Speaker 1: And I'm really excited to be joined by a player
Speaker 1: I wanted the Dodgers to sign three years ago. But
Speaker 1: he is finally here and Dodger blue, wearing number twenty three.
Speaker 1: He's gonna play left field for the Dodgers. A well
Speaker 1: established Major leaguer and a proud Italian American, the one
Speaker 1: and only Michael CONFORDO. Welcome the Dodger Fest. I'm sure
Speaker 1: this is a very unique experience that you haven't found
Speaker 1: in other places.
Speaker 2: You've been absolutely, I mean just trying to get in
Speaker 2: this place. Yeah, was was was madness. You know, I
Speaker 2: tried three different gates and then you know, as soon
Speaker 2: as I said I was a player, they just waved
Speaker 2: me all the way through. So, you know, I was
Speaker 2: feeling the love with the uh, with the parking attendance
Speaker 2: and and uh you know, some of the fans recognized
Speaker 2: me on the way in as well.
Speaker 3: So it feels good, especially with all.
Speaker 2: This talent we have here on this team, to be
Speaker 2: recognized by you know, some just baseball fans. Man.
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, I.
Speaker 2: Have been around for a while, but you know, not
Speaker 2: not for not for long on this side of the
Speaker 2: of the country.
Speaker 3: So it's good to be It's good to be here.
Speaker 2: I've been getting my butt kicked by the Dodgers for
Speaker 2: too long, so I'm I'm excited to be on this
Speaker 2: On this.
Speaker 1: Side, obviously, teams have to step up financially for you
Speaker 1: to want to sign there. But how much have you
Speaker 1: heard about the culture of the Dodgers that really excited
Speaker 1: you to sign here.
Speaker 3: I've heard a lot.
Speaker 2: I mean I've you know, there's there's what you see,
Speaker 2: you know, the product on the field that's easy to
Speaker 2: see from the from the fan base and just from
Speaker 2: you know, everybody watches the Dodgers, but there's things you
Speaker 2: hear from from guys who have played for the Dodgers,
Speaker 2: a bunch of guys that I've played with, just saying
Speaker 2: that it's a first class organization. There's nothing that you
Speaker 2: don't get that you need. Uh. On the players side,
Speaker 2: the family side, you know, with my wife, my my
Speaker 2: young son, you know, they do everything you need to
Speaker 2: make sure that you're just focused on playing baseball and
Speaker 2: and you don't have to worry about their you know,
Speaker 2: needs being being taken care of. And and then obviously
Speaker 2: you know I want to play with guys like show, Hey, Mookie,
Speaker 2: Freddie will Smith, Chris Taylor, guys that I've played against
Speaker 2: for so long, And like I said before, I mean,
Speaker 2: you know, there's there's been a lot of sad nights
Speaker 2: on the visiting side, you know, but it's always an
Speaker 2: experience to come here to Dodger Stadium as a visiting player.
Speaker 2: You feel that energy in the ballpark when you drive
Speaker 2: up to the stadium. It's like you know you're coming
Speaker 2: to the coliseum or something. It's just so historic, the
Speaker 2: speakers in center field. I mean, there's just so many
Speaker 2: reasons to want to come play here, and let alone
Speaker 2: coming off of a World Series championship. I mean, to
Speaker 2: be able to try to be a part of running
Speaker 2: it back for back to back championships is is going
Speaker 2: to be really cool.
Speaker 1: The Dodgers have been so good at home over the
Speaker 1: course of the time that you've been playing against them.
Speaker 1: The way you said it, a lot of sad nights here.
Speaker 1: Isn't the same feeling going into Dodger Stadium as it
Speaker 1: may be going to Finway or Wrigley Field or even
Speaker 1: Yankee Stadium.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's similar.
Speaker 2: There's really nothing like coming to Dodger Stadium, though, I mean,
Speaker 2: just the way that it's all set up, the massive
Speaker 2: parking lot, you know, the way that the ballpark is
Speaker 2: set you know, you're kind of sunking down. The stadium
Speaker 2: is just up around, you know, on top of you.
Speaker 2: It's one of the bigger stadiums as far as capacity
Speaker 2: to so, if not the biggest, I don't know if
Speaker 2: it's the biggest or not, but it is. I just
Speaker 2: remember in twenty fifteen, playing as a rookie here in
Speaker 2: the playoffs, I lost the ball in the lights actually,
Speaker 2: and it was justin Turner. He hit a game tying
Speaker 2: double and when I hit the ground, I dove for it,
Speaker 2: couldn't see it. When I hit the ground, the ground
Speaker 2: was shaking because it was a it was a game time,
Speaker 2: playoff hit, and I just wanted to dig a hole and.
Speaker 3: Get away. But we ended up actually winning that game.
Speaker 3: So and the.
Speaker 1: Series we know Daniel where we know Conforido. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: I actually feel like that was one of the best
Speaker 1: pitch games Kershaw ever pitched in the playoffs to force
Speaker 1: a Game five at City Field that night.
