Speaker 1: Welcome the Dodger Talk. David Vasse with you until eight
Speaker 1: o'clock tonight here on AM five to seventy LA Sports.
Speaker 1: We have a great show for you tonight. We have
Speaker 1: Rich Hill joining US America's pitcher, a guy that pitched
Speaker 1: four seasons with the Dodgers after being acquired from the
Speaker 1: then Oakland Athletics at the trade deadline in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1: He was part of back to back Dodger teams that
Speaker 1: went to the World Series became up short, and he
Speaker 1: also played for Mike Sooshia at forty four years old,
Speaker 1: pitching for Mike Soshia in the Premiere sixteen for Team
Speaker 1: USA this past offseason. So we'll check in with one
Speaker 1: of the more popular Dodgers over the course of the
Speaker 1: last twelve years, in Rich Hill, and coming up at
Speaker 1: the bottom of the hour, you will hear our conversation
Speaker 1: with Andre Ethier that took place on Saturday night at
Speaker 1: the Arrogant Butcher and downtown Phoenix. But before we get
Speaker 1: to those two veterans and two guys that left it
Speaker 1: all out on the field, let's recap today's game. The
Speaker 1: Dodgers beat the Texas Texas Rangers eight to four, Dustin
Speaker 1: May pitched three scoreless innings and look the way the
Speaker 1: Dodger starting rotation is shaping up. These are my five Yamamoto, Glass,
Speaker 1: now snell Sazaki, and Tony Gonsolin. Where does that leave
Speaker 1: Dustin May Well. Dave Roberts said that if Dustin May
Speaker 1: doesn't break camp with the Dodgers, there's a chance they
Speaker 1: may want to have him go on a rehab a
Speaker 1: signment considering he is a lot dinner than what he
Speaker 1: was last spring because of the esophagus tear and the
Speaker 1: life threatening scare he had. So that's in play for
Speaker 1: him to probably start the year on the IL and
Speaker 1: go on a rehab assignment before the Dodgers consider what
Speaker 1: their options are to bring Dustin May back. Because Yeah,
Speaker 1: I know the Dodgers have talked about a six man rotation,
Speaker 1: and I have said this repeatedly that the Dodgers ever
Speaker 1: since Andrew Friedman took over, have basically been employing five
Speaker 1: days of rest for their starters and not necessarily making
Speaker 1: an announcement or sending out a press release that it's
Speaker 1: a six man rotation. The reason why they only need
Speaker 1: five starters is the first month of the year they
Speaker 1: basically have a day off every Thursday or a travel
Speaker 1: day every Thursday. So that's the reason why they don't
Speaker 1: need a six man rotation. Not to mention, Sho Hao
Speaker 1: Tani not expected to pitch until May June ish, so
Speaker 1: we'll get to that in a second. The Dodgers hit
Speaker 1: three home runs tonight or today. Will Smith went deep
Speaker 1: for the first time this spring, Tommy Edmund went deep again,
Speaker 1: and Freddie Freeman hit his third home run of the year.
Speaker 2: Freddy Freeman base is empty, two out.
Speaker 1: He swings HiT's.
Speaker 2: A high drive left field and deep going back, and
Speaker 2: Freddie Freeman has hit it out, his third spring home run,
Speaker 2: an officer field shot, nevera Dodgers leader, turn Enougher.
Speaker 1: Freddie Freeman's remarkable. He's going to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1: He's one of the best hitters right now in Major
Speaker 1: League Baseball, coming off thirteen weeks of right ankle surgery.
Speaker 1: It was thirteen weeks ago that he had right ankle
Speaker 1: surgery on that famous or infamous right ankle that you know,
Speaker 1: hobbled him throughout the entire October. But so far this spring,
Speaker 1: Freddy is five for fourteen. Five of his hits are
Speaker 1: home runs, excuse me. Three of his five hits are
Speaker 1: home run. So he's five for fourteen this spring with
Speaker 1: a three point fifty seven batting average, three home runs.
Speaker 1: So Freddie hasn't missed a beat. Show. Hey, O'tani was
Speaker 1: two for four today and that brings me to this
Speaker 1: buzz that is going online right now that the sky
Speaker 1: is falling. Otani's elbow has re injured just because he
Speaker 1: hasn't thrown a bullpen session in nine days. Look, Andrew
Speaker 1: Friedman laid the plan out for spring training. Otani was
Speaker 1: never going to face hitters in spring training. Here's Andrew
Speaker 1: Friedman on Dodger Talk from Dodger Fest laying that all
Speaker 1: out for everybody. What should be our expectations of what
Speaker 1: we see him do on the mound during the time
Speaker 1: at Camel Back Ranch.
Speaker 3: I don't know yet. You know, he's playing long toss
Speaker 3: and he will start progressing and advancing. I don't know
Speaker 3: yet as far as win will start facing hitters. We
Speaker 3: haven't figured that out. We want to get around him,
Speaker 3: be a part of a stowing program with our pitching guys,
Speaker 3: and you know, each and every day he's with our
Speaker 3: trainers right now, and you know he's kind of moving
Speaker 3: out of rehab phase and to go compete mode, and
Speaker 3: so exactly how that progresses we haven't figured out yet.
Speaker 1: But there is a possibility a fan might be there
Speaker 1: on a Tuesday afternoon and see him maybe just pitch
Speaker 1: to somebody.
Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe left handed or underhanded or something.
Speaker 1: Sure, Yeah, I don't, I don't.
Speaker 3: I don't know when he's gonna face hitters yet, but
Speaker 3: I do know he is gonna pitch for us this
Speaker 3: year and be a big part of what we do
Speaker 3: on both sides of the ball.
Speaker 1: There you go, Andrew Friedman, even before the Dodgers got
Speaker 1: to spring training, laying and out there that you shouldn't
Speaker 1: expect to see Otani face hitters. And I am very
Speaker 1: confident in saying this. There is no new injury or
Speaker 1: irritation to his right pitching elbow. Look, Dave Roberts may
Speaker 1: have gotten a little bit too loose with it when
Speaker 1: he tried to, you know, just throw a piece of
Speaker 1: meat to the media at Dodger Fest and say, yeah,
Speaker 1: Otani's gonna pitch in May. Andrew Friedman never put a
Speaker 1: timetable on when Otani was gonna come back and pitch.
