Dave Roberts Explains Why Shohei Ohtani Is The GOAT & Breaks Down The Dodgers’ World Series Run

Summary

DOUBL3 COVERAGE PODCAST — EPISODE 11

Title: Dave Roberts Explains Why Shohei Ohtani Is The GOAT & Breaks Down The Dodgers’ World Series Run
Date: January 2, 2026
Hosts: Mystic Zach & N3on (mostly Mystic Zach here)
Guest: Dave Roberts (LA Dodgers Manager)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Roberts discusses why Shohei Ohtani is the greatest player of all time, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Dodgers’ back-to-back World Series victories, opens up about managing superstar personalities, touches on his own playing and managerial journey, and shares candid insights about leadership, analytics, and personal philosophies. The episode also dives into NFL and college football talk, explores Roberts’ passion for wine, golf, and life beyond baseball, and finishes with lighter stories and personal anecdotes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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Shohei Ohtani: Why He’s The GOAT (00:00–06:16; 35:51–36:27)

• Unmatched Talent, Dual Impact:
  • Dave Roberts repeatedly refers to Ohtani as a "GOAT," underscoring the singularity of his two-way dominance, both pitching and hitting.
    • "Shohei’s a goat. I’ll tell you this, Barry Bonds is the best hitter I’ve ever seen. But as far as best player, he is by far the goat. There’s just no one close." (Dave Roberts, 00:01)
  • Cites Ohtani’s ability to throw 100 mph, hit 50 home runs, and steal 50 bases—while managing the global pressure of being “the face of baseball.”
    • “A guy that can do what he does and then kind of take on the world, the burden of being the face of baseball is pretty special. So throwing 100 miles an hour, hitting 50 homers, stealing 50 bases.” (Dave Roberts, 01:20)
• The Mental Load:
  • Describes Ohtani as “two people in one,” citing Game 7 of the World Series where Ohtani had to mentally switch from pitching to hitting after early struggles.
    • “You start a game, you don’t pitch well, you’re out mentally, but he has to have the capacity to still post as a hitter. … No one’s done that.” (Dave Roberts, 03:33)
  • Compares his dual-role to stars from other sports (Mahomes as a lockdown cornerback).
• Off-the-Field Greatness:
  • Shares a little-known, generous act: Ohtani quietly paid for a teammate’s mother’s cancer treatment.
    • “[He] on the down low, donate[d] a ton of money for the care because they weren’t getting the care…” (Dave Roberts, 05:13)

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Dodger Clubhouse: Managing Superstars (01:08–02:43; 06:18–10:28)

• Embarrassment of Riches:
  • Roberts lists his star-studded roster: Ohtani, Mookie Betts (“won MVPs in baseball, been All Star for nine years, won four rings…”), Freddie Freeman (“no better clutch player”), Will Smith (“our catcher… just a stud”), and Clayton Kershaw (“the goat… 18 years with the same team”).
• Leadership & Chemistry:
  • Addresses the challenge of blending big personalities and keeping egos in check amid championship-or-bust expectations.
    • “The trick is every player has got to feel that they’re valued. … But to win championships, you got to figure out how to make those individual great pieces work together for the best interest of the group, the team I managed, the Los Angeles Dodgers.” (Dave Roberts, 06:40)
  • Emphasizes humility and work ethic, crediting Betts, Freeman, and Ohtani for setting the tone despite stardom.

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Building a Winner: Spending, Salary Caps, and Parity (10:28–12:48)

• The Criticism of Spending:
  • Responds to the “billion-dollar payroll” critique, arguing for more competition league-wide:
    • “I think the fans deserve [teams spending]. … We drew 4 million fans last year, which is more than any sports franchise in the world.” (Dave Roberts, 11:46)
• Views on League Parity & Payrolls:
  • Advocates for a salary minimum (not just a cap) so teams like the Marlins can’t “tank” by under-spending, supporting moves that keep baseball competitive.

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Dave Roberts’ Journey: Player, Survivor, Manager (12:48–19:20)

• Not Focused on Managing as a Player
  • As a player, never thought about future managing. Emphasizes underdog story—$1,000 signing bonus, walk-on at UCLA, becoming a key Red Sox postseason hero in 2004.
• A Defining Moment:
  • Stealing the big base vs. the Yankees, sparking the Red Sox’s historic comeback.
    • “I was called safe. We ended up winning eight straight games in a row. … And I think the Red Sox nation just felt that Dave Roberts stolen base was the turning point of that postseason.” (Dave Roberts, 13:01)
• Coaching Career & Adversity:
  • Post-retirement, moved into broadcasting and front office before being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (2010).
    • “That was, like, scary for me… then I ended up having chemotherapy, radiation, and beat cancer. So I’m a cancer survivor.” (Dave Roberts, 15:39)
  • Recovery led to opportunity–began MLB coaching career, emphasizing the lessons of perseverance.

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Analytics vs. Gut Instinct: The Manager’s Balancing Act (19:20–23:20)

• On Data & Decision-Making:
  • “Analytics, data, information, facts—all five of those words is the same thing. … I think it’s a good baseline to have, but… when you make a decision, you’re betting on people.” (Dave Roberts, 19:34)
  • Says big-picture analytics are useful over large samples, but single-game/playoff moments are about gut and experience.
• Recent Example:
  • Cites postseason decision to start Miguel Rojas in a critical game over analytical recommendation:
    • “Nothing in analytics would say that I would bet [on him]… but I said I’m gonna bet on this guy. He made a couple big defensive plays and he hit the big tying home run.” (Dave Roberts, 21:02)
• Evolving as a Manager:
  • Earlier, leaned more on analytics; as he gained trust and a “longer leash,” felt freer to rely on experience and gut.

