Well, it's a great day at Dodgers Stadium, Dodger Royalty back here and
surprisingly not against the San Francisco Giants. Where's Mattcain when he wants them?
That's the one and only. Andre Ethier. Thanks a lot for the time
and great to see your whole family out here. Yeah, I appreciate it.
No fitting game for our first game of the twenty four season. Then
a Dodgers Giants game. So found our way up here from been hanging down
in the South coast Laguna area and found our way up here today for this,
you know, first game of the series. Dude, does Dodgers Giants
still get you going the way it used to when you played? Uh?
Yeah, I think it does. I think it ebbs and flows right like
they obviously are having a little bit of a down year and and I guess
at downtime last couple of years, and I guess the the you know,
the intestinia rubs off a little bit more, especially when you know this team's
playing so well coming into it for you know, multiple season, multiple years
in a row against them. But it's still means a lot, obviously,
you know, for the both cities, both fan bases, and it's uh,
you know, excited to seeing. Like you said, he brings up
old memories. We're just talking about, uh Tim Linzacam and those guys with
a couple buddies of mine the last couple of weeks, about how good of
pitchers those guys were and those teams those giants have, and you know,
there's a lot of history between these two ball clubs. Whenever I think Dodgers
giants, Andre Ethier and Matt Kain come to mind. You know that you
did pretty well against Kane when you guys faced off. What is it about
certain pictures and especially on teams that are wearing that orange and black. Yeah,
I don't know. That's a weird thing. Right. You can face
a guy and I think I forgot the guy who was these either these are
either Marquis or someone else who I felt like I struggled really badly against.
But then there's guys like Lincacum. I hit well, you know, guys
who are dominant pitchers. I hit well. And you see a guy like
Matt Kain and for some reason, it was just that one person, it
didn't matter what he threw, you were able to get hits off of my
told my said, I think it was like towards the end of our career
when I have, you know, all these at bats, sixty seventy at
bats against them, and you know everyone had been making a big thing about
it, you know, about us face and you get each other for maybe
what might be the last time ever, you know, after all these years.
And I remember one of that bats in that game, he threw a
really good cutter in off my fist. I hit it, jam shot.
It barely landed over his head in the end field grass between second and the
pitcher for a base hit. And I you know, that pretty sums that
pretty much sums up that whole uh, you know, matchup all those years.
I was gonna get a hit no matter what he threw in the quality
of pitch, it was going to work out to be a hit for me.
And I remember just shaking his head at me and laughing, because you
know, it doesn't matter off the barrel, off the fist, I'll still
getting hits off him. You're a great student of the game. You know
the history of the game, and certainly you played your entire major league career
wearing a Dodger uniform. When did you start to realize how serious it was
as far as a rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants. It's day one day
that first time you go up there, the first time, you know,
I didn't know anything about it. You didn't understand the intensity of it.
First time you probably go in there as a player, You're just like,
wow, you know, these fans really do not like the Dodgers. They
really do not the Dodger players. And we know some of the fun uh
you know, shenanigans that were going on in the stadiums, you know,
with the fans and interactions with them when those series were going on. So
yeah, I learned from day one that it means a little bit more.
It doesn't matter whether it's April or whether it's September and both teams are out
of the playoffs, it still means a lot. All right, Andre,
Eh, you're back at Dodgers Stadium, where you a little jealous when you
saw me talking to Joe Kelly because you know you're not here every day.
I've got to find new players to connect with. I'm actually I think me
and Mariacchi Joe are are better friends and probably be you or him or me
and him or me and you. So you know, I know you have
to clean on to who you have to clean on too when Austin Barnes has
probably pushed you aside after all these years, so you're looking for whoever he
can and uh, I'm glad, Mariachi Joe's taking care of you. Hey,
Barnes tried to show off that he grow that he's all grown up when
I when he came up and he walked up on you. He's not little
Barnes anymore. He's trying to show his big brother. You know, I'm
the man now. He's uh he's been a good player for uh for quite
a bit and you got to give him his nod. And uh, I'm
just glad he can take you under the wing, uh when you need it.
I'm too big for his wing. I don't know that big Homer that
wing stretched big. It's a big Hope wing now. So uh, you
know, I'm glad to see a lot of these guys playing. Well,
you know, Keik you having that big game the other day and sorry he
came against uh ken Lee and uh you know his outings, but uh,
you know, excited, you know, hopefully seeing here uh kersh at the
end of this week and getting a chance to you know, see how this
team's gonna shape up for the second half, and uh, you know,
they definitely have the offense and the firepower to go out and do it.
You know, you're just hoping that the you know, the pitching and everything
holds up and lines up the right way at the right time of the year.
And you're starting to feel it, right, You're starting to feel the
air turn. You're starting to feel the calendar turned to the part of the
year when it's time to get to work and really start putting those games you
know behind you in the spot where you can go and have a little comfort
going into the you know, into the run there in September and line up
the right way you want for the playoffs. Andre Ethier before you go and
spend more time with the family. Yesterday show, hal Tani hit a home
run four hundred and seventy three feet to the top of the left field pavilion.
Have you ever seen a lefty hit it that far? No? And
I tried. I tried many times, the batting practice many times the game.
I think the batting practice as closest I ever got was probably where that
Starluck sign is and I probably hit the Starlucks sign. I don't know what
was there at the time, but it would probably hit right around there.
But I mean, you know, we're standing here looking and that's a whole
nother two signs, so probably what one hundred one hundred and twenty feet farther
to center, which I don't know what that adds on to it. And
to do it in a game off a pitcher, it's pretty impressive. And
yeah, I mean everything he does is you don't you like, is this
it? And then he does something else every time and I think that's that's
what the most impressive thing about show is. And he's gonna come back and
pitch. You always heard that question. Let's just be happy. Let's be
happy for what we're seeing right now, just on the offensive side, because
it's pretty unbelievable. And you just don't think he could come back and and
keep up the pace or do anything, you know, do the way he's
doing, and he just keeps finding a way to do it. And uh,
it's it's hard not to admire it from a you know, from a
former player side, and I know fans are in awe when every time they
ask me. That's one of the first things fans ask me, is you
know, what do you think about show Ay? And I tell him I'm
just as in a as you guys are, and uh, it's impressive to
see. And I can't believe this team gets to have them, that you
know this long they're gonna get to have them. It's awesome to hear that
from a former player that spent his entire career at Dodger Stadium in a big
way to be just as much in awe of Otani as we are. Love
having you back here. You got that summer glow tan to you, just
like you did when you played out here. Now you enjoy the family.
You look relaxed. The kids say that they're keeping you under control at home,
so that's a good thing. Yeah, I'm not afraid of the sun
like you. I went zero SPF for the last four days, so I'm
not afraid to go zero SPF on this sun here. So I soaked it
up, drew every last way I could into southern California sun of my time
at least right now, and look forward to being back here at the stadium
for the second half. There. He is forever dodger Andre Ethier