Speaker 1: You just heard him, and Dave is a lot more
Speaker 1: in the micro, and Friedman's job is to be not
Speaker 1: only in the micro, but in the macro. So I'm
Speaker 1: going with Andrew Friedman. He never put may as a
Speaker 1: timetable for Otani to come back and pitch. And that's
Speaker 1: why it's hilarious to me that everybody's trying to make
Speaker 1: a story that isn't a story that Otani has not
Speaker 1: thrown a bullpen session in nine days, which, oh, by
Speaker 1: the way, has coincided with him starting to dh for
Speaker 1: the Dodgers in spring training games. Remember he had left
Speaker 1: shoulder surgery. Remember he's got to be ready to lead
Speaker 1: off for the Dodgers next week in Tokyo, Japan. If
Speaker 1: this was a regular pitcher and all he did was
Speaker 1: pitch and he hadn't thrown a bullpen session in nine days,
Speaker 1: the alarm bells would be going off for me. But
Speaker 1: this guy, as you know, is super unique. There's a
Speaker 1: lot going on here. He not only is coming off
Speaker 1: a second Tommy John surgery, but it wasn't convenient for
Speaker 1: him to dislocate his left shoulder. He has to be
Speaker 1: ready to hit to start the year. He doesn't need
Speaker 1: to be ready to start a game on March whatever.
Speaker 1: So take it from me, it's not a big deal
Speaker 1: that he hasn't thrown a bullpen session in nine days.
Speaker 1: He's balancing a lot, and the Dodgers never had a
Speaker 1: plan for Otani to face hitters a during spring training
Speaker 1: or B that he has to be ready at some
Speaker 1: point in time in May, even if he didn't have
Speaker 1: the left shoulder surgery. Even if he wasn't show Heyotani,
Speaker 1: the Dodgers were more than likely going to slow play
Speaker 1: Otani like they have slow played every other pitcher coming
Speaker 1: off an elbow injury. So they had those innings for
Speaker 1: the second half of the year and have it for
Speaker 1: the month of October. Eight six, six, nine eighty seven,
Speaker 1: two five seventy is the phone number. Another big story emerging,
Speaker 1: and this one is a real one. The Dodgers and
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts are closing in on an extension for their manager,
Speaker 1: who has won two World Series Championships, who has taken
Speaker 1: the Dodgers to four World Series and has won two
Speaker 1: of them. Dave Roberts only has one year left on
Speaker 1: his contract, which is this year. You don't want to
Speaker 1: have a lame duck manager. With this roster, with these
Speaker 1: expectations going into the season, and Joel Sherman from The
Speaker 1: New York Post is reporting that the Dodgers and Dave
Speaker 1: Roberts will finalize a record setting contract by the time
Speaker 1: the plane takes off for Tokyo, Japan next Wednesday. So
Speaker 1: Dave Roberts, who is likely to get more annual salary
Speaker 1: than Craig Counsel got from the Cubs, which was eight
Speaker 1: million for five years, Dave probably wants to beat that,
Speaker 1: just like any athlete would want to beat whoever he
Speaker 1: believes he deserves more than or he's better than. So
Speaker 1: whether it's nine million or ten million, Dave Roberts is
Speaker 1: going to exceed the annual average salary that Craig Counsel
Speaker 1: and Alex Cora got from their team. So that's on
Speaker 1: the verge of happening. And look, I don't believe you
Speaker 1: fully appreciate what it takes to manage the Dodgers in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five. It's not just
Speaker 1: managing those twenty six guys. It's not just filtering the information.
Speaker 1: It's not just having a relationship with his coaching staff.
Speaker 1: It's not just about managing up with Andrew Freeman and
Speaker 1: working with him. He does a lot of different things
Speaker 1: that other managers don't have to deal with because of
Speaker 1: the enormity and national international brand, I should say of
Speaker 1: the Dodgers. Meeting with sponsors, meeting with fans, meeting with
Speaker 1: season ticket holders, meeting with premium sponsors. He does all
Speaker 1: of that and then has to manage a game at
Speaker 1: seven to ten. So you know, he does a lot
Speaker 1: more than just nine of managing, and he deserves to
Speaker 1: be rewarded for that. He deserves to be rewarded for
Speaker 1: winning two World Series championships and sustaining a great relationship
Speaker 1: with his players, with Andrew Friedman first and foremost, and
Speaker 1: with the people that pay the bills. There's a lot
Speaker 1: that goes into it. So happy to hear that Dave
Speaker 1: Roberts and the Dodgers are going to work this out
Speaker 1: before they even play a game in Tokyo, and we'll
Speaker 1: find out what it is. Dave's fifty two years old.
Speaker 1: He loves being the Dodgers manager, and he does a
Speaker 1: great job of understanding what it is and what it
Speaker 1: means to be a Dodger. He has a connection to
Speaker 1: the old Dodgers, and I think there's a value to
Speaker 1: that as well. Eight six six nine, eight seven two
Speaker 1: five seventy is the phone number. We're gonna take a
Speaker 1: time out here on Dodger Talk. When we come back,
Speaker 1: Rich Hill will join us America's pitcher who still wants
Speaker 1: to pitch. You'll hear from him next right here on
Speaker 1: a five to seventy LA Sport, your home for the
Speaker 1: world champion Los Angeles Dodgers is a friend of assay
Speaker 1: type of show because Andre Ethier, you're going to hear
Speaker 1: from him coming up in the next segment. And right
Speaker 1: now we are joined by a man that Dodger fans
Speaker 1: loved when he was on the mound for them. Four
Speaker 1: great years, the four best years of his life were
Speaker 1: spent in southern California from twenty seventeen, you know, twenty
Speaker 1: sixteen to twenty nineteen. And he's a guy that is
Speaker 1: America's pitcher. And it was evident, and it came to
Speaker 1: fruition pitching for Mike Sooshia and Team USA this past offseason.
Speaker 1: And it is the one and only Rich Hill joining
Speaker 1: us from Massachusetts. Even though he won't disclose the exact location,
Speaker 1: he is in Beantown calling into Dodger Talk. Rich, thanks
Speaker 1: a lot for the time.
Speaker 4: Appreciate it, David, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 1: It's great to hear your voice, Rich, and I know
Speaker 1: everybody loves hearing your voice.
