Speaker 1: It is Jackie Robinson Day at Dodgers Stadium, and I'm
Speaker 1: joined right now by one of those bullpen dogs that
Speaker 1: helped the Dodgers win the World Series last year. And
Speaker 1: it was his first experience wearing the forty two in
Speaker 1: a Dodger uniform on Jackie Robinson Day. And that's the
Speaker 1: great Michael Kopek. Michael, thanks a lot for the time, appreciate.
Speaker 2: It, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: What was it like for you? I mean, you've been
Speaker 1: in Major League Baseball with a couple of other teams
Speaker 1: on Jackie Robinson Day, But what was it like for
Speaker 1: you to experience what you did at the statue?
Speaker 2: I mean, I think Jackie Robinson Day and gen was.
Speaker 3: Just like a really special day to baseball. You know,
Speaker 3: it shows, you know, not only the history of our
Speaker 3: country and the growth of this game all in one,
Speaker 3: but it encapsulates a great player breaking through that. But
Speaker 3: you know, wearing forty two on your back, you know,
Speaker 3: and in a different uniform, it doesn't hit quite as hard
Speaker 3: as wearing it in the Dodger blue. And then it's
Speaker 3: cool we have the Brooklyn hat today. But yeah, being
Speaker 3: out there hearing how close uh kareem story? Is to Jackie,
Speaker 3: not not in similarities, but how close their their relationship
Speaker 3: actually overlapped. And then just to be able to experience,
Speaker 3: you know, the emotions of that and what it felt
Speaker 3: like to have you know, Dodger family and actually Jackie
Speaker 3: Robinson's family here.
Speaker 2: It was just really cool. It's really special. So I
Speaker 2: was happy to be a part of it.
Speaker 1: You have so many different backgrounds in that clubhouse. Do
Speaker 1: you believe what Kareem said and what Jackie Robinson day
Speaker 1: means resonates with everybody, no matter what their background is.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, you know, I think that.
Speaker 3: We live in a much different generation than then, but
Speaker 3: in you know, all things considered, that wasn't that long ago. Yeah,
Speaker 3: So to have, you know, such a diverse clubhouse and
Speaker 3: the talents of this game being of all different nationalities,
Speaker 3: all different colors, and all different backgrounds, I think kind of,
Speaker 3: you know, is a testament to what he did to
Speaker 3: you know, his bravery.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: How much did you know about Kareem Abdul Jabbar before
Speaker 1: today and just his connection to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Speaker 3: His connection to to to baseball in general. I didn't
Speaker 3: really know about, but to the Dodgers and too you know,
Speaker 3: to hear that he said that Jackie actually sent him
Speaker 3: a letter. Yeah, it is, you know, that's that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3: And to see the impact that that he made in
Speaker 3: the world through through his platform and what he was
Speaker 3: able to do, and that stemming from from Jackie Robinson.
Speaker 3: When it seems like he had already reached so many people,
Speaker 3: he found a way to reach even more through Kareem
Speaker 3: Abil Jabbar.
Speaker 2: It's just it's it's kind of mind blowing.
Speaker 1: Michael Kopek is our guest. Once all the speeches were
Speaker 1: done at the Jackie Robinson statue, Michael got back to
Speaker 1: business of pitching and I saw you throwing. You went
Speaker 1: out to throw a bullpen session. What can you share
Speaker 1: with us about where you're at physically?
Speaker 2: I feel great.
Speaker 3: I think that it's kind of a long road back,
Speaker 3: just you know, you know, building up, you know, whether
Speaker 3: whether you want to call it stamina or what have
Speaker 3: you like, just just building up to be able to
Speaker 3: pitch and pitching games again is kind of a long road.
Speaker 3: So it's only my second bullpen since I had a setback,
Speaker 3: but it felt great and I think there was a
Speaker 3: lot of a lot of promise in what I'm doing
Speaker 3: right now, but hopefully we can build off of that
Speaker 3: and keep going forward.
Speaker 1: When you have a day like today, is there a
Speaker 1: sense of relief that your body is responding.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think with a game in general, there's a lot
Speaker 3: of ups and downs. You know, I'm let's say I'm
Speaker 3: healthy right now and I'm pitching. I go out there
Speaker 3: and I can feel great for one game. In the
Speaker 3: next game maybe not so good, and you have to
Speaker 3: find a way. There's a little bit of that when
Speaker 3: you're doing a rehab stent too, but you don't know
Speaker 3: if you're going to bounce back when you have a
Speaker 3: bad day and rehab, so it can be this roller
Speaker 3: coaster of emotions if you if you ride every single
Speaker 3: feeling of every single day, but to have a high
Speaker 3: day mix it that a little bit easier and you
Speaker 3: get to kind of just build off of that.
Speaker 1: Like I said, I have so much respect for you
Speaker 1: and for all those guys in the bullpen last year
Speaker 1: that were pushed to the limits to try to win
Speaker 1: the World Series. You guys were able to do that.
Speaker 1: I haven't talked to you about this, but what you
Speaker 1: guys did as a group is unprecedented to carry a
Speaker 1: pitching staff that far. How proud are you of that?
Speaker 1: And I mean literally left your arm out on the
Speaker 1: mound last year.
Speaker 2: Uh Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think the main thing is I'm I'm incredibly grateful
Speaker 3: to be a part of a group that that was
Speaker 3: that was that special. You know, whether one guy did
Speaker 3: the job every single night, or you know, somebody needed
Speaker 3: to get picked up, like, we never shied away from that,
Speaker 3: and we had a group of guys that were willing
Speaker 3: to fight that battle all the way through. And to
Speaker 3: be a part of that group and a part of
Speaker 3: guys that are just so determined to win no matter
Speaker 3: you know, what the feeling is or what the situation is.
Speaker 3: Like the World Series was the end goal and site
Speaker 3: and that was what we were all working towards. So
Speaker 3: to be a part of a group that worked that
Speaker 3: hard for it, I was incredibly proud of.
Speaker 1: Michael Kopek's name will forever be part of Dodger history,
Speaker 1: part of those bullpen dogs. And it's scary to think
Speaker 1: that the bullpen's doing so well and you and Evan
Speaker 1: Phillips haven't even thrown one pitch yet.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm really proud of those guys. I'm hoping Evan's
Speaker 3: back soon and seeming like he's getting close, so to
Speaker 3: add him to that mix, it's gonna.
Speaker 2: Be really cool to see. Right now, I'm just kind
Speaker 2: of watching from a little bit of a.
Speaker 3: Distance, but hopefully I'll start working my way back and
Speaker 3: I'll get to be part of that experience again.
Speaker 2: Can't wait.
Speaker 1: It's been so great getting to know you and just
Speaker 1: who you are, and obviously that comes out in a
Speaker 1: lot of different ways. So thank you for the time
Speaker 1: and can't wait to see you back out there.
Speaker 2: Thank you appreciate it.