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Leadership Comparison: Greats Across Sports (23:20–24:50)

• Building Long-Term Trust:
  • Draws parallels to Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, noting that elite coaches/leaders need time and success to earn autonomy.
  • Saban’s bold decision to sub into Tua in a title game was only possible because of that status.

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NFL & Football Talk (24:50–30:15)

• Game Picks & Analysis:
  • Discusses 49ers vs Seahawks (“I like the Niners at home” — Dave Roberts, 25:23).
  • Debates key personnel, defensive matchups, and the impact of injuries and trades.
• Ravens vs Steelers:
  • Dave is a Steelers fan. “I got Coach Tomlin, man. … He is unbelievable. … Mike Tomlin hasn’t forgot how to coach.” (Dave Roberts, 28:44)
• On Coaching Longevity:
  • Asserts that experience makes coaches better into their 60s. “Coach Tomlin, Coach Reed, they’re still. Still great coaches.” (Dave Roberts, 30:08)

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Wine, Golf, and Life Off the Field (30:41–35:51)

• Wine Business:
  • Shares story of “Red Stitch” wine label—born from a Napa Valley visit that made him feel “present” for the first time in years.
    • “‘My wife looks at me, goes, something’s different about you… you’re present.’” (Dave Roberts, 32:01)
  • Partnered with ex-teammates on winemaking—cabernet, pinot noir, chardonnay.
• Did LeBron Try It?
  • Sent LeBron a case three years ago, “still waiting on a thank you.” (Dave Roberts, 32:55)
• Golf Ventures:
  • Invested in vibrant Phoenix par-3 night golf scene (“it’s a vibe”) and is part of the “LA Roses” in a new team-based grass league featuring celebs like Mark Wahlberg.

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Final Reflections: Adversity, Gut Calls, and Personality (36:27–42:33)

• Failures & Resilience:
  • Not afraid to own mistakes; stresses importance of process and resolve (“eff it” moments).
    • “I just honestly said, eff it. … I think whether it’s me having cancer and going eff it, I’m going to beat this. … you can’t worry about what other people think.” (Dave Roberts, 36:53–39:08)
• Personal Tidbits:
  • Reveals love for naps, crediting Japanese heritage.
  • Tells a UCLA story: accidentally flooded his dorm as a freshman, did community service, barely avoided expulsion.
    • “We flooded the entire dorm… had 40 hours of community service … So I had a rocky start to UCLA.” (Dave Roberts, 41:25)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ohtani’s Impact:
  “He’s a one of one… you’re not talking about just the US, you’re talking about all of Japan. And to have to take that on, no one’s done that.” (Dave Roberts, 03:33)
• On Team Chemistry:
  “The ultimate goal is to win a championship, but along the way, this marathon of a journey, this climbing of a mountain… you’re going to get your flowers at certain points, but we still got to be mindful of the goal.” (Dave Roberts, 06:40)
• On Perseverance:
  “I bet on myself and I had an opportunity. I wasn’t afraid to fail. And that’s a message I think that, you know, I, I really believe In.” (Dave Roberts, 14:24)
• On Managing with Instinct:
  “When you make a decision… you’re betting on people… In one particular moment… you’re going with your gut.” (Dave Roberts, 19:34)
• On Coaching Freedoms:
  “When you’ve kind of supplanted yourself, cemented yourself in a certain role, you’ve got more grace, you’ve got more latitude. … That’s any job.” (Dave Roberts, 22:08)
• On Living Authentically:
  “You can’t worry about what other people think… I just can’t chase validation from people.” (Dave Roberts, 39:08)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:00–06:16: Ohtani’s GOAT credentials, uniqueness, and off-field character
• 06:18–10:28: Managing egos, Dodgers’ challenges, back-to-back championships
• 10:28–12:48: Spending, salary cap/league parity debate
• 12:48–19:20: Roberts’ personal journey from player to cancer survivor to manager
• 19:20–23:20: Analytics vs gut calls; postseason examples
• 24:50–30:15: NFL analysis and coaching philosophies
• 30:41–35:51: Wine, golf, Red Stitch, and life balance
• 36:27–39:08: Overcoming failure, “eff it” moments, process
• 40:15–42:33: Lighthearted wrap-up—personal quirks and dorm-flooding story

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Tone & Flavor

Roberts is candid, introspective, and warm; Mystic Zach matches him with enthusiasm and sharp sports insight. The conversation balances deep baseball knowledge, management wisdom, and relatable, often humorous, personal storytelling.

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Summary Takeaways

• Dave Roberts firmly believes Shohei Ohtani is baseball’s greatest player ever, both for on-field impact and off-field presence.
• The Dodgers’ dynasty is built not just on talent, but on humility, culture, and leadership that values both analytics and gut instinct.
• Leadership means blending the needs of stars while keeping everyone aligned toward team goals—even when expectations are sky-high.
• Roberts’ own journey—from overlooked player to World Series hero, from battling cancer to World Series manager—anchors his philosophy of betting on people, hard work, and resilience.
• The episode is a must-listen for fans interested in what it takes to build, lead, and sustain a champion—on and off the field.

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Transcript

[Mystic Zach]

Is sh the goat?