Speaker 4: It's great, great to hear your voice and great to
Speaker 4: get back in touch with the Dodger fans. Yeah, you
Speaker 4: hit the nail on the head with some of the
Speaker 4: some of the best years in baseball that I've been
Speaker 4: able to experience was in a Dodger uniform and pitching. Uh,
Speaker 4: you know obviously at that that great ballpark in LA.
Speaker 4: That's that's uh, you know, Dodger stadiums. Everybody always asked me,
Speaker 4: what's your favorite park to pitch in? And and uh,
Speaker 4: Dodger Stadium is right up there as number one.
Speaker 1: You played for eleven different teams and still counting.
Speaker 4: Thirteen thirteen thirteen, David thirteen.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, the list is very long and distinguished. I
Speaker 1: apologize long.
Speaker 4: It's like it's like a receipt from CVS.
Speaker 1: Yes, no doubt, no doubt it is. But when you
Speaker 1: look back at your time with the Dodgers, Rich, uh,
Speaker 1: what are the fondest memories? I mean, you came close
Speaker 1: to two no hitters. You had such great chemistry with
Speaker 1: so many guys on this team that lasts to this day.
Speaker 1: What stands out to you the most of those years?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think the friendships that were built over the years. Uh,
Speaker 4: you know, when we were in La just the camaraderie
Speaker 4: with those teams, the fans, you know, that was that
Speaker 4: was we had such good teams obviously, and we won
Speaker 4: and that brought you know, the fans out to come
Speaker 4: and watch us play. But just the intensity that the
Speaker 4: fans brought and the love that they have for the Dodgers,
Speaker 4: and you know that emanated over into the clubhouse. And
Speaker 4: then obviously, you know, for me on an own, my
Speaker 4: own you know, personal performance wise, I you know, wanted
Speaker 4: to leave everything out there on the field every time
Speaker 4: I got the opportunity to pitch, you know, for them
Speaker 4: and also for the you know guys in the clubhouse
Speaker 4: because they were doing the same thing on a nightly basis.
Speaker 4: And that's what made it so much fun is just
Speaker 4: seeing the effort that the guys were putting forth night
Speaker 4: in and night out, and you know, to do it
Speaker 4: in that stadium with those fans, it really is special
Speaker 4: and you know to everybody now with the success that
Speaker 4: is going on, really enjoy it because you know it's
Speaker 4: something that Again being from this area where I'm at
Speaker 4: right now in Boston, there was a tremendous amount of
Speaker 4: success for a long time with a lot of Boston
Speaker 4: franchises here. But you know, it comes and goes, so
Speaker 4: you really have to appreciate it while it's going on,
Speaker 4: and I know that the Dodger fans certainly do do that.
Speaker 1: Hey, Rich, you're one hundred percent right. Nothing stays the same,
Speaker 1: it's always changing. I was thinking about this the other day.
Speaker 1: That's how sick I am. I wasn't thinking about my kids,
Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking about my wife. I was thinking about
Speaker 1: the two biggest sports disappointments in my life in Los
Speaker 1: Angeles sports and the nineteen eighty four Lakers losing giving
Speaker 1: that series of way to the Celtics is at the top,
Speaker 1: and a close second is twenty seventeen for a number
Speaker 1: of different reasons. Obviously we know the Astros were cheating,
Speaker 1: but for you, you were so close to winning the
Speaker 1: World Series. How much do you think about twenty seventeen?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think, you know, I think a lot of
Speaker 4: it will be thought about post career, post playing and
Speaker 4: when everything's all said and done, and looking back on
Speaker 4: certain moments and you know, talking about how my career
Speaker 4: has kind of ebbed and flowed and had a lot
Speaker 4: of milestones of perseverance through it and understanding how to
Speaker 4: continue to keep moving forward when you get knocked down.
Speaker 4: But yeah, I definitely think about twenty seventeen because that's
Speaker 4: a culmination of many careers to be able to win
Speaker 4: a World Series. And I think all the personal accolades
Speaker 4: that come along with playing fall in the face of
Speaker 4: winning a World Series, you know, and really throughout that
Speaker 4: whole twenty seventeen and into twenty eighteen, those two seasons,
Speaker 4: you know, again, even though we didn't get a chance
Speaker 4: to raise the trophy, and you know, see the top
Speaker 4: of the mountain, you know, at the at the end
Speaker 4: of those seasons, it's who we became throughout the process.
Speaker 4: So I think that's that's something when we look back
Speaker 4: on it, and I look back on twenty seventeen, it's
Speaker 4: it's really the perspective that has gained of understanding, you know,
Speaker 4: the hard work, the perseverance, what it takes to you know,
Speaker 4: the the ingredients into a championship season. So really understanding
Speaker 4: it from that perspective puts everything kind of in a
Speaker 4: better light for me.
Speaker 1: What do you remember the most after being in that
Speaker 1: clubhouse with your teammates after Game seven of the seventeen
Speaker 1: World Series. I heard a few of you hung around
Speaker 1: and just kind of chopped it up. What do you
Speaker 1: remember about that experience?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it was very emotional. I think you know,
Speaker 4: you put in one hundred and sixty two games plus
Speaker 4: you know, forty five days in spring training, an entire offseason.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 4: You know that the team has been built to win. Uh,
Speaker 4: you know, we want to. I think we won what
Speaker 4: one hundred and seven games that year or something, and
Speaker 4: you know, at the time, one of the best teams
Speaker 4: of all time in Major League history. Uh, and and
Speaker 4: to fall short, you know, it was it was a
Speaker 4: very emotional experience. And uh that's why you play the
Speaker 4: game though, and and to have that kind of uh
Speaker 4: peel back to curtain or or understand why we are
Speaker 4: doing this or you know, it's not for it's not
Speaker 4: for financial gain, it's not for you know, playing at
Speaker 4: the highest level. It's to win. Yes, those things are great,
Speaker 4: but it is to win a World Series and to
Speaker 4: be able to get in that position and and put
Speaker 4: yourself in that position is is so it's so fleeting, uh.
Speaker 4: And then to have it come and go, it's almost
Speaker 4: like a wedding night. You know, it's just like wow
Speaker 4: that that happens so fast.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 4: And then you know, regrouping again for the off season,
Speaker 4: getting ready to do it, uh for the next year.
