Ducking in with Dave Roberts

Phil Gurnee ♦ December 3, 2018 ♦ 3 Comments

Dave Roberts signed an extension today and many fans won’t be happy about it. Let’s check in with Dave and see what he thinks.

For those unfamiliar with the Duck, you can check out the archived  Duck Talk Section at TrueBlueLA or the minuscule Duck Talk section here at DodgersYAT.  We ask the questions we want to ask and try to see through the clichéd responses we normally get.  Don’t get confused, this is a complete fabrication based on interviews within my fowled mind.

Duck – congratulations on the extension as the Dodger Manager.

DR – thanks, I didn’t think any fans wanted me back.

Duck – well, I’m not really a fan, I’m a duck

DR  – whatever

Duck – but, you are right. Everywhere I waddled, people were quacking at me that Dave Roberts was a horrible manager and that they hoped the Dodgers would fire you. Didn’t matter which watering hole I went too, I got the same reaction. In your defense, I didn’t get it. If Kershaw doesn’t meltdown in game 5 in 2017 you don’t have to make the manager mistake of starting Yu Darvish in game seven and you’d be World Champion Manager Dave Roberts.

DR – we all lost the 2017 World Series not just Kershaw and Darvish.

Duck – Really? because your number one and two starters lost three of the four games and gave up something like a billion runs in six innings in those three losses.

DR – that isn’t fair. We aren’t even in a position to win if Clayton doesn’t dominate in game one, and you forget he also pitched in game seven and was dominant.

Duck – I didn’t forget. I was there, and by the eighth inning, we were all wondering why Clayton hadn’t started since he was able to pitch four innings in relief.

DR – oh right, the fans wanted me fired last year as well

Duck – fans are fickle little fuckers. World Champion or bust I guess. Luckily for you, executive management has a more macro view. You did after all get the team into the World Series, you have won a Western Division every season you have managed, and you did all this while breaking in rookie after rookie.

DR – I love our fans, they want to win, and I want to win, the players want to win, everyone wants to win. I understand their frustration and hopefully next year we can celebrate a championship.

Duck – that would be great, at this moment it looks like the Dodgers will be bringing back the same gang except for Grandal.  Did you breathe a sigh of relief when Clayton and the Dodgers agreed on an extension?

DR – oh yeah. He’s a HOF and the heart of the club. Couldn’t imagine not having Kershaw on the Dodgers.

Duck – with Ryu re-signing for 2019, the Dodgers have a lot of starting depth. All postseason we kept hearing how starters aren’t going to be the future of baseball but the Dodgers have locked up seven legitimate rotation pieces and still have two or three young pieces that could step into the rotation.

DR – our rotation will once again be one of our strengths.

Duck – one peculiar decision you have made during the last two postseasons was to bench your starting catcher for the World Series and go with the backup. Grandal is now gone. Since you were confident enough in starting Barnes in eleven of the twelve World Series games over the past two years are you confident he can be your starting catcher in 2019?

DR – I have great confidence in Austin Barnes, he catches a great game. In 2017 he was one of the best offensive catchers in the game, but he never got into the same rhythm this year. We have had discussions about catcher, and we will see how that shakes out this winter. If we can upgrade at a price that everyone is comfortable with we will, if not, I’m happy to have Barnes as my number one catcher headed into 2019.

Duck – we should probably remind everyone, that even the great Tommy Lasorda lost his first two World Series in 77 and 78 before winning his next two in 81 and 88.

DR – hopefully I won’t have to wait three more years before I get back to the World Series.

Duck – If you had to do it over again, would you have had Ryan Madson warm up sooner? Would you have used Ryan Madson the second time? Would you have had Caleb Ferguson on the World Series postseason roster? Would you have played your outfield at least average depth in game one and game two? Would you bat the struggling Kiké fourth in game five?

DR – damn, did you like anything I did in the World Series?

Duck – I think starting Walker Buehler was absolutely brilliant………….