[Dave Roberts]

Sh's a goat. Sh's a goat. I'll tell you this, Barry Bonds is the best hitter I've ever seen. But as far as best player, he is by far the goat. I just he. There's just no one close.

[Unidentified Speaker]

Ready to bet, ready to flex. Leon is at you see where it's at. Come tune in. We on stream with a chat. You can micro parts and get you a sack of my coverage. Dion sounding like a Ricky. He'll be y.

[Mystic Zach]

What's up, guys? Mystic Zach here. Welcome Back to episode 11 of Double Coverage. Today I am honored and privileged to be joined by Doc AKA Dave Roberts, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, four time World Series champion and a future hall of Famer.

[Dave Roberts]

Zach, what's going on, man? Yeah, this is good. I'm a big fan of you and I, you know, you remind me of some of my players. The smart ones that are, have vision, that know how to handle themselves and then that have success. And so for me, it's good to kind of connect with you, have a good conversation. And I'm excited for this thing to go any different, a lot of different ways.

[Mystic Zach]

We're ready. Ready to zig and zag and kind of get to the core of it all. But I think you got to drop a few names. Who are your favorite players on this team?

[Dave Roberts]

I've got an embarrassment of riches.

[Mystic Zach]

You do.

[Dave Roberts]

First and foremost, it's hard not to start with Shohei Ohtani. And this guy is not only a generational player, I, I just think he's a one of one. And people use the term goat one of one a lot. But a guy that can do what he does and then kind of take on the world, the burden of being the face of baseball is pretty special. So throwing 100 miles an hour, hitting 50 homers, stealing 50 bases.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

Face of baseball. Shohei Ohtani. Mookie bets this dude bowled, has bowled a dozen, 300 games. He is a three index in golf. He can shoot threes. Not like Steph, but it looks like Steph. He's, you know, won MVPs in baseball, been an All Star for nine years, won four rings. So Mookie bets it's hard not to. To love him and think so highly of him. Freddie Freeman. There's no better clutch player than Freddy Freeman. You know, Will Smith, I call him Vanilla because he's our catcher and he's just a stud and he wants. No, there's no self promotion. Clayton Kershaw is the goat. Just retired this year. So every baseball fan, Dodger fan, knows Clayton. 18 years with the same team. How could you not?

[Mystic Zach]

How could you not? And I don't know if you know, but he played baseball with Matthew Stafford.

[Dave Roberts]

And he played baseball with Matthew.

[Mystic Zach]

Matthew, every single NFL game. Mat Safford throws that fact out there.

[Dave Roberts]

No, that's right. But the thing is though, is that towards the end when Clayton was going to retire, this was his last year, Matthew was at a lot of his games that he started and those two guys were on the same high school baseball team. That's crazy. And they still got love for each other. So I've been blessed with a lot of great players.

[Mystic Zach]

No, it's certainly an embarrassment of riches. And you know, we start with Shohei. It's so hard to encapsulate what he does because there's no, there's nobody that's analogous to what the guy is doing. There's. There's nobody. I mean, we go back to Babe Ruth, but I'm like, it's like Patrick Mahomes, if he was a lockdown cornerback. Like, I don't. How do you kind of describe Shohei Ohtani to a casual observer?

[Dave Roberts]

I think the thing is, is that it's like two people in one. And I say that because, you know, we win the World Series this year, he starts game seven, he goes almost three innings, doesn't have his best stuff, gives up a three run home run to Bichette and Bobaette. He then has to recalibrate, compartmentalize that he's not pitching anymore. Now focus on the hitting. He gets two hits in that game, gets on base a third time, still is still a good teammate because if you think about this, you start a game, you don't pitch well, you're out mentally, but he has to have the capacity to still post as a hitter. And so essentially you're two people. So then as he gets ready for a major league game, you're getting ready from the, the savage killer part of it as a pitcher, because you control the game because you're pitching, but on the other side, you're getting ready as a hitter to be ready to take on five at bats. And then not only that, is every single player in the ballpark that paid money that night is there to watch him. And you're not talking about just the us, you're talking about all of Japan. And so to have to take that on, no one's done that. You know what I'm saying? And you got Patrick Mahomes, who is unbelievable. But Then now he's not playing middle linebacker or he's Deion Sanders on an iron.

[Mystic Zach]

Patrick Sertain, too.

[Dave Roberts]

That's right. That's right.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

Because now you're talking about a quarterback that's on the offensive, and then now you got to go and think about the defense and be locked down. So I just.

[Mystic Zach]

He's one stealing bas. I mean, unbelievable. And then you recently told a story about him paying for his teammate's mother's cancer treatment.

[Dave Roberts]

That's right. That's right. And that's the thing is that. And this was on under the radar, that I kind of blew the whistle on this a few years ago because, you know, guy we had in camp and, you know, I try to do things that early on in spring training and try to get our team together, because in spring training there's a lot of players, right? So pitchers, hitters, veterans, young players, relievers, starters. So my job is to try to make this whole thing work. So what I try to do is introduce a player, and I get to introduce a player, tell about the player, make jokes about the player, make them do some funny things. Light hazing. So I don't want to get canceled. It's just light. It's all in fun. And so one of our players said his mom's going through a bout of cancer, and then so sh. On the down low, donate a ton of money for the care because they weren't getting the care. And so I saw the mom in the World Series because he's now. One of his brother is now with the. With the Blue Jays, and she sought me out and really thanked me for that in sh. As well.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, that's incredible.

[Dave Roberts]

Incredible story.