Speaker 4: It seems like, you know, it's like, okay, we have
Speaker 4: we know we're going to do really well during the season.
Speaker 4: We just got to stay healthy, get through the season,
Speaker 4: and then once we get to the playoffs, we're gonna
Speaker 4: make a push to win a World Series again. But
Speaker 4: it's really it's funny because you think about it as uh,
Speaker 4: you know, this this this uh marathon that you just ran,
Speaker 4: and then and then you know again you have to
Speaker 4: you have to start again and and and uh. That's
Speaker 4: that's part of the the joy of the journey though too.
Speaker 4: You know, going through it, there's not a lot of
Speaker 4: uh glamour or or anything like that that goes along
Speaker 4: with playing at the highest level because it's it's really
Speaker 4: the grind and learning how to get through uh difficult
Speaker 4: moments and and continue to persevere and battle through UH
Speaker 4: soreness or injury or or you know, just terrible outcomes
Speaker 4: or poor performances mentally physically, UH, you continue to just
Speaker 4: gain uh, you know, reference points from the season before.
Speaker 4: So that's that's really for me, you know, moving forward
Speaker 4: as as a player and hopefully as a uh you know,
Speaker 4: somebody who could help other players in the future. UH,
Speaker 4: you know, see that ten thousand foot view and and
Speaker 4: understand the perspective that they'll have for for an entire
Speaker 4: career instead of just being you know, caught up in
Speaker 4: uh an outcome. And and that's something that you know,
Speaker 4: those years certainly gave me a different perspective than UH
Speaker 4: and fortunate to have it because there's a there's a
Speaker 4: number of players that get to play this game and
Speaker 4: they never get an opportunity to play in a World series,
Speaker 4: let alone the playoffs. So you know, that's something you know,
Speaker 4: that that I'm definitely grateful for.
Speaker 1: And rich Hill wants to start the journey again even
Speaker 1: after twenty seasons. Rich Hill, who was fantastic for Mike
Speaker 1: Sosia's Team USA team this past offseason in Tokyo, Japan,
Speaker 1: is not ready to call it a career. There's a
Speaker 1: lot left in that Boston gas tank of his. So
Speaker 1: you are not retired, You're just winning for that opportunity,
Speaker 1: right Rich.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, it was great experience. We went to
Speaker 4: Mexico with Team USA, we qualified to go to Japan
Speaker 4: and we ended up winning the bronze medal in Japan
Speaker 4: in the Premiere twelve tournament this past offseason. And you know,
Speaker 4: with Dino Ebol, Mike Soshia, you know, we had a
Speaker 4: great coaching staff there with with with all the players,
Speaker 4: you know, a lot younger than I am, obviously, David.
Speaker 4: I think that the on average, I think everybody was
Speaker 4: twenty two on that team. But I enjoyed it so
Speaker 4: much and I threw the ball great came out of
Speaker 4: my hand the way that I wanted to. You know, season,
Speaker 4: I get to do what I wanted to do as
Speaker 4: far as you know, kind of planning out the entire summer,
Speaker 4: having an opportunity to come back and pitch out of
Speaker 4: the bullpen with the Red Sox, which was something that
Speaker 4: I hadn't done in I don't know, ten or twelve years.
Speaker 4: So that was certainly an interesting challenge, but gratifying in
Speaker 4: the fact that I was able to you know, see
Speaker 4: it through and to get the opportunity to start again.
Speaker 4: Really it was just something that reignited the love for
Speaker 4: going out there and competing and knowing that I can
Speaker 4: contribute to a team and not just contribute, you know,
Speaker 4: in a small way, but I think it could be
Speaker 4: a major contribution, you know, for this twenty twenty five season.
Speaker 4: So with that, we'll we'll wait to see where kind
Speaker 4: of all the chips fall after spring training. And as
Speaker 4: we know, an unfortunate part of the game is injuries,
Speaker 4: and we're already seeing some of those, you know, happening
Speaker 4: throughout baseball. And I know that there will be needs
Speaker 4: for teams to uh, you know, looking for starting pitching.
Speaker 4: So you know, I'm on my end. I'm just staying
Speaker 4: ready and throwing and working out and and you know,
Speaker 4: seeing where that that fit might be.
Speaker 1: And somebody definitely could use and certainly gain some traction
Speaker 1: by signing rich Hill, who is still has a lot
Speaker 1: left in the tank, far from over, as the great
Speaker 1: Frank Stallone would say, Richie.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I you know, I'll be forty five
Speaker 4: here in a couple of days, and I think that's
Speaker 4: kind of you know, one of the things for teams.
Speaker 4: They I totally get it. It's, you know, a risk
Speaker 4: management type of probably outlook for them. How many forty
Speaker 4: five year old pitchers are still looking to play? I
Speaker 4: don't think there are any, so.
Speaker 1: No, you know, by the way, did you just did
Speaker 1: you just promote your birthday which is on March eleventh?
Speaker 1: Were you promoting in Los Angeles that the fact your
Speaker 1: birthday is coming up? Was that? Was that a humble brag?
Speaker 4: Yeah? I guess so. I you know, I'm I hate
Speaker 4: the prize parties. I'm not a birthday party guy. For grudgingly,
Speaker 4: I don't you know, I'm like, I don't know. Whenever
Speaker 4: it's my birthday, leave me alone.
Speaker 1: I heard you're waiting to sign with the team until
Speaker 1: after your wife and kids and family throw you your
Speaker 1: birthday party on March eleventh. After that, if you're willing
Speaker 1: to sign with the.
Speaker 4: Team, well, I felt I felt so good in in
Speaker 4: in Japan, pitched really well, pitch well in Mexico, you know,
Speaker 4: And had I not, you know, I think that realistically,
Speaker 4: seeing obviously the writing on the wall, I would have
Speaker 4: made a sound decision to to move on. But you
Speaker 4: know that wasn't necessarily the fact. So uh, that's That's
Speaker 4: where I'm at right now, and I feel great and again,
Speaker 4: uh you know I I I think that experience, uh,
Speaker 4: coupled with you know, the understanding of how to pitch
Speaker 4: in that realm of pitching, not just throwing, there will
Speaker 4: be a need out there for clubs.
