Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.
Speaker 2: We're join right now by the athletics manager and certainly
Speaker 2: a legend here in southern California. Him and Phil Nevin
Speaker 2: really put Cal State Fullerton back on the map in
Speaker 2: the mid nineties. And he was a Golden Spikes Award winner.
Speaker 2: And he was not only a great center fielder, a
Speaker 2: great hitter at cal State Fullerton, but also did some
Speaker 2: pitching of his own. He was their closer on the
Speaker 2: way to the College World Series. And that is the
Speaker 2: one and only Mark Cottsee Mark, thanks a lot for
Speaker 2: the time.
Speaker 3: Appreciate it, no problem, David.
Speaker 1: That's a that's a very kind and elaborate introduction right there.
Speaker 3: I appreciate it.
Speaker 2: Hey, you deserve it. I mean, I know it feels
Speaker 2: like a long time ago when you wake up in
Speaker 2: the morning, but does it feel do you feel the
Speaker 2: same as you did back then?
Speaker 3: No, not at all.
Speaker 1: Actually, yeah, it's always it's always nice to talk about
Speaker 1: the glory days, right and and feeling like we're young
Speaker 1: again and and you know, create those memories or reliving
Speaker 1: those memories of our youth.
Speaker 2: What is it about guys that go to Cal State Fullerton,
Speaker 2: because yourself, Phil Nevin, Tim Wallack, Justin Turner, just to
Speaker 2: name a few, not only just played the game at
Speaker 2: a high level, but also think the game at a
Speaker 2: high level.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, I think it comes from our mentor,
Speaker 1: and that was our head coach, Augi Gurrito. You know,
Speaker 1: I think if you ask every player that got the
Speaker 1: opportunity to play for Aggie or be around Augi. Justin
Speaker 1: Turner was my bat boy for my Cal State Fullerton
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety five teams. So you know, he was remarkable
Speaker 1: in the way he taught the game and life lessons
Speaker 1: through the game and how much more you can learn
Speaker 1: from failure than success. And you know, you want to
Speaker 1: say he's semi philosopher, but an incredible baseball coach.
Speaker 2: How much of Aggie Garrito is in Mark Tottsey the manager, Now.
Speaker 3: I'd say there's quite a bit.
Speaker 1: The value of relationships really was something that we talked
Speaker 1: a lot about out, you know, and not just because
Speaker 1: of the game of baseball, but in life, right, and
Speaker 1: that the relationships that you can build and you know
Speaker 1: the value of that relationship. You can extract more from
Speaker 1: players when you know who they are, when you have
Speaker 1: that personal connection and that we build that trust with them,
Speaker 1: and I think that's key for me in my role
Speaker 1: right now as a manager here with this young ball club.
Speaker 2: Obviously it's a testament to who you are because you're young,
Speaker 2: but you have a lot of talent. And it seems
Speaker 2: like they're not shying away from any challenge.
Speaker 3: No, they're not.
Speaker 1: And I think this ball club it started last year
Speaker 1: towards the end of the year. We played really good
Speaker 1: baseball in the second half, so they built some confidence
Speaker 1: as young players. And the mentality that we've always taken,
Speaker 1: you know, the word grit. We use that word a lot.
Speaker 1: You know, we're an Oakland Athletic baseball team. Now we're
Speaker 1: the A's, but you know, for the past fifty two years,
Speaker 1: that was that mentality when you showed up at the coliseum,
Speaker 1: the legendary as teams of the late early seventies in
Speaker 1: the late eighties, and you know that characteristic of man.
Speaker 3: These guys just play the game hard and then grind
Speaker 3: out every out.
Speaker 2: That sounds like the way you played it is.
Speaker 1: You know, I got every ounce of talent out of
Speaker 1: this body, I'd say, you know, for my career and
Speaker 1: being blessed to be able to do it for seventeen
Speaker 1: years and now be in the game as a teacher
Speaker 1: post career, a total of twenty eight years in the
Speaker 1: big leagues. I feel like I've never worked a day
Speaker 1: in my life, no doubt.
Speaker 2: Markcotsey is our guest. He's the athletics manager doing a
Speaker 2: great job no matter where they play or what city
Speaker 2: they're in. Your career spans so many generations and even
Speaker 2: overlapped with Clayton Kershaw. You finished playing around twenty thirteen,
Speaker 2: he started in eight. What do you remember and what
Speaker 2: stands out to you still to this day about Kershaw?
Speaker 1: You talk about an ultra competitor. That man is the
Speaker 1: epitome of a competitor. And and you know, I'm, like
Speaker 1: you said, I'm I'm really impressed that he's still going,
Speaker 1: that he's still able to go compete at that level.
Speaker 1: There's a justin Verlander's another comp There's another guy that
Speaker 1: has been around since two thousand and six.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 1: So it's a testament to their work ethic and their
Speaker 1: drive really and and I mean for me, you know,
Speaker 1: Clayton is on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
Speaker 2: Is it amazing to you that he still wants to pitch.
Speaker 1: No, because I think that's in him. I think you
Speaker 1: saw that as a young, you know player coming up.
Speaker 1: He's a student of the game. You know he loves baseball.
Speaker 1: And when you have those combinations, you have that two
Speaker 1: combinations for yourself, You're gonna stay in as long as
Speaker 1: you can.
Speaker 2: All right, Markott say, I got two cal State fullertin
Speaker 2: questions for you before I let you go. Number One,
Speaker 2: Pete's Breakfast Burritos as legendary as Nevin and Kotse in Fullerton.
Speaker 2: How often when you come to so Cal do you
Speaker 2: hit up pet Be Still?
Speaker 3: If I had time, I would be there right now.
Speaker 3: But yeah, Pepez.
Speaker 1: I grew up next to the Pepez that was right
Speaker 1: there in Pica Rivera, So you know that was my home.
Speaker 1: I grew up in Santa Fe Springs. My parents still
Speaker 1: live there after fifty four years, and you know, it's
Speaker 1: a great city. I love coming back here. Dodger James
Speaker 1: had a special place in my heart.
Speaker 2: How often did you come to Dodger games growing up
Speaker 2: in Santa Fe Springs?
Speaker 1: Whenever my dad was able to get some comp ticks
Speaker 1: up in the Orange reserve way up top.
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, last one for you. This might be
Speaker 2: the toughest question. Name your Mount Rushmore of cal State
Speaker 2: fuller ten players Augi Gurrito separate category. Do you have
Speaker 2: a Mount Rushmore?
Speaker 1: I'll put JT. Justin Turner. He's a legend now he's
Speaker 1: taken over for us. The career that he's had pretty remarkable.
Speaker 1: You know, he started out with the Mets and wasn't
Speaker 1: an everyday player, changed his swing and now he's still
Speaker 1: impacting games. I know he's just he had a walk off,
Speaker 1: you know, just the other day with the Cubs and
Speaker 1: could be more proud of JT.
Speaker 2: Your beard's not as good as JT's.
Speaker 3: No, it doesn't grow as long, and it's definitely a
Speaker 3: lot more white. Mark.
Speaker 2: Thanks a lot for the time. Great to share you
Speaker 2: with Dodger fans.
Speaker 3: I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on