WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking.

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<v Speaker 1>The Dodgers and Mets are getting set for Game two

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<v Speaker 1>of this four game series, and we're joined right now

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<v Speaker 1>by a man that was a Major League umpire for

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<v Speaker 1>thirty years and now he's that Mike Pereira for Major

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<v Speaker 1>League Baseball on Friday Night broadcast. And that's the one

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<v Speaker 1>and only great Irishmen, Brian Gorman. Brian, thanks a lot

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<v Speaker 1>for the time.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks appreciate you having me on.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a lot clearer than zoom a little bit,

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit. Yeah, you need the technology, right, Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>when you look at the game now and how it's

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<v Speaker 1>changed and just how umpires are being graded, do you

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<v Speaker 1>feel for your fellow brethren on just how much they

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<v Speaker 1>have to juggle these days?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we talk about it a lot.

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<v Speaker 3>Since since a pitch clock came into existence, everything's getting condensed.

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<v Speaker 2>They called the same amount of pitches, they call the

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<v Speaker 2>same amount of plays.

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<v Speaker 3>Everything's just done in a short amount of time. So

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<v Speaker 3>the biggest difference from like when I work and from

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<v Speaker 3>the times that you do now is that they don't

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<v Speaker 3>have a break. Used to like between pitches, used to

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<v Speaker 3>be able to take a breath and take a break

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<v Speaker 3>and kind of reset.

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<v Speaker 2>Now they can't do that.

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<v Speaker 3>They're watching picture disengagements and the clock's taken down, and.

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<v Speaker 2>So they're always working.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's intense two and a half hours as opposed

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<v Speaker 3>to a little bit more relaxed three hours.

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<v Speaker 1>Brian, how much more is on the home plate on

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<v Speaker 1>fire with everything that you just said.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, he's got a busy plate.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean he's he does all picture disengagements, he does

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<v Speaker 3>all batter timeouts. He has to keep track of the

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<v Speaker 3>batter timeouts. A couple of times we've had a situation

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<v Speaker 3>where a batter took a time out and then he

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<v Speaker 3>wants another one, and so you have to remember, no,

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<v Speaker 3>you already took one. So sometimes you know, you know

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<v Speaker 3>there's fifty sixty batters a game, it gets a little

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<v Speaker 3>confusing and say, like, you know, did you already have

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<v Speaker 3>a timeout? As you do one? And so he's busy.

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<v Speaker 3>It's a condensed period of time and he's got a

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<v Speaker 3>lot to do, and then he's got to call balls

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<v Speaker 3>and strikes and get everyone right.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah right, And they usually do despite what hitters think

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<v Speaker 1>and pictures think.

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<v Speaker 2>Hopefully.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, the scores are pretty much the same everybody's scoring

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<v Speaker 3>like in the mid mid the high nineties. With adjustments

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<v Speaker 3>that they do for the evaluations, the box that everybody

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<v Speaker 3>sees on the screen, it's not accurate as what they

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<v Speaker 3>get evaluated at. So a lot of people go by

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<v Speaker 3>that box, but that box is just a static box

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<v Speaker 3>from the center field camera. It doesn't take into account

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<v Speaker 3>of batter's height. So the low part of the strike

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<v Speaker 3>zone and the high part of the strike showe which

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<v Speaker 3>is a lot where the controversy comes in, is not accurate.

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<v Speaker 2>So they're getting hit pretty good on social media.

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<v Speaker 1>I understand, yes, exactly. I'm glad you brought that up

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<v Speaker 1>because I had heard that the broadcast that we see

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<v Speaker 1>in that box that we see, that's not the actual

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<v Speaker 1>strike zone. And on game day, how accurate is that

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<v Speaker 1>compared to what we see on TV.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not.

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<v Speaker 3>They do their own adjustments for Major League Baseball, gets

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<v Speaker 3>evaluated their umpires on their own adjustments, and then they

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<v Speaker 3>have post game adjustments where they take into account the

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<v Speaker 3>catcher where like you might get adjusted if the pitch

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<v Speaker 3>gets by the catcher goes back to the screen, but

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<v Speaker 3>it might nick the box. They'll get adjusted for that pitch.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's a lot different than what people see on

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<v Speaker 3>the screen. I almost kind of wish that it wasn't

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<v Speaker 3>on there because it's just frustrating.