Speaker 1: Heck, yeah, there will be. Rich Hill is our guest
Speaker 1: America's pitcher and basically the anchor, right next to Glarry
Speaker 1: Bird and Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale, Rich Hill, Bobby
Speaker 1: the King of Boston and your little brother, Walker Bueller
Speaker 1: has signed with the Red Sox. If you're still not
Speaker 1: signed with the team and you're still living in Boston
Speaker 1: and celebrating your birthday which is coming up, as you
Speaker 1: promoted on March eleventh, how much of a connection do
Speaker 1: you still have with Walker? How much do you believe
Speaker 1: that he'll tap into you? Are you trying to gouch
Speaker 1: him on rent in Boston somewhere? What is the dynamics
Speaker 1: between you and Bueller now that he's in Boston.
Speaker 4: Now, I've talked with Walker and you know, congratulated him
Speaker 4: obviously on signing with Boston, and I love the uh
Speaker 4: the number choice of zero. I think that's uh, that's
Speaker 4: that's really uh, you know, perfect for Boston. And uh,
Speaker 4: he's going to do great here. People are gonna love him,
Speaker 4: I mean, just as they did in La because of
Speaker 4: his just the way he goes out there and you know,
Speaker 4: does his thing and and leaves it all out on
Speaker 4: the field, and everybody appreciates that. That's what they appreciate
Speaker 4: anywhere when you're buying the ticket to go watch the show, right, Yeah,
Speaker 4: and uh, he certainly brings that emotion that's tied with
Speaker 4: the ticket. That's the reason why we go to live events.
Speaker 4: We want to see a performance that you know, you
Speaker 4: go see a live theater and and and and it's
Speaker 4: it's very visceral. It's right there in your face. So
Speaker 4: he's going to bring it here in Boston, and Boston's
Speaker 4: fortunate enough to to have him. So I think it's
Speaker 4: going to be a great fit.
Speaker 1: I haven't asked you this before. What he did in
Speaker 1: Game five of the World Series is legendary, as legendary
Speaker 1: as Freddie Freeman's walk off Grand Slam in Game one.
Speaker 1: What did you think about the young kid that was
Speaker 1: lockered next to you in twenty seventeen, growing into that
Speaker 1: picture that could do something that he was never comfortable
Speaker 1: with and do it on the biggest stage.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I think that's you know, the experience that has led
Speaker 4: right to that moment. So when you get the experience
Speaker 4: and the seasoning coupled with the moment and the opportunity
Speaker 4: when you're ready to seize that moment, that is exactly
Speaker 4: what everybody got to see. And that was you know,
Speaker 4: that was just the timing and again the struggles, the
Speaker 4: you know, ups and downs that he's gone through with
Speaker 4: you know, being injured, coming back, but again all the
Speaker 4: time and the effort, like I've said before, the days,
Speaker 4: the weeks, the months, the years that he's put in
Speaker 4: all showed in that one moment because it all came together,
Speaker 4: you know, with the experience, the ability to be able
Speaker 4: to control the situation at the highest level in the
Speaker 4: biggest moment, all came together for Walker and it was
Speaker 4: it was beautiful to see.
Speaker 1: That's awesome, Rich And like I said, a team certainly
Speaker 1: could use your experience and what you showed for Team
Speaker 1: USA this past offseason. But if it's a little delayed,
Speaker 1: I would love to see you at Fenway Park when
Speaker 1: Walker Bueller makes his first start with the Red Sox.
Speaker 1: That would be special.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that would be really cool. Yeah. I got to
Speaker 4: find out when that's gonna be. And uh, it'll be
Speaker 4: the first time I think I've sat in the stands
Speaker 4: to watch a watch a game. Maybe maybe I can
Speaker 4: get up in the booth and do an inning fall
Speaker 4: an inning?
Speaker 1: I mean you did that in spring training last year?
Speaker 1: Are you doing it again this year?
Speaker 4: We'll see, I uh not one hundred percent sure. I
Speaker 4: know whether it's uh with with radio or TV. We'll
Speaker 4: we'll figure it out. I you know, I haven't put
Speaker 4: the glove down obviously, place so that's that's kind of
Speaker 4: the big big.
Speaker 1: I guess all right, we've made that I have not.
Speaker 1: Richill is not retired, but you may see him at
Speaker 1: Fenway Park when Number zero makes his Boston debut. Rich
Speaker 1: we could have you on the whole hour and one
Speaker 1: night we will do that where fans can call in
Speaker 1: and talk to you and just show you how much
Speaker 1: you mean to them to this day. But you don't
Speaker 1: have to go home, but you can't stay here anymore.
Speaker 4: Well, I love La Dave, which obviously that was you know,
Speaker 4: great years. Great memory and and uh great memories throughout
Speaker 4: those those years there in l A and and certainly
Speaker 4: we do miss it. We we we love we loved
Speaker 4: you know, like I said, the time there and and
Speaker 4: and just the support that everybody gave us so is
Speaker 4: uh it's it's uh you know, special place.
Speaker 1: Well, you're always welcome back, Rich and uh we'll see
Speaker 1: what happens and what transpires uh in Major League Baseball
Speaker 1: and where the long journey leads you this year. Thank
Speaker 1: you for the time, and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 4: All right, Dave, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 1: Hey. There he goes Rich Hill. One of the best
Speaker 1: guys you'll ever meet in your life and one of
Speaker 1: the truest competitors you'll ever meet. There he goes Rich Hill,
Speaker 1: America's pitcher, one of the greatest guys you'll ever meet,
Speaker 1: one of the greatest competitors you will ever see. Take
Speaker 1: the mound in a major league stadium or even a
Speaker 1: park in reck somewhere in Boston, Milton, Massachusetts, anywhere he
Speaker 1: will pitch until his arm falls off. It feels like
Speaker 1: he's about to turn forty five, as he announced to us,
Speaker 1: and he is not retired. He wants to sign with
Speaker 1: the team, so we'll see where that leads. Coming up
Speaker 1: next on Dodger Talk, we will hear from Andre Ethier,
Speaker 1: another fierce competitor. He joined us live in downtown Phoenix.
