Speaker 1: An exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker, the
Speaker 1: Dodgers and Rockies getting set for first pitch, and our
Speaker 1: guest Michael CONFORDO, how to take batting practice in the rain?
Speaker 1: How did that go? Uh?
Speaker 2: There's a little bit of slippage in the Uh, in
Speaker 2: the cage on the mat. It's a little wet out there.
Speaker 2: But I don't I mean, I don't think the grounds
Speaker 2: crew is concerned.
Speaker 3: They're not.
Speaker 2: They're not pulling the tarp for anything. So I think
Speaker 2: we're in good shape for the game, at least.
Speaker 1: Over your career coming here, it just always seems like
Speaker 1: it's an adventure at Corsefield.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you never know what the weather. I think the
Speaker 2: rain was supposed to come at like four keeps pushing back.
Speaker 2: You know, obviously that lot can happen on the field.
Speaker 2: Ball flies here. There's a lot of grass, hopefully, hopefully
Speaker 2: a good situation.
Speaker 3: For our hitters.
Speaker 1: I was giving Dalton Rushing a skyning report on Corse Field.
Speaker 1: I actually pointed out that left field is one of
Speaker 1: the bigger left fields in baseball.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's I mean, just the outfield. When you go
Speaker 2: out there and stand in the outfield, it's by far
Speaker 2: the biggest, the most space to cover. The thing is
Speaker 2: like the ball kind of hangs up in the air
Speaker 2: a little bit longer here, so it gives you a
Speaker 2: little more time, like if you're playing defense, to get
Speaker 2: under it, and then like line drives will stay up
Speaker 2: a little bit longer. So you definitely have to go
Speaker 2: out there and just kind of see how the balls
Speaker 2: flying kind of on the day, you know, just to
Speaker 2: get a feel for it.
Speaker 1: So you have to played a little bit more safe
Speaker 1: out there because there is so much real estate.
Speaker 2: I've heard so over my career I've played really deep here,
Speaker 2: trying to keep everything in front. I've had teams want
Speaker 2: me to play shallow and actually take away the cheaper
Speaker 2: hits and let this, you know, the balls that are slugged,
Speaker 2: you know, get to the fence and you hopefully hold
Speaker 2: them on second. I've heard multiple different strategies of how
Speaker 2: to how to play defense here, but I think I
Speaker 2: think we're gonna be on the.
Speaker 3: Deeper side today.
Speaker 2: And then you just just be an athlete and and
Speaker 2: you know, go out and make the play.
Speaker 1: Hey, that's what Michael Confordo does. Be athlete out there.
Speaker 1: We all know that it's been a little bit of
Speaker 1: a struggle for you to start the year. How have
Speaker 1: you been able to handle it and stay positive?
Speaker 2: Just you know, a lot of help for my family,
Speaker 2: a lot of help for my teammates.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been it.
Speaker 2: You know, it's been a heck of a grind of
Speaker 2: a year, you know, really not not swinging the bat
Speaker 2: that the way that I you know, wanted to start
Speaker 2: the season. Obviously started pretty well, and then and then
Speaker 2: just kind of, you know, fell out of my routine
Speaker 2: a little bit, and you know, so we're just we're
Speaker 2: kind of we're on our way.
Speaker 3: You know, we're hitting the ball hard.
Speaker 2: We're just looking for consistency and and uh, you know
Speaker 2: every day I'm just showing up ready to work and
Speaker 2: and uh, you know, I'm never gonna quit. So, you know,
Speaker 2: I think we're on our way and and a lot
Speaker 2: of good things are coming.
Speaker 1: Do you feel like you're starting to get closer to
Speaker 1: yourself because we have seen you hit the ball hard
Speaker 1: in the last week, and we've seen glimpses of it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm it's it's there. It's
Speaker 2: there for sure. It's just a matter of you know,
Speaker 2: doing it time after time, day after day, you know,
Speaker 2: going up there with a with a consistent approach and
Speaker 2: a consistent swing, you know, and you know there's there's
Speaker 2: a lot of baseball to be played. You know, we're
Speaker 2: a little bit over halfway through, but yeah, you know,
Speaker 2: I think I think the best the best days are
Speaker 2: ahead for sure.
Speaker 1: What's it been like to be part of this lineup?
Speaker 1: Obviously to understanding that, uh, they're not sinking or swimming
Speaker 1: with any one player.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's been a aside from my own struggles,
Speaker 2: has been a really fun lineup to be a part of,
Speaker 2: you know, just to see a different guy every day.
Speaker 2: You know, it seems like every every day, every series,
Speaker 2: there's somebody, somebody different that's that's carrying the team.
Speaker 3: You know, it's a relentless lineup.
Speaker 2: Guys get on base, Guys don't chase, and guys come
Speaker 2: through in big situations. And you know that's why we're
Speaker 2: putting up so many runs. You know, it's really the
Speaker 2: situational stuff and just constant traffic on the basis and
Speaker 2: it's a good recipe for for a really good offense.
Speaker 1: And it feels like everybody supports each other.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, I mean I'm I can tell you firsthand.
Speaker 3: Guys you know, pick each other up.
Speaker 2: You know, everybody is always telling me, you know, we
Speaker 2: know you can hit, just keep going. You know, they
Speaker 2: always have my back and and you know, it helps.
Speaker 2: It really helps to have your teammates have your back
Speaker 2: like that and just constantly remind you that they know
Speaker 2: who you are and you know they've.
Speaker 3: Seen you do it for a long time.
Speaker 2: So that's another great thing about having a veteran group
Speaker 2: of guys is guys who've been around, we played against
Speaker 2: each other for a long time. We all, you know,
Speaker 2: kind of know what what everyone's capable of. So that's
Speaker 2: you know, that's that's a plus as well.
Speaker 1: I've heard guys when they're going through good and bad times,
Speaker 1: they stay with something superstitious. Have you questioned what you're
Speaker 1: eating in the morning? Have you questioned what you're wearing?
Speaker 3: Uh?
Speaker 1: Does it go that far?
Speaker 2: I've questioned everything, absolutely everything. Yeah, I'm I'm going through
Speaker 2: all those things, and uh, you know, we're gonna keep
Speaker 2: finding finding little things to to try to break you know, whatever,
Speaker 2: you know, whatever's going on the ball, not finding the grass.
Speaker 2: You know, we'll get it figured out and we'll write
Speaker 2: the ship by the end the season.
Speaker 1: I got good news for you. A couple of years ago.
Speaker 2: JD.
Speaker 1: Martinez one year deal with the Dodgers, got off to
Speaker 1: a slow start, did this exact same pregame interview and
Speaker 1: went on a heater and drove in one hundred runs
Speaker 1: that season. So I feel like maybe we need to
Speaker 1: recreate the JD. Martinez magic. You got to give me
Speaker 1: a dead fish handschick because because of the broke and.
Speaker 2: Rist Okay, yeah, absolutely mean, I'm up for absolutely everything.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we got the dead fish handshake going on right now.
Speaker 1: All right, there we go, Michael Conforto, the magic has happened.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot for the time, and you're an easy
Speaker 1: guy to root for and we look forward to seeing
Speaker 1: you crossing home plate a few times tonight.
Speaker 3: I appreciate it. Thank you very much.