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<v Speaker 1>Former Major League umpire Brian Gorman is our guest. He

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<v Speaker 1>is now part of Major League Baseball umpire operations and.

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<v Speaker 2>Also a TV star.

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<v Speaker 1>He's the guy that they go to on Apple TV

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<v Speaker 1>in the zoom room when there is some questions about

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<v Speaker 1>the rules, like last Friday night where Michael Conforto tagged

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<v Speaker 1>up with a juggle in the outfield at City Field

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<v Speaker 1>since the Mets.

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<v Speaker 2>Are in town.

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<v Speaker 1>Brian, what do you remember about that play and did

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<v Speaker 1>you know that it should have been allowed right away?

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<v Speaker 2>Why did it take so long?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, the two unusual plays in one game. It's usually,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, three or four games go by and they

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<v Speaker 3>don't even have to come to me.

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<v Speaker 2>They had two plays in one game.

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<v Speaker 3>The first one was the juggle out in the outfield

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<v Speaker 3>where the ball touches the suentelder, it gets deflected and

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<v Speaker 3>in fact, I think the right fielder will und up

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<v Speaker 3>catching the ball most of the time that ball has dropped,

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<v Speaker 3>so this play never happens. But if anybody's tagging, he

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<v Speaker 3>can go on first touch, and the theory behind that

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<v Speaker 3>is like a good outfielder can juggle the ball all

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<v Speaker 3>the way into the infield and prevent the guy from advancing,

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<v Speaker 3>so as soon as the ball is touched, the runners

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<v Speaker 3>can take off. Apparently some guys know it, because the

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<v Speaker 3>guys took off on first touch. In fact, there was

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<v Speaker 3>a play at second where he could have probably tagged

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<v Speaker 3>Gotani and he didn't, so you know, he just advanced

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<v Speaker 3>on the tag, so he was safe at second and

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<v Speaker 3>then they went to review. So when they go to

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<v Speaker 3>the review, they call it a matrix shot. They have

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<v Speaker 3>one camera faced on the outfielder, they have another camera

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<v Speaker 3>faced on the guy tagging up, and they sink it

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<v Speaker 3>with the timestamp so they make sure the guy actually

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<v Speaker 3>did tag up in time. Then there was another tag

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<v Speaker 3>up at first, so they do both tags at the

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<v Speaker 3>same time, and I think that's what took some time.

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<v Speaker 3>So they're you know, there's fourteen feeds home and away

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<v Speaker 3>and they have to go through every feed in case

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<v Speaker 3>there's a feed that.

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<v Speaker 2>Shows something different. So that's what takes time. In New York.

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Gorman is our guest. All right, that other play

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<v Speaker 1>on Friday Night where obstruction was called twice. One time

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<v Speaker 1>we all noticed it because Tascar Hernandez made a great

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<v Speaker 1>throw to throw out the runner at home Starling Marte.

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<v Speaker 1>The other time the Dodgers Tascar Hernandez scored safely. Can

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<v Speaker 1>you take us through that obstruction play? Because what is

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<v Speaker 1>the distance? The third baseman is a little bit too

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<v Speaker 1>close for comfort.

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<v Speaker 2>Sure, there's two types of obstruction.

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<v Speaker 3>One is a play being made on the obstructed runner,

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<v Speaker 3>and one is a play not being made on it.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's got two different benefits. The play that's not

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<v Speaker 3>being made on it, the umpire lets the play go

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<v Speaker 3>through and waits.

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<v Speaker 2>To see what happens.

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<v Speaker 3>That if the obstructed runner gets thrown out on a

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<v Speaker 3>close play, which actually happened, then he enforces the obstruction.

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<v Speaker 3>If he scores easily, or if he gets out or

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<v Speaker 3>thrown out by forty feet, they don't enforce the obstruction.

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<v Speaker 3>So a lot of people don't know the obstructions even

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<v Speaker 3>called until the play happens.

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<v Speaker 2>After which they got obstructed.

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<v Speaker 3>The play at third that you're talking about, he actually

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<v Speaker 3>strolled in front of the batter tagging up and prevented

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<v Speaker 3>him from getting a clearer view of the guy catching it.