Speaker 2: I was not in the lineup for that one as
Speaker 2: a rookie left hander. Yeah, I don't you know, when
Speaker 2: Kershaw's on like that. It doesn't matter righty, lefty. You know,
Speaker 2: he's getting everybody out. But but yeah, that was that
Speaker 2: was a really cool experience for me as a young
Speaker 2: young player.
Speaker 1: Michael Confordo is our guest at Dodger Fest. You always
Speaker 1: hear pictures like even Blake's now was saying he wants
Speaker 1: to help out the young pitchers on the staff. What's
Speaker 1: the dynamic between hitters? Obviously you've seen a lot, you
Speaker 1: faced a lot of guys. Are you looking forward to
Speaker 1: trying to pick the brains of Freddy Freeman, maximun See
Speaker 1: And what's the dynamic between hitters because you always hear
Speaker 1: pitchers talk about that, but you don't hear hitters talk
Speaker 1: about that as much.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I definitely.
Speaker 2: I mean I when I was a young player, I was,
Speaker 2: you know, talking to guys like Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Murdy,
Speaker 2: So like I I would like to be that guy
Speaker 2: for for some young guys. I mean, I've I've been
Speaker 2: in Arizona working out with with Outman Love the kid.
Speaker 2: He's he's awesome. We have some like we have some
Speaker 2: connections baseball wise. He grew up in in norc call,
Speaker 2: and I went to Oregon State.
Speaker 3: A lot of NorCal guys state.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but yeah, I mean, you know, I'm I'm looking
Speaker 2: forward to I mean, I'm still looking to learn stuff
Speaker 2: from Freddie. You know, I love watching him hit. I
Speaker 2: played against him in the same division for for a
Speaker 2: long time, see him at first base all the time,
Speaker 2: and so now to be in the same lineup as him,
Speaker 2: you know, I'm definitely gonna pick his brain. I'd love
Speaker 2: to be a guy that you know, is easy for
Speaker 2: the for the young guys to come and and and
Speaker 2: ask questions too.
Speaker 3: I've been in their shoes, you know. I've been the
Speaker 3: first rounder.
Speaker 2: I've been the the prospect come up and have a
Speaker 2: good start to my career, and then I've had some
Speaker 2: struggles along the way. So I've been in a lot
Speaker 2: of different different situations that I think I have some
Speaker 2: some insight for.
Speaker 1: When you would get to first base, Was it awkward
Speaker 1: when Freddy would be so talkative and friendly when you got.
Speaker 2: There when I was when I was a young guy, Yeah,
Speaker 2: when I was just my head spinning at first base,
Speaker 2: I don't even know what happened at the plate, and
Speaker 2: Freddie's just you know, talking, you know, chatting me up.
Speaker 2: But over the years, of course, you know, I get
Speaker 2: to know him a little bit more, and he's just
Speaker 2: got a great sense of humor. And you know, sometimes
Speaker 2: he'd be sitting there, like you know, the picture, slow
Speaker 2: to the plate, and he's looking at me. He's like, Michael,
Speaker 2: what are you still doing here? Why are you not
Speaker 2: stealing that?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I'm trying to figure out if he's trying
Speaker 2: to get me to steal so they can stealing out,
Speaker 2: or if I really should be on second base. You know,
Speaker 2: he's like playing mind games with me. But you know,
Speaker 2: it's it's all. It's always been a pleasure to watch
Speaker 2: him play. And you know, again, I'm just I'm just
Speaker 2: excited to be on the same team.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 1: You made a really good World Championship team that much
Speaker 1: better with you in the lineup, and so many great
Speaker 1: left handed hitters to compliment so many great right handed hitters.
Speaker 1: It doesn't feel like there's any place one through nine
Speaker 1: that a pitcher's going to be able to exhale.
Speaker 2: It doesn't, man, I mean, the the whole roster seems
Speaker 2: air tight.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I know, the pitching st it's it's crazy.
Speaker 2: I mean just my buddies who aren't you know, affiliated
Speaker 2: with the team. I'm still getting to know all the guys,
Speaker 2: but you know, they're they're texting me about rookie signing.
Speaker 2: Then we get Tanner Scott, then we get Kurbyer. You know,
Speaker 2: it's like all right, the pitching.
Speaker 1: Set, you know, and you're gonna get Kershaw.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we got Kershaw coming back.
Speaker 2: I mean we have we have guys still coming and
Speaker 2: it's just, uh, it's just a really.
Speaker 3: Cool, really really cool, uh team to be a part of.
Speaker 3: There's no doubt. Awesome.
Speaker 1: That heartbeat, that slow heartbeat. The man that understands there's
Speaker 1: not a linear path to any finish line. Michael Confordo
Speaker 1: in a Dodger blue jersey left field is gonna give him.
Speaker 1: I'm a lot of love as they are already right now.
Speaker 1: Thanks a lot for stopping by and soak it all
Speaker 1: in and we'll see you out in Arizona.
Speaker 3: I appreciate it, man, I can't wait. I'm excited.
Speaker 1: That's my one fan, whatever you hear right now. You
Speaker 1: see that right there, that's one fan right there.