Speaker 1: Don't go anywhere, David vasse with you until eight o'clock
Speaker 1: right here on a five seventy LA Sports, your home
Speaker 1: for the world champion Los Angeles Stocks. Last Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona,
Speaker 1: we had a chance to be joined by two number
Speaker 1: sixteens that Warren for the Dodgers, Rick Monday, a nineteen
Speaker 1: eighty one World Series hero, and Andre Ethier, who played
Speaker 1: all twelve of his Major league seasons with the Dodgers
Speaker 1: wearing number sixteen. We appreciated them coming by our Dodger
Speaker 1: Talk broadcast last Saturday. Andre Ethier, who played all twelve
Speaker 1: Major league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and as
Speaker 1: a great ambassador man, two lefties, two Arizona State Sun Devils,
Speaker 1: and two number sixteens right here sitting at the same table.
Speaker 1: There's a lot in common here. Thank you for joining us. Ehier,
Speaker 1: Please sit down. I'm sorry the valet wasn't ready for
Speaker 1: you when you showed up.
Speaker 5: Oh that's all right, but I'm glad one of us
Speaker 5: dressed up at least today.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, what do you mean? This is your
Speaker 1: type of shirt right here?
Speaker 5: The wolf? What do you think you put some wolfs
Speaker 5: and snakes on it?
Speaker 1: And you're an Arizona A lot of edge, yeah, a
Speaker 1: lot of edge right Hey, Rick, Monday.
Speaker 5: Monday, guys, what an honor. A quick story to share
Speaker 5: with you, real quick. Vasse kind of mentioned it. But
Speaker 5: a little full circle for me and Rick Arizona State,
Speaker 5: Arizona State. I got my number sixteen given to me
Speaker 5: by the clubhouse staff my first game in Dodger Stadium,
Speaker 5: not by my choice. I didn't choose sixteen. It was
Speaker 5: given to me because Rick war sixteen and played at
Speaker 5: Arizona State. Paul Laduca played at Arizona State in war
Speaker 5: number sixteen, and I was the third Sun Devil to
Speaker 5: come along and from Arizona State. So a little full
Speaker 5: circle there that Arizona State and Dodgers wearing sixteen is
Speaker 5: is a pretty cool thing.
Speaker 1: And maybe you guys could chip in some nil money
Speaker 1: since you're all mister Arizona State.
Speaker 5: Wow, I mean, I know we're to talk about money
Speaker 5: now like this, Come on, guy too.
Speaker 1: Proud Arizona State guys.
Speaker 5: Spend some money on your outfit.
Speaker 1: Wh what's it like for you? Andre Ethier actually was
Speaker 1: a coach. Coach Ethier in camp this spring. He put
Speaker 1: on the uniform and he had the edge out there.
Speaker 1: What was it like being around the team as a
Speaker 1: as a guest instructor.
Speaker 5: It's fun? Uh, getting getting to come back and not
Speaker 5: have the pressure of making the team and getting to
Speaker 5: put on the uniform. Is there any is there anything
Speaker 5: better than that? But Uh, I mean I'm in awe,
Speaker 5: I'm in off seen. Uh. You know those guys out
Speaker 5: there and the quality of players this team has, and
Speaker 5: the way this organization just keeps figuring out a way
Speaker 5: to get better. You think it isn't possible, but they
Speaker 5: keep figuring out a way to make this team better.
Speaker 5: With everything out there and you know that new uh
Speaker 5: batting cage facility. Uh did you.
Speaker 1: Get to go and this very secretive batting lab.
Speaker 5: Yeah, the batting lab. I don't know if anyone's seen
Speaker 5: this batting lab, but it's.
Speaker 1: A big structure now where just outdoor cages used to be.
Speaker 1: When andre Ethier showed up a camel back ranch.
Speaker 5: Yes, and now it's fully endorsed, so no one knows
Speaker 5: what's going on in there. But yeah, it's a pretty impressive,
Speaker 5: you know, facility with all the bells and whistles that
Speaker 5: you can want from the pitching hitting side, tons of
Speaker 5: cameras and analytics type information going on in there. Guys
Speaker 5: can get in there really dial in their swing and
Speaker 5: pictures the same way. That's where all the catchers are
Speaker 5: doing a lot of their work early on or after workout.
Speaker 5: They go in there and they have some camera motion
Speaker 5: stuff so the catchers can analyze, you know, they're framing
Speaker 5: some of their footwork stuff they're doing. So, yeah, there's
Speaker 5: a lot of high level and then I guess the
Speaker 5: brains of the organization from the analytics movement side. Everything
Speaker 5: is has offices in that in that building also, so
Speaker 5: they're in their dissecting coming up with a game plan
Speaker 5: and figure out to make this team better.
Speaker 1: Everybody wants to know what's it like to be up
Speaker 1: close and personal with show hey Otani. I mean we
Speaker 1: get close to him on the backfields there as close
Speaker 1: as fans can ever get to Otani to see just
Speaker 1: how big and how much of our presence physically he is.
Speaker 1: For a guy like you that played the game. What's
Speaker 1: it like to see a specimen like him?
Speaker 5: I think that was the most surprising thing when I
Speaker 5: first met him was how big he is. You know,
Speaker 5: he's a he's a he's a very big guy and uh,
Speaker 5: you know, and thick, thicker than you think too, and
Speaker 5: uh it makes sense why the ball goes so far
Speaker 5: when he hits it. Yeah, yeah, he's a big guy.
Speaker 5: And I think that the thing that first impressed me,
Speaker 5: not only about that, was just also how humble he is.
Speaker 5: You know, a guy who's achieved so much in his
Speaker 5: breaking records NonStop in this game, and you see the
Speaker 5: historic season he had last year, and he is still
Speaker 5: just like a little kid out there running around and
Speaker 5: enjoying the game, having fun. And I think he loves
Speaker 5: being a Dodger, you can tell it. And I think
Speaker 5: that's that's the best thing for me, is to see
Speaker 5: someone who has now found his hopefully forever baseball home,
Speaker 5: which is the good side of LA. Uh, which that
Speaker 5: isn't even Lad's Anaheim. Yeah we don't talk about that,
Speaker 5: but what are the real la.
Speaker 1: Yeah we are.
Speaker 5: You know, I'm glad he's a part of our team
Speaker 5: and organization, and he's gonna be a Dodger forever.
Speaker 1: Andre Ethier, the Mexican Prince of the Desert, is joining
Speaker 1: us here at the Arrogant Butcher.
Speaker 5: What do you get that, nicolottle bout.