[Mystic Zach]

And we started the interview, you said embarrassment of riches. Now that can come with its challenges as well, right? I mean, you. You're managing a nucleus of personalities of. Of superstars. We haven't, to my knowledge, seen a. A roster with this type of capabilities. Talking about managing this team the past two seasons, winning World Series, and kind of what you've had to overcome.

[Dave Roberts]

I. I think the thing is, is that. And I appreciate you asking the question because I think that fans, media, everyone loves talent because I think that what makes special players and. And the attention is because people can't do it. Right. And so the trick is every player has got to feel that they're valued. They've got to get theirs, understand their value, which I completely understand. But to win championships, you got to figure out how to make those individual great pieces work together for the best interest of the group, the team I managed, the Los Angeles Dodgers. So how can we say, okay, the ultimate goal is to win a championship, but along the way, this marathon of a journey, this climbing of a mountain along the way, you're going to get your flowers at certain points, but we still got to be mindful of the goal. So. Yeah, and I mentioned Freddie Mook, Sh. Hey, I think for me, I'm just fortunate because those guys are superstars, are the best workers. They're the most humble players I have. And so I think that from that it just sort of top down feeds it. But yeah, I still got to make sure that, you know, Freddy is valued and, and sh gets his value. But it certainly. Zach makes my job a lot easier. But it's not easy because everyone's got egos. And you know, when I have a job that if we don't win the championship, The World Series, one of 30 teams, we failed. And there's nothing in any sport, no team has the, the expectation that the Los Angeles Dodgers have.

[Mystic Zach]

No, certainly. And you're, you're not helping.

[Dave Roberts]

And. Yeah, yeah, we're not helping. We've won two in a row. And, and you know, it's funny, Z is we went to, we went to, we had the second parade and so we're in Los Angeles and all I could see along the. In the city of Los Angeles is 3P3. I'm like, hey, man, we're. This is a parade for, for number two, back to back. So. But that's, that's what we set ourselves up for. It's all good.

[Mystic Zach]

No, absolutely. And other teams are spending as well. It's not like the Dodgers are the only ones spending. We saw the New York Mets and what they did last summer and some early success, but obviously don't end up winning at all. But we've seen across all major sports, this dream Team moniker, team, spend the salary cap and not get it done. I mean, I recall the Philadelphia Eagles being dubbed the Dream Team and it goes up in flames. They don't make the playoffs. The cast of characters, the personalities, becomes too much. In basketball, we saw the Phoenix Suns get Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. We saw the Nets have James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant. I mean, these teams, it's hard to fathom how they don't work out. But you need the right type of leader to kind of blend the personalities and make sure that things go smooth.

[Dave Roberts]

You do, you do. And I think the thing of it, which I've been managing for 10 years and we've won three championships I'm very grateful for and very proud of. But I do think that it's about the fans, the interest. And I do think that with, you know, guys like yourself and social media and just fans in general, when you can put together, when ownership groups of, of different sports can put together, you know, dream teams or whatever they want to call it, I do think that it piques the interest of the fan and you give yourself a better chance to win. But also on the business side, you're selling tickets and, and people are watching, there's better viewership. So you know, when you're getting great teams in the NFL, you're getting great teams put together in the NBA, only one team, only one team can win. And when you're doing the same thing in baseball, again, there's only one winner. But I do think that the ride this season makes it much more fun for everyone watching.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, and a lot of critics have called out you guys for your tons of spending. Right. Billion dollar payroll. But I thought you had a really good rebuttal that I'd like you to expand on talking about that teams should have a minimum spend. My hometown Marlins don't spend anything. So talk to me about that and kind of how a salary cap could be implemented in baseball.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah, you know, it's going to be interesting because you know, when I was talking to Kevin Hart about this, it was like, you know what? And Keenan Thompson, it was like, I, I do think that I have an opinion, I have a right to an opinion. There's two sides because obviously you're looking at the ownership side and the owners, you know, want to manage spending. And this is just a rudimentary kind of way of thinking about it. They want to kind of suppress, control spending, control it. And then on the player side they want free will, free spending, and you know, know they don't want a ceiling and they want a free market. And so I was a former player, I'm now a manager. My number one thing is I'm a baseball fan. So I think for me it's, it's to each his own. But I do think that, you know, I want competition and I think we all want competition. So you want parody. So every market, whether you're the Marlins, as you mentioned, the Yankees, a Mets, you're the Cubs and you got the White Sox in Chicago as well, or you're the Pirates, any team, the Oakland A's, Sacramento A is going to be in Las Vegas. Now you want to, you want parody. So I think for me I love spending. I, I think the fans deserve it. What I can speak to is the Dodgers. We drew 4 million fans last year, which is more than any sports franchise in the world. Wow. Bar none. And so what we do is we put a lot of our money back into the players. You know, from TV contracts to, to ticket sales. We put that back. And I think that's what all players respect. And so I don't know how the inner workings for every ball club is, but I do feel Z that baseball is in the best place that it's ever been in. And for me, again, number one as a baseball fan, I, I don't want a stoppage in play. I want to keep that momentum going because I think that the players deserve it, I think the fans deserve it.

[Mystic Zach]

Absolutely. And you spoke about your playing career. You had a decade long career. Most notably helped capture the World Series for The Red Sox 2004. While you're playing, are you thinking about a coaching career post ball?

