Speaker 1: And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: Hey, we did this in LA. We're gonna do it
Speaker 2: exclusively for the Dodgers Audio Network in Miami. I'm joined
Speaker 2: right now by Marlin's manager and former first base coach
Speaker 2: and field coordinator for the Dodgers, and he meant a
Speaker 2: lot more than that to so many. Clayton McCullough, Clayton,
Speaker 2: you look the same from last week, you know.
Speaker 1: What, David, I hope I didn't age that much in
Speaker 1: a week now. Maybe in September. Hey, I saw earlier today.
Speaker 2: I got to witness some of the new ideas that
Speaker 2: you're implementing here where Wednesday's starting pitcher was throwing a
Speaker 2: live BP. What was the thought behind that.
Speaker 1: I think we believed organizationally that it was a way
Speaker 1: to train and practice a little differently, to make there
Speaker 1: your practice setting, you know, a little more representative of
Speaker 1: the game some ways.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: For the hitters, you think the more times you get
Speaker 1: to face, you know, a live arm and see a
Speaker 1: delivery and see pitches and gain it bats that way
Speaker 1: is a terrific thing for them. And on the pitching
Speaker 1: side too, to see how your your pitches are reacting,
Speaker 1: you know, two hitters. You know, maybe it ramps up
Speaker 1: the practice intensity a little bit where you know, you're
Speaker 1: kind of getting it closer to what you know, your
Speaker 1: game reps are gonna are gonna feel like. And we believe,
Speaker 1: you know, hopefully in time it you know, helps guys
Speaker 1: with command, you know, just helps them, you know, from
Speaker 1: start to start, be able to you know better somewhat
Speaker 1: have the that feeling in between closer to what the
Speaker 1: game is going to be like.
Speaker 2: You're an open minded guy, obviously, when that idea was
Speaker 2: presented to you, what was your first reaction? You know what?
Speaker 1: I think they last year organizationally had the lower levels
Speaker 1: of the our league had experimented with it, and so
Speaker 1: we came into this year and wanted to try to
Speaker 1: run this thing out more from top to bottom. And
Speaker 1: I like the idea.
Speaker 2: I do.
Speaker 1: I like the idea. I think it's you know, again,
Speaker 1: like trying to make our practices a little more difficult,
Speaker 1: make our training again more representative of what you're going
Speaker 1: to see in the game. And so yeah, I've had
Speaker 1: an open mind to it, and I appreciate our guys
Speaker 1: for them, you know, embracing it. And you know, giving
Speaker 1: it a shot because we believe it's going to you know,
Speaker 1: pay dividends for us as we move forward.
Speaker 2: I've heard of pictures basically competing against their stuff on
Speaker 2: the track man the iPad and side sessions anyways, So
Speaker 2: I guess, if they're going to do that, why not
Speaker 2: get that type of experience.
Speaker 1: Right And and our pitching coaches have been right there,
Speaker 1: and like each setting is a little different. Sometimes they're
Speaker 1: out there maybe you know, they there's still their work,
Speaker 1: you know, maybe they're working on O pitches or they're
Speaker 1: working on a two K you know, breaking balls or
Speaker 1: how to finish or sequencing. So it's still a very
Speaker 1: similar mindset to how they're you know, maybe approaching that
Speaker 1: session and trying to get out of it now with
Speaker 1: the extra stimulus of having a hitter in there, but
Speaker 1: also you know, helping them control the effort level to
Speaker 1: keep it in a place where you know, everyone feels
Speaker 1: feels good with but you know, practicing a little bit
Speaker 1: more aggressively. Or we believe, you know, we believe it's
Speaker 1: gonna help you know, our guys, and I think we
Speaker 1: just viewed it like what we think is best for
Speaker 1: the Miami Marlins and our and our group, and I
Speaker 1: thought it was you know, it's it's worth a shot
Speaker 1: now and moving forward. Clayton McCullough is our guest. And
Speaker 1: it's a testament to Clayton and his coaching staff that
Speaker 1: at Dodger Stadium, how hard your team still plays all
Speaker 1: twenty seven outs. You've got to be proud of that
Speaker 1: that you've already established that this early in the season.
Speaker 1: That is and in credit to our our our players,
Speaker 1: I think that's kind of been it. You just you
Speaker 1: just keep playing. I mean we've you know, we tried to.
