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We're joined right now by a man
that is a world champion player, a

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world champion manager, but his roots
are right here at Dodgers Stadium. He

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and Adrian Beltray made their major league
debuts the same season back in nineteen ninety

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eight, and that is the one
and only Alex Cora. Alex, it

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was great to see you in Boston
last year, but it's even more special

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to have you back at Dodger Stadium. It is it is in a more

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relaxing environment instead of October, right
Like I wasn't able to enjoy Dodger Stadium

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in seventeen and eighteen now because of
you know, every game counts and you

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know they're in their situation. We're
in the same spot. But to be

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able to say hi to people,
look around and you know, enjoyed this

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beautiful facility is awesome. What's the
biggest takeaway from your years with the Dodgers

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to make you who you are now? One of the most respected managers in

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baseball? I keep telling people that, and it's a lot different now in

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player development. I still remember when
I got to Vera Beach after I signed

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to our mini camp. I think
we were two days away from sending people

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to Great Falls, Montana or Yakimai. I think it is right, and

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then people stayed there and in Verro
the Dodger way was real. From the

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way you dress, the way you
act, the way you perform, it

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was second to none. And I'm
the person that I am because of that.

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You know, they really helped me
understand what professional baseball was all about

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or what it's all about. Uh. Yeah, I had a good idea

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because Joey, you know, he
was an established big leader. But so

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being taught the right way was was
amazing. I don't know if you heard.

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Like a month and a half ago, we had a meeting with veterans.

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One of them was Kenley and we
felt like the young players, we're

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getting sloppy dressing up right for for
road trips and uh, you know,

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Kenley was telling me stories about the
way they treated him and the things that

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they did to him just to be
a big leaguer. Chase Anderson, who

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has a lot of experience, we
talk about it, and we came to

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the conclusion that on uh day day
games, getaway days, we're gonna wear

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sports coach and we started doing it, and uh, it reminds me of

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you know, San anton and Texas. You know, uh, collar shirt

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sports coach, slacks on the road, and uh it's not that that makes

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you a better Big leaguer or a
better player, but I think it gives

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the profession the professionalism that it deserves, you know, And uh that's something

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that I wouldn't I wouldn't trade for
anything. You know, the Dodger way

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was right. The Doutch way was
the right right way to doing it.

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And I'm proud of you know,
consider myself, you know, uh homegrown

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Dodger player, You consider yourself because
you are. Alex Cora is our guest,

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and your former teammate, Adrian Beltray
is going into the Hall of Fame.

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He's being inducted tomorrow. Can you
believe it? Number one? And

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number two? Did you see this
career arc happening when you guys were teammates

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all the way from ninety eight to
four. I didn't see it in the

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beginning, but you know, after
his last season here, he went to

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Seattle, right, wasn't great.
Then he came to Boston and something clicked

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there. Right, I think the
spotlight you know, was shining on him,

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and he put a great season Obviously
it didn't work out business business wise,

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and I know there's a lot of
people in the organization in the city

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that regret that. But then in
Texas he became the leader that he is

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right and just the way he goes
about his business if you look at his

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career, and this is something I
keep talking to people about Raffi Devers right

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when Beltray was here in ninety eight, ninety nine, whatever, the thing

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that he had was upside offensively and
he was posting. He posts right.

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He played same thing with Raffi.
Defensively, Belly became one of the best

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defenders ever at third base, but
early on it wasn't great. I think

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he made like twenty nine errors.
He averaged like twenty five errors his first

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three seasons, just like Raffi,
right, like erratic, making bad decisions,

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and he decided to find structure in
his defensive work. I do believe

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that we help him out. You
know, his stories on myself and Robin

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probably one of the best defensive infielders
in the history of the Dodgers. And

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there was this sense of pride,
you know, not in a bad way,

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because sometimes we fuse pride with being
selfish, with belly. He was

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pride about posting every day, playing
hard every day, winning every day,

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and being a Dodger the right way. And I mean, the guy is