[Dave Roberts]

Not at all. I was at that point in time I was a guy that signed for $1,000 out of UCLA. I bet on myself to be a recruited walk on to ucla. I went through the minor leagues for five years and then I had an opportunity to got traded from the Dodgers to the Red Sox and played with a bunch of superstars, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon, Curt Schilling, you name it. And we had a, we had a great team when the World Series, Manny Ramirez and 2004. I was a bench player at that time, was a starter with the Dodgers and relegated to the bench. But I just said, you know what? I'm going to be the best teammate I possibly can at an opportunity to steal a big base against the Yankees and wasn't afraid to fail. And I was called safe. We ended up winning eight straight games in a row. Come back down three zero to the Yankees in the alcs. Win four in a row. That was game four. And then sweep the Cardinals in four. And I think the Red Sox nation just felt that Dave Roberts stolen base was the turning point of that postseason. So that's why I think it's kind of like footnoted there. And I'm always looked at and, and good in a good light from that fan base.

[Mystic Zach]

You don't have to buy drinks there.

[Dave Roberts]

I don't have to buy drinks there. So I think for me it was like yeah, I bet on myself and I had an opportunity. I wasn't afraid to fail. And that's a message I think that, you know, I, I really believe In.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, absolutely. So when do you, when do you get the idea to get into coaching? When does that happen?

[Dave Roberts]

So I, I, I go play and then not a lot of people know. This is after I retired in 2008, I was going to retire. I was done. So I was 36 years old at that time. And then I did a year of, of broadcasting. So I got behind the mic for, for a minute and I did some Red Sox baseball games, I did some radio. And then I felt like I wanted to be a part of it. That just wasn't me. I would spent my whole life being in the clubhouse, on the field. And then so the next year I did some front office stuff. So I wanted to get the kind of a different perspective. So I worked in the front office for the San Diego Padres. My home is San Diego, so that was convenient. So I did that and I got to a bigger, you know, 10,000, 20,000 view of how baseball works, which was helpful for me.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

And then the next year, in 2010, I got diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. So that was a big, you know, time in my life where I had cancer. I have two young kids and, you know, when anyone hears cancer, they're like, I'm gonna. And so that was, like, scary for me. And then I ended up having chemotherapy, radiation, and beat cancer. So I'm a cancer survivor.

[Mystic Zach]

Congratulations.

[Dave Roberts]

Thank you, Z. I appreciate that. So I survived cancer, and then the next year I got offered a major league coaching job with the San Diego Padres. And then from that point, I coached in the big leagues for five years. And that's where it started, my coaching career, which I never foresaw. I was sort of just live my life day to day, job to job, and try to keep my focus narrow.

[Mystic Zach]

Got it. But coming out of high school, you also had a football offer.

[Dave Roberts]

I did. Man, I was, my bad knees, and we're here hanging out right now, and my knees just don't work like they used to. But I was an option quarterback, so I could run a little bit. So I was, I was going to go play football at the Air Force Academy. And I, I love football. I still love football. It's my first love, my passion. I don't think I would have been the baseball player. I would have the grit, the toughness if I didn't have a football background. But at the end of the day, my father was, was in the Marines or at, served in the Marines, and he was like, son, don't do this for me. Don't go to the. The service, the Air Force, for me, you gotta love the service to go through all that entails. And he goes, if you want to go to college and go the regular route, go for it. And then that's all I needed to hear. So, Zach, I'm at my senior class, giving my senior class speech, and I'm prepared to go to the Air Force Academy. And then a couple weeks later, I had to call Air Force and say, hey, I'm not going to go there. I'm going to, you know, try something else. And so at that point, I'm basically knocking on doors at colleges saying, I want to play baseball for you and will you take me?

[Mystic Zach]

Wow. And you end up at ucla.

[Dave Roberts]

I end up at UCLA because Coach Adams said, we don't have any money for you, but we'll take you. I got into school myself on my own merits, and so I didn't get any scholarship money and had to earn my way.

[Mystic Zach]

Do you think going through that still positively affects you as a player in the major leagues, you as a manager, just battling that adversity, not always having everything given to you. Having to be a walk on, having to fight for your spot?

[Dave Roberts]

I do. I do. And, you know, and I'm not some old guy, some curmudgeon guy. I'm not at all. I. I love the youth. I love guys, you know, people making it happen as younger people. But I will say that, you know, I was never a person that tried to chase short money. And I think that for me, the foundational hard work, you know, put your head down and just grind, and, you know, it's not going to be linear. There's going to be tough things that happen in your life, and you got to continue to persevere. I do think that helped me in my career. I think it also helps me as a manager of people and also of. Of a baseball team, because 162 is a lot of games. There's a lot of highs and lows. And then also when you got the postseason, you got expectation of the Dodgers, so, you know, to. To get the highest of highs in April, then to kind of go down, that doesn't play. You've got to be able to be consistent. I do think that kind of my path helped me.

[Mystic Zach]

Absolutely. Talk to me about the balance of you as a manager between analytics, which we all know about sabermetrics. We saw Moneyball. We've seen the introduction of that into the sport, and just trusting your gut, being around baseball so so long.

[Dave Roberts]

I. I think that it's, it's a balance. Analytics, data, information, facts, all five of those words is the same thing. They're all the same thing. They all mean the same thing. It's just how you want to say it. They all have their place in, in all sports, in all industries, not just sports, finance, real estate, whatever you want to talk about. I think it's a good baseline to have, but I think at the end of the day, and I think the analytics is a longer term situation because you need a longer, a bigger sample size to make the numbers play out. Yeah, but I think that in one particular moment when you make a decision, whether it's going forward on fourth down, whether it's, you know, pinch hitting for somebody, whether it's me taking out a pitcher, whether it's, you know, going to a guy and when you got five seconds left on the clock, you're going with your gut because you're betting on people. And I think that for me, it's taken time to really appreciate that. I, I don't really know a situation of how to say, is it 50, 50, is it 6040? It's case by case. But I do think that the analytics and is a good kind of barometer on how I kind of manage my club. But then at the end of the day, you're betting on people to make plays.