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<v Speaker 3>That's called obstruction. You don't have to touch him, and

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<v Speaker 3>it doesn't have to be intentional. I don't know if

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<v Speaker 3>he did an intentional Max says he did, so you know,

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<v Speaker 3>I believe him. If he gets in front of him,

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<v Speaker 3>but he obstructs the vision of the field of tagging up,

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<v Speaker 3>that's called obstruction. And if he gets thrown out in

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<v Speaker 3>a close play, which happened, it's reversed to a safe

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<v Speaker 3>On the other case, he did walk in front of him,

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<v Speaker 3>but the umpire thought that he didn't obstruct his view.

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<v Speaker 3>So you can get closed and not obstruct them, or

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<v Speaker 3>you can get far away and obstruct them.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's it's a judgment called by the umpire.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that something that whoever's uppying third base may have

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<v Speaker 1>that rule at the forefront of their mind that night

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe focusing on it, because I've heard a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of third basement obstruct but it's never called right.

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<v Speaker 3>The funny thing about it is that the umpires also

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<v Speaker 3>watching for the tag up. He's lining it up, and

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<v Speaker 3>he has the same vision as the guy tagging, so

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<v Speaker 3>if he's getting in a way of him, he's probably

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<v Speaker 3>getting away of the umpire as well. So it almost

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<v Speaker 3>brings it to your attention because you're trying to light

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<v Speaker 3>up the tag up with the catch as well. So

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<v Speaker 3>Max kind of gotten away of both of them. And

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<v Speaker 3>that's when Trip Gibson was the third base umpire.

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<v Speaker 2>He called it right away.

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<v Speaker 1>We all know Trip Gibson's name in Los Angeles now,

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Gorman.

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<v Speaker 2>He's a hell of an upfire. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, before I let you go so many years umpiring

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<v Speaker 1>major League baseball, when you come back to Dodgers Stadium

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<v Speaker 1>and you're here on quite an often basis, what do

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<v Speaker 1>you remember the most? Were there any like interactions with

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<v Speaker 1>Tommy Lasorda or anybody else on the Dodgers that stick

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<v Speaker 1>out to you?

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<v Speaker 2>Sure? He was one of my first ejections. Yeah. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I think it was my first year. I don't even

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<v Speaker 2>know if I had a job yet.

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<v Speaker 3>I was going up and down from Triple A and

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<v Speaker 3>I called a couple of pitches he didn't like.

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<v Speaker 2>He started yelling from the dugout.

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<v Speaker 3>He got ejected, and then the paper the next day

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<v Speaker 3>he said I liked his dad. I'm not so sure

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<v Speaker 3>about the side, but I worked my last game here

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<v Speaker 3>and stadium.

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<v Speaker 2>It was fun. It was.

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<v Speaker 3>My My family was all here and walked off the

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<v Speaker 3>field and the first person shuck my hand was Mookie

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<v Speaker 3>Betts and Dave Roberts came out and he shook my hand.

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<v Speaker 3>They had it on the scoreboard before the game that

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<v Speaker 3>I was retiring. It was kind of surprising, but I've

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<v Speaker 3>got a lot of good feelings here in Dodgers Dodger Stadium.

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<v Speaker 1>Squarers always say they missed the camaraderie with their teammates

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<v Speaker 1>and just being around the guys.

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<v Speaker 2>What do umpires miss?

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<v Speaker 3>The most same thing, same thing we You know, we

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<v Speaker 3>travel as a group before from from April to October,

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<v Speaker 3>and there's a lot of card games. You know that

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<v Speaker 3>we travel together. We go out together, so you know,

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<v Speaker 3>you form a little bond and like a family bond.

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<v Speaker 3>Sometimes if a guy gets hurt, they'll bring another guy in.

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<v Speaker 3>But everything we do is juicually together. You know, if

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<v Speaker 3>somebody has an off day and they go home and stuff,

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<v Speaker 3>but you get to know the guys and their families,

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<v Speaker 3>and after you retire, you kind of missed that part.

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<v Speaker 3>It's it is the camaraderie, that same thing I imagined

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<v Speaker 3>with the players.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for sharing with all of us, Brian Gorman. We

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<v Speaker 1>don't get to tap into the knowledge of an umpire

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<v Speaker 1>that has the experience that you have and continue to

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<v Speaker 1>do a great job. And you are Baseball's Mike Pereira.

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<v Speaker 2>I just means I'm old. I think you there.

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<v Speaker 1>He is one of the best umpires in his day.

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Gorman now helping Major League Baseball keep everybody in line.