:30

you one more thought, more thought

29:33

on this.

29:34

And it's it's an interesting

29:36

I think it's an interesting way of looking

29:38

at things. It's always okay, let's

29:41

fire the head coach, let's fire

29:43

the manager, let's fire the person

29:46

in.

29:46

Charge of the people in the uniform.

29:48

Well that's the first half. The

29:51

second half is you better have somebody

29:53

far better than that person that's

29:56

sitting at youir next, not an equal,

29:58

and not somebody that that doesn't

30:00

have the experience of doing it, because

30:03

you'll be the next one leaving if that's

30:06

how it goes. So there's always two parts

30:08

to this equation.

30:09

In my mind.

30:10

Okay, you run your course with a head

30:12

coach or manager. Before you decide

30:14

that somebody else is gonna sit there, you better

30:16

know know that the

30:19

next person sitting there is gonna

30:21

be outstanding at what they do.

30:23

And you know this being in the NHL, they

30:25

fire coaches like they changed socks

30:27

like that.

30:28

It is unbelievable in the NHL, Like

30:31

I just can't.

30:31

Get over how often

30:34

coaches are changed like more

30:36

so than any other sport I've ever seen.

30:38

Last thing. I'm gonna let you go, net, I appreciate

30:40

your insight.

30:42

When Clayton Kershaw is healthy, is there

30:44

a spot for him on the Dodgers

30:47

or not.

30:48

I think there'll be a spot for Clayton Kershaw for

30:50

as long as he wants to pitch and he's healthy. I

30:53

think his desire is

30:56

most likely to stay with the organizations.

31:00

One of the few players in this in the

31:02

last maybe fifteen to twenty years that

31:04

could say he started with one team and finished

31:07

with that team and there was no interruption to it.

31:09

I'd have to think he's excited by

31:11

the moves as everybody else is. And

31:14

again, as we get into the season and

31:17

it's it's not even it's you know, February

31:20

in the beginning, We've still got

31:22

two months before we get into

31:24

the first you know, the first six months

31:27

of a season. A lot is going to happen

31:29

between now and then. Having him fresh,

31:32

if it's after the All Star break and

31:34

healthy, I think.

31:35

Is a great addition.

31:36

I think it'd be tougher to trade

31:39

for somebody providing he's healthy and providing

31:41

all those things. It'd be tough to

31:43

trade for somebody at that point

31:45

in time, and everybody gets banged

31:48

up as the year goes on, and especially you're

31:50

pitching. They get tired, they

31:52

get worn down. You're going to add

31:54

him fresh and ready to go

31:56

with six weeks to play or eight weeks to play.

31:59

I think I

32:01

think that that just fits right

32:03

with how they think and most likely

32:06

what he's gonna attempt to do.

32:08

I think it'd be a great addition. You won't find many

32:10

players you'll trade for if he's ready

32:12

to go, better than Clayton Kerbershaw.

32:15

Last question, just to yes or no answer.

32:18

The Los Angeles Dodgers are

32:20

now officially the Evil Empire?

32:23

Yes or no? Ned,

32:27

I'd say it, of course, okay, and that's

32:29

it.

32:29

I'm with you.

32:32

Proudly didn't they they more proudly

32:34

as the Evil Empire. I think the Dodgers

32:37

are the Evil Empire.

32:38

Yes, and I think they're happy being.

32:40

It, no doubt. All right, Ned, Kaletti's

32:42

our guest.

32:43

Ned.

32:44

Always a pleasure, my man. I appreciate your time

32:46

and we'll talk down the road, buddies.

32:48

Stay well, thank

32:50

you, appreciate you.

32:58

In the words of New York team legend,

33:00

the Lady.

33:01

Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your

33:03

time this time until next time.

33:05

Rob Parker out d can't

33:07

Davin? This could be an inside of Parker.

33:09

See you next week, same bat time, same

33:12

bat station,