Speaker 1: We've had some games where it didn't look great at
Speaker 1: the end of the game, but like you know, you
Speaker 1: just keep going. If you're able to get you know,
Speaker 1: a Tanner Scott up and get hot in the ninth inning,
Speaker 1: or if you're able to get Alvarado for the Phillies
Speaker 1: up in the ninth in and even though you come
Speaker 1: up short, like that's in some ways it's a it's
Speaker 1: a small victory within a you know, within a long season.
Speaker 1: So that's it. You just you keep playing the entire
Speaker 1: way through because this is this is the major leagues.
Speaker 1: Like you're a professional, like you know, we're just gonna
Speaker 1: you just keep going. Every bat you take is you know,
Speaker 1: get invested into it, and you know, when the games over,
Speaker 1: it's over. But like you know, until then, you just
Speaker 1: keep on. You know, you guys just keep playing, and
Speaker 1: you kind of start to create a little identity for
Speaker 1: yourself that you're a group that's just gonna, you know,
Speaker 1: play hard and play all the way through the game.
Speaker 2: You're not gonna like this. But last week at Dodger Stadium,
Speaker 2: the Dodger stole three bases against the Marlins, and your
Speaker 2: guy show Hey o Tani was behind all of it
Speaker 2: because you taught him really well on what to identify.
Speaker 2: I saw him in the dugout giving Woodwards some tips.
Speaker 2: So your legacy lives on to this day, even though
Speaker 2: it might be against the Marlins.
Speaker 1: Well, I guess in some ways that's great to hear.
Speaker 1: In other ways, it doesn't feel nearly as fun being
Speaker 1: on the other end of it as he used to
Speaker 1: be watching it. But he's a special talent and he's
Speaker 1: very smart, and we all know how community is to
Speaker 1: his craft and everything he does. So I mean that's
Speaker 1: something like our group is working extensively just overall to
Speaker 1: try to you know, improve upon and you know, so yeah,
Speaker 1: but it was better looking at had it from my
Speaker 1: former my vantage point than it currently is.
Speaker 2: Hey, you had a great view last year in Miami
Speaker 2: when Otani became the first player in baseball history to
Speaker 2: reach fifty to fifty. What do you remember most about
Speaker 2: that day?
Speaker 1: I think you kind of like how he just had
Speaker 1: such a sense for the moment, Like I could be wrong,
Speaker 1: but it felt like he was getting close and like
Speaker 1: he wanted it to you know, he wanted it to happen, right,
Speaker 1: And I think, you know, he got on there and
Speaker 1: he got the first stolen base, right, and he gets
Speaker 1: to fifty and like you're like, this guy's gonna do
Speaker 1: it today, Like he just has like this, he just
Speaker 1: has that you know, that knack for the forty forty
Speaker 1: and so and then I remember when it happened. I
Speaker 1: was actually I was more so excited for him and
Speaker 1: happy for him, like wow, what a you know, because
Speaker 1: you see all that goes behind the scenes for you know,
Speaker 1: how much time he puts into his craft and how
Speaker 1: professional he is with everything. So I think that type
Speaker 1: of output in a season was almost unheard off. And
Speaker 1: to be there and see it firsthand, but it to
Speaker 1: be and happened to a person, and that you have
Speaker 1: a lot of respect for their professionalism. Like I was,
Speaker 1: just like, this is so cool for him, and you know,
Speaker 1: but I'm his good moments can wait for another three days.
Speaker 2: Before I let you go. You got the championship ring
Speaker 2: the team and Otani presented it to you in LA.
Speaker 2: Where is it now?
Speaker 1: Safe and secure?
Speaker 2: Okay? Yes, don't wear it around of Marlin' spark every day.
Speaker 1: No no, don't wear it around no, no, it's safe
Speaker 1: and secure. David, that was a cool gesture by everyone.
Speaker 1: I appreciated it.
Speaker 2: Hey, we appreciate you, Clayton McCullough. I know you're wearing
Speaker 2: the teal and black and orange, but certainly your roots
Speaker 2: are with the Dodgers in a lot of ways, and
Speaker 2: you made such an impact on so many. Thank you
Speaker 2: again for the time, and I don't get tired of
Speaker 2: talking to you, So I'll come see you the next
Speaker 2: two days too.
Speaker 1: Come over here and see me, David. I love seeing you,
Speaker 1: my friend. Take care