[Mystic Zach]

What was a moment for you this postseason where you bet on someone to make a play?

[Dave Roberts]

A moment? I, I bet on Miguel Rojas. I, I bet on Miguel Rojas, who's a veteran player from Venezuela. He's got 10 years of service. You know, he was a utility guy for us. I, I just love Miggy Row. And he wasn't playing in the postseason starting, but I saw, I felt we were down 3, 2 to the blue Jays going to Toronto. And I said, you know what? I'm going to bet on Miguel Rojas. I need to bet on Miguel Rojas. And nothing in analytics would say that I would bet when Max Scherzer, future Hall of Fame, was starting that game, that he should play. And then they had a bullpen game in game seven. If there was going to be a game seven, the Miguel Rojas should play. But I said, I'm gonna bet on this guy. He made a couple big defensive plays and he hit the big tying home run against their closer in game seven in the ninth inning to tie the game. That was all gut.

[Mystic Zach]

Wow. Is that something you've picked up in your now 10 years experience as a manager or were you always kind of going with Your gut.

[Dave Roberts]

I. I've learned. I. I think earlier on my career, I would. I would go more on the analytics side, because I think in anything, when you're trying to establish yourself and you've got critics or bosses and media, you. You. You have to kind of not do things the right way, but there's a. More of a careful part of it because a lot of things have to sort of make sense and right or wrong. But when you go rogue or you're going with your gut, it's not quantifiable. And when you're trying to establish yourself, that's hard to justify. And I'm not apologizing for it. That's real life. But then when you've kind of supplanted yourself, cemented yourself in a certain role, you've got more grace, you've got more latitude. And again, that's just not my job. That's any job.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah. No, you have a longer leash. When you win, you have a World.

[Dave Roberts]

Series championship, you have more leash. And so I think that that's kind of played into it, but it's also helped me. And I've continued to gain the respect of, you know, people that I work for, people that I work with, my players. And, you know, I. I'm proud of that, that I've been able to evolve.

[Mystic Zach]

I love that. And it shows in all sports. Coach Belichick, I mean, as he had evolved success, ends up becoming the general manager, making all the roster decisions. So that leash becomes longer, and you gain the coach.

[Dave Roberts]

Belichick is the greatest coach of all time. And nothing against Vince Lombardi or anybody else, but, you know, with what he's done. But whether he was from the jets or early on the Patriots, he's a diff. He was a different guy. And that comes with kind of understanding who you are as a man, as a leader of men, as a coach, and then also getting that leash. And that's part of it. It wasn't always his way or the highway. It wasn't. And so as he started to get better and get great, he had that respect.

[Mystic Zach]

Look what he does with Lawrence Taylor and the Giants and then the Patriots and people don't. He was general manager. He was finding that talent. I mean, you look, the 2017, they go undefeated, but Vince Wilfork and all these guys, they don't grow on trees. You had to go out and draft them. So Rodney Harrison, there's so many great defenders on those rosters that he went out and got as a defensive guy to surround Brady that's right.

[Dave Roberts]

And then even like you're talking about Saban, I went to Alabama to watch Alabama game a month ago. Coach DeBoer is a good friend of mine. So Alabama's got a big game this week in the Rose bowl and I had the pleasure of being Coach Saban. Coach Saban early on his career he would not have taken out Jalen Hurts and then put in TUA at halftime. You know, I'm saying like that's a bold move. It is, you know, in a national championship game. But then he was Nick Saban at the time where it didn't matter what he did and if it didn't work, he's still Nick Saban the goat.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, he is. Yeah. Yeah. We got to test your knowledge. We got a big time week coming up in the NFL. We got some really big matchups here. I mean, most notably Saturday, The San Francisco 49ers taken on the Seattle Seahawks. It's going to be in Santa Clara 49ers coming off a nail biting victory over the Chicago Bears. What's your analysis on this matchup, Dave?

[Dave Roberts]

You know, I don't know the line. It's close, it's close.

[Mystic Zach]

We'll just pick, you know, we're going to do, we're going to do Money line today.

[Dave Roberts]

Okay. Money Line. I, I like it's going to, Seattle's tough up there up at home.

[Mystic Zach]

It's going to be at Simi. San Francisco.

[Dave Roberts]

Oh, San Francisco. So I got San Francisco all day. I got San Francisco. I think Brock Pie is playing some really good football. Not having Fred Warner the anchor on the defense is certainly took a hit. Taking a hit. But I, I, I like, I like the Ners at home.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah. I think it's going to be tough for them coming off this Chicago Bears game. I think it took a lot out of them.

[Dave Roberts]

It did, it did. And that's a physical game.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah. And this is got to remember this game's also going to be on Saturday.

[Dave Roberts]

Yep, yep. That's fair. That's absolutely fair. I'll still take the Niners at home.

