Practically a decade in the past, I used to be tipped off that an outlier had interviewed for the vacant Dodger managerial job.
It was the primary time anyone had related his identify to the job, but, what the heck, the shock candidate appeared like match.
“If the Dodgers want a combination of old-school hardball and new-thinking smartball, they could do worse,” I wrote on the time, including, “You hire Dave Roberts because a team of underachievers needs to be prodded by an overachiever, a team of chill needs a manager whose career could never withstand even one day of complacency.”
I nonetheless keep in mind the thrill in Robert’s voice once I phoned him in San Diego for remark.
“To have an opportunity to work for the best franchise in sports would be a huge honor,” he stated.
Practically 10 years later, the distinction is all theirs.
Dave Roberts formally turned Dodger royalty Monday when he agreed to a contract extension that makes him the richest supervisor in baseball and the rightful inheritor to probably the most coveted sports activities throne in Los Angeles.
He’s the Dodgers’ MVP. He’s the group’s face and voice and coronary heart. He’s the brand new Tommy Lasorda.
He has advanced from an afterthought right into a celebrity, a man who was solely interviewed as a result of possession wasn’t able to unexpectedly hand the job to heavy favourite Gabe Kapler, a hiring whim who has turn out to be a deep-blue cornerstone.
You haven’t all the time appreciated him. You continue to may not like him. A few of it’s possible you’ll by no means like him.
Of the eight completely different Dodger managers employed since Lasorda retired in 1996, Roberts has been probably the most universally criticized, second-guessed and roundly booed.
You’ve stated he was a puppet. You believed he couldn’t deal with late-game conditions. You stored ready for administration to fireside him.
But right here he’s, the brand new proprietor of a four-year, $32.4 million contract that hardly edges the deal struck by the Chicago Cubs’ Craig Counsell and is now probably the most profitable managerial pact within the sport.
Deservedly so, as a result of Dave Roberts has turn out to be the very best supervisor within the sport by constantly adhering to the phrases that he first spoke to me on that November day in 2015.
To have a possibility to work for the very best franchise in sports activities can be an enormous honor…
He’s by no means forgotten that honor.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts celebrates after the crew’s World Sequence championship win over the New York Yankees on Oct. 30.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Instances)
With a everlasting smile backed by an unrelenting drive, the person referred to as “Doc” has represented the Dodgers with dignity and charm by means of championships and collapses and infinite chaos.
In his 9 seasons his groups have gained two World Sequence championships and 4 Nationwide League championships whereas successful the division a tremendous eight instances. But he’s been simply as spectacular in failure, holding the crew collectively whereas refusing to publicly parse blame after two current gorgeous first-round playoff defeats to the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
He has gained a better share of his video games — 63% — than any supervisor in historical past with a minimum of 250 video games. But as a lot as he’s recognized for dancing to Ice Dice after final fall’s title win over the New York Yankees, he’s additionally recognized for stoically withstanding the jeers which have rained down on him as he has stalked to the mound after 9 years of controversial postseason strikes.
He handles the job the identical whether or not the Dodgers win or lose, he handles it just like the “honor” he as soon as described, and this agency perception within the Dodgers’ model has been handed on to the gamers in creating baseball’s finest clubhouse tradition, a spot the place no fingers are pointed but nothing lower than championship effort is accepted.
This season was his finest ever, starting along with his seamless management in integrating Shohei Ohtani into an All-Star, no-ego lineup and ending along with his masterful use of a bullpen that primarily saved them in all three postseason sequence.
The looks of worldwide star Ohtani right into a room of quiet greatness may have blown all the things up. However Roberts handled Ohtani with simply the correct mix of deference and authority to make it work.
Ultimately, it was Ohtani who completed the World Sequence whereas taking part in with mainly one arm, refusing to let a severe shoulder harm sideline him in an atmosphere created by Roberts that rewarded not simply expertise, however toughness..
The last-minute transfer of Mookie Betts from proper area to shortstop — after which again once more — may have additionally blown all the things up. However Roberts frequently gave Betts each the private and non-private help he wanted to subjugate his ego for the nice of the crew.
Ultimately, in all of the series-winning celebrations, no person hugged Roberts extra usually than Betts, and that was not a coincidence.
Then there was Freddie Freeman, a self-made celebrity in want of little upkeep however nonetheless enduring probably the most troublesome private and harm difficulties of his profession. Roberts stored him targeted, supported him endlessly, and what occurred on a cool night time in October?
Freddie Freeman turned Kirk Gibson.
Lastly, Roberts was compelled to juggle all these potential implosions with the fixed decimation of his beginning rotation. All summer season he wanted to determine a technique to hold his pitchers rested and resilient, and so he did, and the last word reward was breathtaking,
Within the deciding Sport 5 of the World Sequence, he wanted to depend on weary reliever Blake Treinen and struggling starter Walker Buehler to report the final 10 outs.
He requested them to do the unbelievable. They succeeded with the almost unattainable, 31/3 scoreless innings to win a World Sequence championship.
Afterward, consistent with a theme seen after each playoff sequence win, no person danced and hugged and led the cheers fairly like Roberts. And, in flip, no person was cheered fairly like Roberts, who felt the redemption of 9 seasons of second-guessing and an finish to the scoffing at his gifted crew’s singular short-season 2020 championship.
“I’m sure there’s no asterisk on this one,” he stated on the time, including, “This is something I really wanted, I wanted this one.”
Lastly, fittingly, with Monday’s profitable contract extension, there’s additionally no extra asterisk on Dave Roberts himself, a worthy successor and every day personification of the nice Lasorda.
Doc no longer solely bleeds Dodger blue, he’s Dodger blue, a colour becoming, an honor indelible.