Speaker 1: Nicol little ultra? Is that what you're drinking?
Speaker 5: Now?
Speaker 1: You're looking for your figure?
Speaker 5: You should? Wow?
Speaker 1: Hey, I'm like Shack, I get into shape when the
Speaker 1: season starts.
Speaker 5: Yeah, sometimes you don't ever get in shape.
Speaker 1: I guess man, look at this. Wow, well, wow, this
Speaker 1: is a big wig at iHeartRadio. And she just got
Speaker 1: you a beer from behind the bar. That's Julie Martski
Speaker 1: and that's Miranda. Please tip the bartender, Ethier, you know
Speaker 1: what that's all about, doing a great job. Yeah that
Speaker 1: like wow, Wow, I got that shade right there. Hey,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna ask a lot of fans during the season. Hey,
Speaker 1: salute to Andre Ethier. Huh, salute to Andre.
Speaker 5: Everyone enjoy. Everyone's been out to spring training before, right
Speaker 5: mostly everyone here.
Speaker 1: Has some some are repeat visitors, some are first timers.
Speaker 1: How did you treat spring training? Did you love mingling
Speaker 1: with the fans when spring training started? Because I knew
Speaker 1: how locked in and serious and focused you were when
Speaker 1: the season started.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think this is the funnest time of the year,
Speaker 5: not only for the fan, but also for the player,
Speaker 5: especially this team, you know, Dodgers team. The last fifteen years,
Speaker 5: there's not been a lot of spots being earned or
Speaker 5: yeah right, yeah, you coming to camp. Everyone knows their spot.
Speaker 5: Everyone knows their their place. You kind of see it.
Speaker 5: I know it's not always the fans favorite thing, but
Speaker 5: you know, you get two or three at bats, you're
Speaker 5: done for the day. Your kids, family're waiting for you
Speaker 5: in the backfields. You're at home by four four point thirty,
Speaker 5: having dinner with the family, talking to fans, fans you've
Speaker 5: gotten to know over the years. You know new ones
Speaker 5: you're meeting. You know, it's fun, it's it's it's relaxed.
Speaker 5: The seriousness of the game hasn't started yet. You're not
Speaker 5: out there, you know, really competing. You're just trying to
Speaker 5: get yourself ready for the season. And you know, it's fun.
Speaker 1: It's uh being in the role that you're in as
Speaker 1: an ambassador and being a guy that puts on the
Speaker 1: coaches uniform, the hoodie and the hat and all that
Speaker 1: you were so locked in as a player and that's
Speaker 1: part of the reason why you were as successful as
Speaker 1: you were. But at this stage of your life and career,
Speaker 1: when you're open to fans coming up to you, are
Speaker 1: you show how much you meant to a lot of
Speaker 1: fans into LA and Dodger fans? Did you? Were you
Speaker 1: aware of that?
Speaker 5: You hear cherffe you in the stadium, and you know
Speaker 5: they're they're pretty loud, but yes, you don't realize. Uh.
Speaker 5: And someone said it great. I think Dave said this
Speaker 5: great in a meeting one of the days I was
Speaker 5: in camp. Was you know, we're all out here trying
Speaker 5: to be successful baseball players, and you don't realize that
Speaker 5: this name across your jersey, you know this Dodgers, this
Speaker 5: is Los Angeles, which we used to wear on the road.
Speaker 5: The Los Angeles name on the road means more than
Speaker 5: any individual gets to put on this uniform every day, right,
Speaker 5: And so, uh, this team represents the city, represents community,
Speaker 5: represents generations of uh, you know, Dodger fans and LA people.
Speaker 5: And when you realize that, you know you're playing for
Speaker 5: something bigger than just yourself.
Speaker 1: Andre Ethier is in downtown Phoenix. When was the last
Speaker 1: time you were in downtown on Phoenix. Andre Ethier, I
Speaker 1: know you were, you were a Sun season ticket holder,
Speaker 1: but being here for two weeks, it feels like the
Speaker 1: sky is falling. The Sun has been eclipsed by the
Speaker 1: great Lakers Lebron and Luca and Austin Reeves. Have you
Speaker 1: given up your season seats in Phoenix? I still have
Speaker 1: season tickets only for Laker games, Lakers Suns.
Speaker 5: Yes, I will go to the Lakersun's game. I know
Speaker 5: you got a lot of brag about with Oh Luca
Speaker 5: Luca Dog.
Speaker 1: Yeah you know, I'm just saying. Andre is a big
Speaker 1: Laker fan, but obviously born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker 1: He has a lot of local pride. His favorite player
Speaker 1: was Tom Chambers and Dan Marley. But I mean, what's
Speaker 1: it like now that's my dinner for tonight? Meet loaf?
Speaker 5: Yeah, you look like a meatloafs guy. He looks like
Speaker 5: a meat loaf right.
Speaker 1: Like they didn't have nachoss?
Speaker 5: Was everyone disappointed when they got to see you for
Speaker 5: the first I'm.
Speaker 1: A little bit all right, A little bit, a little bit.
Speaker 1: I saw too much a key k today, I'll tell
Speaker 1: you that. Anyway. Andre Ethier is our guest here at
Speaker 1: Dodger Talk Live at the Eric and Butcher in downtown Phoenix.
Speaker 1: I'm going to ask fans all season long because I'll
Speaker 1: never get tired of hearing first hand experiences of where
Speaker 1: you were when Freddie Freeman hit his walk off grand
Speaker 1: slamming Game one of the World Series. I have not
Speaker 1: asked Andre Ethier this, Where were you when Freddie ended
Speaker 1: Game one?
Speaker 5: I was. I I'm trying to think I wasn't in
Speaker 5: LA yet because I came from Game two.
Speaker 1: Were you at one of your kids games?
Speaker 5: Probably I was coaching a flag football game like four
Speaker 5: hours ago.
Speaker 1: Were you really?