[Mystic Zach]

All right. Yeah, Niners, obviously purdy and a lot of success. I've been a big Seahawks guy all year. So early on I touted them. I looked at the plus 1300 winning the NFC. I said this is a great value. Go out, take it. They're being overlooked. They don't necessarily have the big name stars that these other NFC teams do, but they've been pretty dang good since then. Done their thing. Darnold, I think Proven a lot of people wrong these past few seasons. And I love this defense. I love that you get DeMarcus Lawrence from the Dallas Cowboys. I love that you pair him with Leonard Williams. You take that swing, you trade for him. And a lot of people said they gave up too much. And then Witherspoon at cornerback been dominant, locked down. I have a feeling the 49ers don't see the same success they did against Chicago. I think the Seahawks win a close one.

[Dave Roberts]

I like that. I can see it. I can see it.

[Mystic Zach]

I mean, the winners atop the nfc. It's a huge game.

[Dave Roberts]

No, absolutely. And I absolutely can see that Smith and Jigba. He's a baller.

[Mystic Zach]

The part that worries me is it's JSN or the highway.

[Dave Roberts]

It is. It is. That's right. That's right.

[Mystic Zach]

It really is. I mean, no, in the history of the NFL, seldom do you find a team whose air yards are hogged by as much as JSN hogs their air yards. Yeah, there's very little else.

[Dave Roberts]

Very little else. And that's like a little bit of like what Justin Jefferson was, you know, for, you know, with, with Minnesota. But, yeah, if we could take him. We. I say if the Niners can take him out, we almost Southern California. I'm not gonna say we.

[Mystic Zach]

We.

[Dave Roberts]

But, yeah, we'll see. It'll be a good one, though.

[Mystic Zach]

You know, it'll be a great one. And then the other big one, to me, that jumps off the map. Raven Steelers. I mean, DK Metcalf out. He has that, that incident with a fan. Did you ever have fans taunt you did. Were you ever tempted to pull a DK Metcalf?

[Dave Roberts]

All the time, man. I, I, I, I. Man, I wanted to do that so many times, and I guess I had opportunity because there were, there weren't camera phones early on in my career and social media. So I, I should have taken my shots, but, but especially in baseball, man, and you're. You're in an O for four, O for eight. You punch out and you got these fans right by the dugout. Just weari. You just want to go up there and take them out. So you don't ever want to condone what DK did. But, but I've been wanting to do that at certain times, though. But it's going to be a good one, I think. I don't know how the Steelers lost that game. I'm a Steeler fan. I know those guys.

[Mystic Zach]

Oh, you are?

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah. So it seems like I'm more fan of the coaches, they were more focused.

[Mystic Zach]

On stopping Miles Garrett, and they were scoring points.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah, yeah, but. Yeah, that. That's fair. But stopping Miles Garrett, you know, you could argue that that facilitates or gives you a better opportunity.

[Mystic Zach]

You would imagine.

[Dave Roberts]

You would think they just didn't play well, but obviously not having DK certainly helped. They didn't have anyone to go to, and it's going to be a good one. And it always seems in that division, it comes down to the Ravens and the Steelers.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah. So do you think Mike Tomlin can pull it? It's at Pittsburgh.

[Dave Roberts]

I got. I got Coach Tomlin, man. And. And know what's funny is that this guy has done nothing but win, and it's crazy that people think that he just forgot how to coach.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah. No. People want him fired.

[Dave Roberts]

They want him fired, and it's just like he. He's. He is unbelievable. And players still got to make plays, and, you know, he's always going to back his players. But Mike Tomlin hasn't forgot how to coach. And so, you know, this one game at home for the division, I'll take Coach Tomlin.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah. I mean, 18 straight winning seasons, and the fans are calling for a job.

[Dave Roberts]

Yep.

[Mystic Zach]

That's sports, though.

[Dave Roberts]

That. That's sports. That's sports. And. And you can even look at. At Kansas City, you know, not that they're calling for Coach Reed's job, but you know what. What Kansas City has done is unprecedented in the.

[Mystic Zach]

I've seen people say he's. He's passed it now because of this season. So.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah, and I'll argue is that that's the thing about coaching is, you know, on the playing side, there's a father time component where. Where you get into your mid-30s and you're really going downhill. But on the coaching side, the experience part of it, the older you get. And I think that you're operating at the optimum capacity when you. When you are in your early 60s, because that's when you're. You're fully functional. And they talk about, guys, we mature a lot slower than girls, and we don't really develop until 25. And that's when we start to start to begin. Right?

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

And so. Right in the early 60s, I think that's when you're peaking. So Coach Tomlin, Coach Reed, they're still. Still great coaches.

[Mystic Zach]

That's scary for the mlb. You still got some years left.

[Dave Roberts]

Oh, yeah. I don't know how long I'm gonna do it for, but I got four years of a contract, and then we'll go from there.

[Mystic Zach]

All right. All right. I've got the Baltimore Ravens. I'm sorry.

[Dave Roberts]

Okay.

[Mystic Zach]

I think they're going to send you.

[Dave Roberts]

We're on both sides.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, we are.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah. You got. You got Tech in college.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

You got Seattle road dog. And then now you got the Ravens.

[Mystic Zach]

I do have the Ravens. I think I feel the strongest about them. Damn Derek Henry and the cold.

[Dave Roberts]

All right, well, hopefully, at some point, Zach, we're gonna.

[Mystic Zach]

Hopefully we can agree on something. I, you know, if I try your wine, I'd probably agree. It's pretty great. Talk to me about Red Stitch and your love of wine and your vineyard.

