Speaker 1: And an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.
Speaker 2: We're with the birthday boy tonight, starting center fielder James Outman.
Speaker 2: Happy birthday, out Man. You really played it cool today.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Yeah, trying to keep it a secret.
Speaker 2: I like it. You're not like these other guys that
Speaker 2: like to promote their birthdays two weeks in advance.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I don't know. I forgot it was
Speaker 1: coming up.
Speaker 2: To be honest, you forgot your own birthday.
Speaker 1: No, I know my own birthday, but I was like, oh, shoot,
Speaker 1: it's three days or whatever it was.
Speaker 2: I know, you got a brand new baby or a
Speaker 2: brand new father. You're married, So how do birthdays? How
Speaker 2: do birthdays rank these days?
Speaker 1: It's good, you know, you just want to spend time
Speaker 1: with your family and see your daughter, hold your daughter.
Speaker 1: So they're still good. They're different.
Speaker 2: You know, you're a young father, and a lot of
Speaker 2: guys that became a father later in their careers say
Speaker 2: gave him better perspective in baseball. Do you feel, even
Speaker 2: at this stage of your career, having a brand new
Speaker 2: baby girl is giving you perspective on baseball?
Speaker 1: For sure? You know, it makes the it makes the
Speaker 1: oh for four is easier to handle. When you go
Speaker 1: home and see your daughter smiling at you, there's nothing
Speaker 1: better than that. So I would say so for sure.
Speaker 2: You've been up here now for a little more than
Speaker 2: a week. What's it like for you this time around?
Speaker 1: It's great. This clubhouse is amazing. First of all, your
Speaker 1: first look, yeah, first look, first look, it's like a
Speaker 1: little city in here. But but yeah, no, it's it's
Speaker 1: uh still Dodger baseball, you know.
Speaker 2: Can you take us into the new clubhouse and new
Speaker 2: batting cages. What are the biggest improvements that stood out
Speaker 2: to you.
Speaker 1: The biggest improvement is that there's two lanes to hit
Speaker 1: it now, so it's it's less clogged up at times.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean there's tons of technology and they're
Speaker 1: very similar to the lab in Arizona, a lot of
Speaker 1: the same technology.
Speaker 2: Speaking of technology, we've heard these teams, including the Dodgers,
Speaker 2: having the big screen simulators where you could see that
Speaker 2: night's pitcher or even Randy Johnson show up and throw
Speaker 2: their pitch. Is that weird? Does it help? What's been
Speaker 2: your experience with it?
Speaker 1: I think it's good. It's obviously not like the real thing,
Speaker 1: but I think it's as close as you can get
Speaker 1: right now. But it's uh, they're they're unbelievable things. It's
Speaker 1: it's just good to work on, you know, your timing
Speaker 1: with whoever the picture is, or just pitch shapes and
Speaker 1: stuff like that.
Speaker 2: Have you even considered facing like one of the pictures
Speaker 2: you grew up watching.
Speaker 1: I don't know if we have them on there because
Speaker 1: I don't know if we had all the the yeah,
Speaker 1: the track mandate or whatever, so but no, I have not.
Speaker 2: Maybe you should tap in to see if you could
Speaker 2: face Kershaw.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well I had face Kershaw on some line that
Speaker 1: bass before, so I'd rather face the real Kershaw than
Speaker 1: than animated Kershaw.
Speaker 2: And you also played behind Kershaw on this latest rehab
Speaker 2: stint right, Yes, well, what should we expect? Can you
Speaker 2: give us a scouting report on this version?
Speaker 1: It looks good. Clayton Kershaw is Clayton Kershaw, you know,
Speaker 1: is one of the best to ever do it, so
Speaker 1: you know, it's always fun playing behind him. He's a
Speaker 1: smart pitcher, obviously, works efficiently, and those strikes.
Speaker 2: James Outman, the Birthday Boy is our guest, all right
Speaker 2: when you get out there in center field again. Obviously
Speaker 2: You've had experience at the major league level, You've had
Speaker 2: a lot of success. How much does visualizing that success
Speaker 2: come into play for you?
Speaker 1: Now A lot?
Speaker 2: Was a deep question, now, man, very deep.
Speaker 1: A lot. You know, you're always trying to visualize that day,
Speaker 1: you know, visualize your at bats, visualized defense, stuff like that.
Speaker 1: This outfield is one of my favorite outfields to play,
Speaker 1: so I'm excited to get out there and track some
Speaker 1: balls down.
Speaker 2: All right. One of the new young guys got called
Speaker 2: up today, Dalton Rushing. You obviously played with them at
Speaker 2: Oklahoma City. What's made him special?
Speaker 1: He's just a competitive player, works hard, tough player, and
Speaker 1: it's really good.
Speaker 2: He seems to understand like Austin Barnes did the Picture
Speaker 2: Catcher relationship really well?
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I honestly I can't speak too much
Speaker 1: about that because I'm so far away. I'm probably defer
Speaker 1: this guy away from all that. But but yeah, I know,
Speaker 1: I can definitely tell you he works his butt off
Speaker 1: and he wants to improve in every area of his game.
Speaker 2: He's got a very creepy mustache.
Speaker 1: I haven't noticed. Sometimes they'll grow it out from time
Speaker 1: to time, but I think he rocks it.
Speaker 2: Well, Altman, if it wasn't for me, There's a couple
Speaker 2: of things you wouldn't know today. Number one your birthday.
Speaker 2: Number two, that Dalton Rushing's here, and that he's got
Speaker 2: a mustache. Where would you be? Do you know that
Speaker 2: you're starting tonight in center field?
Speaker 1: No, no, I knew Dalton was here. I just I didn't.
Speaker 1: I didn't get a glimpse of his mustache.
Speaker 2: But if you know it was your birthday before you
Speaker 2: saw me.
Speaker 1: I didn't know it was my birthday. I think you
Speaker 1: were more fired up about it than I was, to
Speaker 1: be honest.
Speaker 2: But fired up for your birthday.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
Speaker 2: You're a great guy. Everybody loves Tarzan. Thanks a lot
Speaker 2: for the time. I got a birthday gift for you.
Speaker 2: You know you what it is, right. I just don't
Speaker 2: do interviews. I'm not a taker. I share you with
Speaker 2: the people. And I also have a pair of Canan's
Speaker 2: world best polarized sunglasses for you, Outman.
Speaker 1: Awesome, appreciate it.
Speaker 2: Hey, did you know Canan's lenses are clear, lighter and
Speaker 2: stronger than other lenses, and are nearly impossible to scratch.
Speaker 2: Visit canaan dot com for your pair. Autman's got one
Speaker 2: for his birthday. Happy birthday. Let's get some birthday hits
Speaker 2: on a birthday win today.
Speaker 1: Let's do it.
Speaker 2: Damn. There he is James Autman, my new pupil. I'm
Speaker 2: his new life coach. We just discovered that today. Thanks
Speaker 2: a lot for the time.
Speaker 1: Thank you,