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amazing. I was joking with Mike
Fiori today this morning. He looks better

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than what he looked when he got
called up in nineteen ninety eight. He

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looks younger and stronger. I don't
know how that happens, and I'm very

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proud of him. We learn a
lot from him. I know he learned

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a lot about from the people around
him, from Eric Carros to Sean green

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who I think was the one that
gave him the keys to unlock the offensive

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potential because they started playing games in
VP right the opposite field Homers, remember,

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Yeah. And there was a lot
of money involved too, he and

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Luduca and Greeney. But I think
it helped him to become the hitter that

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he became. And I'm very proud
of him. Man. So I guess

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Alex Korra is not surprised that Sean
Green text me from Cooperstown he is going

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to be there. Not surprise was
Greenie was kind of like the guy that

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basically took us under his wing.
You know, he came from Toronto.

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Yeah, we had other mentors,
you know, Kevin Brown and Jeff Shaw,

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every Carrs but Greene. At that
point we were playing every day,

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although Belly started playing every day in
nineteen ninety eight. But like his tourists

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on myself, we became everyday big
leaguers. And you know, he helped

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us a lot offensively, he help
us a lot with the mental side of

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the game. And I'm not surprised
that he's in Cooperstown. I wish I

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was there. You know. Actually
I never asked for permission. I should

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have. But coincidence that I'm here
in Dodger Stadium when Belly is getting into

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the Hall of Fame probably not is
the way that this game works. And

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He's gonna be a fun day tomorrow, not only for the Dodger you know,

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fans and the organization, but for
us. I know, you guys

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never made it to the World Series, but maybe I'm biased. You guys

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had such a special group and such
a tight knip friendship and brotherhood. Can

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you just describe what those teams were
like, especially in O four, it

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felt like it was you against the
world. It was maybe more, But

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I still remember that day in San
Diego, you know, the last day

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of the trade, the deadline,
and it wasn't a good feeling at all.

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It was probably the worst feeling of
that season. Understanding that we probably

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got better in a way, right
We brought in some good players. One

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of them got hurt right away,
which I think it made the difference in

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October, Brad Penny. But we
brought in Steve Finley, who was amazing

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for the group click right away.
Jason Worth became an everyday player. Milton

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took it to another level. Brad
main was awesome. But uh, you

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know, trading uh Moda Luduca and
Dave Roberts was was was tough for the

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group. I don't know what would
have happen, you know, uh in

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the last two months of the season
and in October, but it was a

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closed group, not only on the
field but off the field. You know.

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I still have you know, memories
of going to Gania's house and hanging

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out. The strength and conditioning coaches
were amazing with us. Uh. It

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was kind of like the first time
that we actually you know, uh got

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involved with you know, using all
the tools that were provided by the organization

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to to be better, right,
Uh, take a look at tendencies and

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pictures and defensive alignments and all that
stuff. It was really good. I

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still remember the last out. Uh, with all the respect to Trace,

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I hated shaking hands with the Cardinals
after the game, but uh it is

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what it is. And uh,
you know, too bad we got to

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split up. I think that team
was on, uh on the rise to

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to become probably a force in then
A West. But obviously, you know,

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decisions were made and uh it didn't
happen. But very proud to be

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part of those teams, you know. And uh I see I see Jim,

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you know, Trace and swim training
when he goes down and visit U

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Chad uh his son who's a Triple
A manager in Worcester, and we talk

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a little bit, you know about
what if or you know, what we

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did right and where we struggle.
But uh it's always cool to talk to

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uh Trace. He's actually in coopers
On too. He has too you know,

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he has Helton and he has belly, so he's a He's a great

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great day for Jim, Alex Cora, thanks a lot for the time.

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I wonder if the run was a
little bit more arduous this morning after last

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night's finish, it will be tomorrow, and telling you that we took the

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day off today. Five years he
running in Pasadena, Uh joking, as

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the first time I was running besides
Basao, Colorado. But it was beautiful,

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it was nice.