WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.960 Well, the Dodgers certainly missed their third baseman, Max Muncie. You don't 2 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:07.519 know what you have until it's gone. And we're joined right now by Max 3 00:00:07.599 --> 00:00:10.800 Munsey, who has a lot of time on his hands. So that's the 4 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.160 reason why I've been able to track him down. He can't run away these 5 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:17.679 days. Thanks a lot for the time. Don't let David foll you. 6 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:21.239 He bribed me to be here, no doubt, and that'll come at the 7 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:25.559 end. But I know you're really frustrated with the way things have gone with 8 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:30.199 this oblique injury. How have you tried to keep yourself sane? You just 9 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:33.000 try to stay as locked in with the team as you can. You know, 10 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:37.479 you try to be as involved as you're allowed to be. And you 11 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:41.119 know, for me that's just you know, you're you're in the group chat 12 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:44.000 when the hitters meetings are going on, you're listening to hitters meetings, you're 13 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:47.600 listening to the approach, and you know you have history of some of these 14 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:51.479 guys, and so it's you know, try to offer up anything you've got. 15 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:56.719 And you know, for for someone like Show who's been in the American 16 00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:59.320 League for all these years, it's always good for him to hear, you 17 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.079 know, off on you know, National league guys, and maybe he's never 18 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:04.760 face before. So I just I try to help out any way I can, 19 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:10.200 and I don't really feel like I'm actually doing anything, but that's just 20 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:12.040 the best way I can stay as involved as I can be. Right. 21 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:15.400 I've heard players say this when they're on the I l they don't feel as 22 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:21.040 a big a part of the team because the disappointment of being hurt. But 23 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:23.799 this seems to be a way where you can still stay plugged in and like 24 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:26.359 you said, help in any way you can. Yeah, you know. 25 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:32.040 Unfortunately, our schedule wasn't the most ideal for me. You know, it's 26 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.200 obviously in every idea getting hurt, but this is the way our schedule was. 27 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:37.599 We've been on the road the majority of the time that I've been hurt, 28 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:41.000 and you know, when when you're rehabbing, you don't you don't get 29 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:44.599 the travel with the team. So that's been a frustrating one for me. 30 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:48.840 It's been nice having time at home with family, but you know, for 31 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:49.599 me, like I want to be out there in the field, I want 32 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:52.280 to be playing, I want to be at the boys, and it's just 33 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.480 I'm very thankful for my time with my family, but at the same time, 34 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:57.840 I want to be back out there playing, no doubt, that's what 35 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.120 Dad does, plays baseball and play is it at a high level. Where 36 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:07.959 are we in this process to maybe ce Max month's seedback? Not entirely sure. 37 00:02:07.479 --> 00:02:10.400 You know, things just aren't rebounding as well as we've been wanting them 38 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:14.759 to. And you know, we're trying to slow play it and uh, 39 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:16.560 you know, just make sure that we're we're good to go one hundred percent. 40 00:02:16.680 --> 00:02:19.800 That way, we don't have any setbacks, we won't have any you 41 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.719 know, lingering effects. And it's just, you know, it's taking longer 42 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:27.639 than any of us expected, especially considering it was something that at the beginning 43 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:30.719 we thought might not even have to go on the IO for. And it's 44 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:32.280 just, you know, it hasn't gone away, and it's, uh, 45 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:37.120 it's been extremely frustrating for me and everyone involved. We've been trying to do 46 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:40.360 everything that we can and uh, you know, for for me, that 47 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.919 could be something along the lines of I've been trying to do too much, 48 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.599 you know, you know me, I fight through a lot of stuff and 49 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.479 I've been trying as hard as I can to get back, and that could 50 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:53.120 be something that's not allowing me to bounce back as as fresh as that I'm 51 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.319 maybe doing too much, but it's you know, we're we're doing what we 52 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:59.159 can. We don't know what the timetable is yet, but we're hoping we'll 53 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.000 be out there at some point. When you look at the game and you're 54 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:05.560 not playing, do you see it differently? You see a lot of things, 55 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:07.000 you know, you see a lot of things in dugout, You see 56 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:08.919 a lot of things on the field, see a lot of things in the 57 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:15.240 clubhouse, And it's always an interesting perspective. But you know, I like 58 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:17.120 our guys. I like where we're at, and you know, we we're 59 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:20.800 struggling a little bit now, but you know, every team goes through it, 60 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.360 and I know that the talent and the character in this clubhouse, it's 61 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:28.120 just we're not gonna be held down for long. You know. I know 62 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:30.560 everyone thinks it's the end of the world out here, but it's really not. 63 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:32.520 We're still playing good baseball and we're gonna continue to play a good baseball 64 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:36.199 and we're gonna have, you know, a really good stretch here before too 65 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:38.840 long where we're just you know, tearing the cover off the ball, pitching 66 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:42.080 lights out and maybe win a lot of games in a row. Max Muncie 67 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:46.039 is our guest. Max. I've said this a few times on the Post 68 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:49.400 Game Show. You don't know what you have until it's gone, and you 69 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:53.280 don't realize the value of players, especially a guy like yourself, and how 70 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:57.919 you're not just an individual, but you're part of an extended lineup, a 71 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:00.479 group of nine. Do you do you see that? Do you feel like 72 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:03.840 people realize that now? Well, I've always felt for me, you know, 73 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:08.599 I know my numbers are whatever they are, but for the bats that 74 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:11.560 I have, I've always felt like that's something that helps a team out tremendously. 