Speaker 5: Yes? I had a seven year old playoff flag football
Speaker 5: game that I was out there at. So yeah, so
Speaker 5: I was doing that. Actually, I believe I was at
Speaker 5: home and we were all watching it because I knew
Speaker 5: I was coming out the next day to come throw
Speaker 5: the first pitch with our guy Matt Kemp for the
Speaker 5: second World Series game. So I was just sitting at
Speaker 5: home here in Phoenix, uh, watching the game. And I
Speaker 5: can tell you I still I was. We were going
Speaker 5: to get that job done in that game. Like I
Speaker 5: didn't have any feeling of like, oh, shoot, this isn't
Speaker 5: gonna work. Out. I was like, this is we got this,
Speaker 5: We got this started that inning and yeah, as soon
Speaker 5: as Freddie connected, it was yeah, yeah, you know it
Speaker 5: was over. And I think our whole house was screaming,
Speaker 5: jumping up and down. Yeah. I was just excited as
Speaker 5: ever to see.
Speaker 1: That Rick beat the Yankees in nineteen eighty one, he
Speaker 1: talked about just how much pride he had as a
Speaker 1: Dodger that the Dodgers were able to not only win
Speaker 1: the World Series but to beat the Yankees. How much
Speaker 1: pride did you have because you showed up in the
Speaker 1: bubble in twenty twenty to Texas. I saw ETHERI we
Speaker 1: went to a driving rane. He said, Hey, what do
Speaker 1: you want to do? I was like, oh, you want
Speaker 1: to call me to the driving range. So he was
Speaker 1: in the bubble in Texas. He saw the Dodgers win
Speaker 1: the World Series in twenty and he gets to see
Speaker 1: the Dodgers win again in twenty four. So how much
Speaker 1: pride do you have playing your entire major league career
Speaker 1: with the Dodgers, even though you weren't on the field
Speaker 1: that they wanted.
Speaker 5: I was super excited. I think I had a little more.
Speaker 5: I guess like angst in me and like wanting to
Speaker 5: beat the Yankees. I was in all the games in
Speaker 5: New York for the Mets series, and I think the
Speaker 5: Mets fans and or the Yankees fans were wanting the
Speaker 5: Dodgers in that and they were already talking smack everywhere.
Speaker 5: You know, you walk in with my la stuff and
Speaker 5: all the Yankees fans would yell at me, We're gonna
Speaker 5: get you guys next series. You know, all that stuff
Speaker 5: right everywhere you went. And I remember showing back up
Speaker 5: to the same hotel, you know, a week later, and
Speaker 5: all the bellman, all the everyone was talking smack to me,
Speaker 5: and uh yeah, it was exciting to be a part
Speaker 5: of it, and I guess reminded me of all those
Speaker 5: highlights I saw ricking that team in eighty one playing
Speaker 5: the the Yankees and you know Dodgers back in the day,
Speaker 5: and it was nice just to have that matchup and
Speaker 5: of course, uh you know, take it to them the
Speaker 5: way we did.
Speaker 1: Yeah, are you gonna come to the home opener, the
Speaker 1: ring ceremony? Where are you gonna be? I I know
Speaker 1: you still, you have such a connection to this organization.
Speaker 5: Still, I don't know if I'm going to open to yet.
Speaker 5: I'm I'm hopefully my bag will be unpacked by then,
Speaker 5: but I am making a trip to Tokyo, So I'm
Speaker 5: that's right. I'm heading out to Tokyo on the fourteenth
Speaker 5: for that trip out there, and we have a few
Speaker 5: things going out on out there.
Speaker 1: For Are you making appearances on the streets of Tokyo, Japan?
Speaker 1: I am.
Speaker 5: I was just getting recommendations of the best ramen spot.
Speaker 5: You know, oudon spot. Is there any secret yakatori I
Speaker 5: have to visit in the middle of night, you know,
Speaker 5: stuff like that, So yes, one, I'm just one. I
Speaker 5: don't want to tell you where I'm going because I
Speaker 5: know you follow me.
Speaker 1: Jeez. He showed me the good life the last couple
Speaker 1: of years. If him playing, he found all the good
Speaker 1: foodie spots, so I'll be trailing you. Actually started to
Speaker 1: google Eaters top thirty eight restaurants in Japan. I found
Speaker 1: one that Obama visited. I tapped into the Japanese media
Speaker 1: and they have led me down the right path.
Speaker 5: So I'm gonna make sure to look up that same
Speaker 5: Eaters and I will avoid all thirty fronts.
Speaker 1: Wow, thanks a lot. I can't wait to see you
Speaker 1: in a Japanese garden somewhere. I'll be in the middle
Speaker 1: of meditating and I'll just wait.
Speaker 5: And we'll have a macha tea ceremony.
Speaker 1: Yeah sounds good. Sounds good. Me and you back together,
Speaker 1: Oh man, what a team. Don't worry, snail Zilla won't
Speaker 1: be part of the equation. That's all I hear about
Speaker 1: you follow him around, don't worry. It's you and me
Speaker 1: home team right here. Everybody was anticipating you. Two great
Speaker 1: sun devils have joined us here on Dodger Talk. Drey,
Speaker 1: thanks a lot for the time, and I'll see you
Speaker 1: in Tokyo.
Speaker 5: Ya see in Tokyo.
Speaker 1: That was Andre Ethier joining us at the Arrogant Butcher
Speaker 1: last Saturday in downtown Phoenix. And he certainly knows his
Speaker 1: way around downtown Phoenix and all over the desert out
Speaker 1: there in Arizona, and he will be out there supporting
Speaker 1: the Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan. That'll do it for us
Speaker 1: tonight on Dodger Talk. Thank you to Colin Yee early
Speaker 1: in the day running the Dodger game, and also thank
Speaker 1: you to Ronnie Fossio for his help tonight, and thank
Speaker 1: you for listening. Our next Dodgers radio broadcast will be
Speaker 1: this Sunday, when the Dodgers take on the Sacramento Slash
Speaker 1: Las Vegas slash Oakland Athletics. We will have that game
Speaker 1: for you on Sunday. We don't forget about the time change,
Speaker 1: so the game will be at one oh five here
Speaker 1: in Los Angeles. And in case you missed any of
Speaker 1: our conversations with Rick Monday, Andre Ethier, or Rich Hill,
Speaker 1: you can find it all on the iHeartRadio app. And
Speaker 1: we also had a discussion with Taeoscar Hernandez on the
Speaker 1: pregame show earlier today. A one stop shop for Dodger
Speaker 1: talk on the iHeartRadio app. Coming up next, Jason Smith
Speaker 1: on Fox Sports Radio. We'll talk to you Sunday. Sea