75 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:14.919 Yeah. You know, you have certain guys that want to go out 76 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:16.000 there and swing early in the count, and that's who they are, that's 77 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.360 what makes them successful. And then you have certain guys that work balns. 78 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:23.480 You have certain guys that just put together at bats. And you know, 79 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:26.360 for me, when you have me in that lineup, it allows everyone else 80 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:30.000 to be themselves instead of everyone else trying to make up for that. Yeah, 81 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:30.839 you know, I don't know what my exact number is, but I 82 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.839 know it's something that I see close to five six I average five six pitches 83 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:39.079 in a bat. Yeah, and that's quite a lot of pitches when you 84 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.360 when you're talking about the course of a game. And that allows other guys 85 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:45.639 to just be themselves and not have to worry about should I be taking a 86 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:47.079 pitch he or should I be swinging? Should I should I be taking a 87 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:50.879 strike? And you know, that's something that I've always taken pride in is 88 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:55.639 that you know if someone's in front of me, and you know when when 89 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:57.879 whenever you're leading off an inning, you always you always go to the guy 90 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:00.879 that's that's on deck and you say, hey, I'm gonna be aggressive, 91 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:05.199 you're be ready, or hey I'm probably gonna see one. You're always talking 92 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:08.759 to the guy and you know when you have when you have me and there 93 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:10.959 fact that always allows people to just kind of be themselves and say, hey, 94 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:12.639 I want to be aggressive height here, and I'm always like, yeah, 95 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:14.519 go for it. I don't mind taking a strike, I don't mind 96 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:17.120 taking two strikes. That doesn't really bother me. I know my numbers don't 97 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.639 always look the best, but I just feel like being being able to put 98 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:23.519 together those at bats, it allows other people to be themselves and that makes 99 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:27.040 a huge difference in a lineup. Yeah, that's a great explanation for how 100 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:30.079 it all fits together. It's a lineup, you're not islands. Yeah, 101 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:34.720 and that's why, you know, it's always so unique how each team is 102 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:39.000 constructed and when you when you look at that, and uh, that's something 103 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:42.360 that we've always been extremely good at is you know, the starting pitcher for 104 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:45.600 the opposing team, it's hard for them to get through six seven innings, 105 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:47.800 and that causes the bullpen to have to work and a lot of times that's 106 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:50.120 where we do a lot of damage. And you know when you're facing that 107 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:56.920 uh, you know that that middle of the middle of the pack bullpen guy 108 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.079 in the fifth inning, that's when you can hit your home runs and do 109 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:00.839 your damage and that kind of stuff you're not gonna really hit you. You're 110 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:04.160 not gonna do damage off the eighth and ninth inning. Set up and closer 111 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:06.519 guys. You know, that's there's a reason why they're a set up and 112 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:11.360 closer. They're extremely good, you know, and I know the talent we 113 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:14.600 have on this roster should be able to be anything, but those guys are 114 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:16.360 major leaguers too. You know, they're all stars. Also, they're they're 115 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:19.759 making just as much money, they're just as talented, and that's the reason 116 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:24.199 why they're in that position for the other team. And that's not the guy 117 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:27.040 that you're wanting to get the hit off of. Yeah, it's just that's 118 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:30.360 not reasonable to think that you can do damage on a certain type of guy 119 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:33.279 when that's the whole reason that they're in the game of baseball is to not 120 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:35.639 let you do that. Yeah, And so that's you know, when you 121 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:39.360 have the guy that's not as good pitching in the fifth inning because the starter 122 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:42.680 threw one hundred pitches trying to or you know, trying to work his ass 123 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:45.360 off get to get through our order. Well, now you have a guy 124 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:46.879 that has to pitch the fifth, you have a guy that has to pitch 125 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:48.199 the sixth, Well, you get to do damage off them. Well, 126 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:50.839 then the next day if you do the same thing, well, those guys 127 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:54.279 can't pitch, then they have to pitch someone else who might be even worse. 128 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.439 And that's when you start putting together these big stretches where you're scoring a 129 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:00.160 lot of runs and doing a lot of damage on these teams when you're just 130 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:01.800 tiring out the bullpen and everything, and so when you have a whole wine 131 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:05.879 important together, that's something we've always done extremely well. And I feel like, 132 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:10.800 you know, that's that might be something the last week or two that 133 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:13.160 the guys have been struggling with and that's you know, that's part of what 134 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:16.199 happened in the lineup, does no doubt Well, hopefully it happens sooner rather 135 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:20.680 than later. The good news Max is the Dodgers have a sizable lead in 136 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:26.319 the division and we all know it's all about October and that's when Max Muncy 137 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:30.000 shines the most. Thanks a lot for the time. Great to see you, 138 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:32.240 and I know this is tough. This whole thing is tough, but 139 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:36.959 like I said, I think Dodger fans appreciate you even more now. Thanks 140 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.879 a lot. I appreciate it. And uh yeah, don't worry. I'm 141 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:41.800 gonna collect on that bribe that you had to get me out here.