[Dave Roberts]

So I think that, like, so as a. As a player in the big leagues, I played for 10 years, and, you know, you've been hustling since you were, you know, in high school and doing your thing. And so to be great at something, you've got to be laser focused. Right? So when I took a trip up to the Napa Valley in 2002 with Sean Green, my teammate, and his wife, Lindsay, and my wife, I was up in the Napa, and I went and met the vineyard, the winemakers, the vineyard owners, and tasting through wine. And I didn't like wine. I was a beer drinker. You know, in college, you're drinking beer and tequila, whatever, drinking bad tequila. But I was up there, and you're. You're drinking wine, and the weather was great up there. And my wife looks at me, goes, something's different about you. And I'm like, what are you talking about? She's like, you're present. And I was like, oh, damn, I am present. And, like, I wasn't caring about a phone. I was like, into the conversations. I was asking dumb questions about wine and grapes because I didn't know anything. And I looked back and I was like, I love how I feel.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

And so she calls me Napa Dave to this very day, where it's like, I'm in the season. She's like, man, I wish Napa Dave was here, you know, because I'll call, check in, check a box, and not really hear an answer. But so once I was done playing, I was like, I got to get into wine in some capacity. So I hit up my good friend John Misak and his wife Noel, and Rich Aurelia and his then wife. So Richie and I were teammates. And then so we started this venture called Red Stitch Wine. And so my brother in law, Chad, named the wine Red Stitch because it's the stitches on a baseball. And then so we start out with Napa Cabernet. We got a Pinot Noir and we got Chardonnay. So it's Red stitch. The, the stitches on the baseball. It's fantastic wine. And when I'm drinking wine, where I'm having. Hanging out, I'm present. And I like that feeling.

[Mystic Zach]

Has LeBron tried it yet?

[Dave Roberts]

So LeBron. I sent a case of our cab to LeBron about three years ago, and I'm still waiting on a thank you. So, LeBron, if you're listening, I'm still waiting on the thank you. And I'm going to be seeing you guys play the Pistons tomorrow night. And then I got more Red stitch for you.

[Mystic Zach]

How about that? You deserve a thank you. I think you should do like an Instagram review maybe. Yeah, he's a big time wine.

[Dave Roberts]

Because he's a big wine guy. So he's into wine. He's the goat. I'm into golf. He's getting into golf. So we got a lot of things that we're, we, we, we similarities.

[Mystic Zach]

Calling LeBron the goat.

[Dave Roberts]

Well, I mean, so Michael's my guy.

[Mystic Zach]

Okay.

[Dave Roberts]

Michael's my guy. So, So I, I think that. But again, I think Steph Curry's a goat.

[Mystic Zach]

They're all goats.

[Dave Roberts]

You know what? And, and now being political, they are all great. So. But if you had to go one, it's Michael.

[Mystic Zach]

Okay, good.

[Dave Roberts]

I gotta go, Mike.

[Mystic Zach]

Thank you. So the outdoor golf league, talk to me about that as well. Your rep is that. So is the hat. Is that.

[Dave Roberts]

No, this is.

[Mystic Zach]

That's Dodgers upside down.

[Dave Roberts]

This is Dodgers. This is, this is the brand that you got drip. This is. Yeah, this is like I got a little drip. This is a present from my son. And so my son knows this brand. It's an LA brand.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, no, it's a dope brand.

[Dave Roberts]

Keep up with the hype. Right? Yeah, something like that.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, you got drips. All right.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah, you know, you know, you know what is. You're, you're a young buck.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, I like it.

[Dave Roberts]

So I, I got a little drip right here. So, yeah, so I'm into golf. And so we got this grass clippings in Phoenix. And so we turned this rolling hills golf course into a par three night golf so we can play golf in the day. But we got lights, we got music. It's a vibe. And so I invested in that. And then. So that's crushing it. So when you're flying into Phoenix, you see the lights on, you're playing. And during spring training, I get the athletes, the baseball Players and get them. They're. They're playing all throughout the spring, and basketball players are playing during their season.

[Mystic Zach]

And are you attending?

[Dave Roberts]

I'm attending. And then that turned from the grass clippings, the. The golf course up into a grass league. So I'm a member of the LA Roses, and we just won the last tournament. And so Mark Wahlberg is an owner. We got 12 teams. Marky Mark's a member. So it's a great league. And it's kind of like following like the, the tiger, the F1, you know, just different leagues that are kind of, kind of coming out on their own, you know, so it's blown up.

[Mystic Zach]

No double coverage. We're going to head out there, we're going to cover this thing.

[Dave Roberts]

Double coverage comes out. I'll take you guys out. You guys can do it from there. It's part three. So you don't get too beat up if you can't swing a golf club, cocktails, music, Arizona in the winter. It's perfect.

[Mystic Zach]

I'm in. I'm down.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah.

[Mystic Zach]

Last thing we talked about, goats in basketball is sh. The goat Show.

[Dave Roberts]

He's a goat Show. He's a goat. I'll tell you this, Barry Bonds is the best hitter I've ever seen. I can't speak to Babe Ruth, can't speak to Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, you know, you know, all these guys. Orlando Cepeda, but Roberto Clemente. But Barry Bonds is the best hitter I've ever seen. But as far as best player, most talented player. He is by far the goat. I just, he. There's just no one close.

[Mystic Zach]

Thank you. Oh, yeah. Adversity.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah. So, you know, and I've talked about my successes and. But how do you. I just think that, you know, you and I touched on a little bit where it's like, there's successes, but there's also a lot of failures.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

And. And it's funny, is that where whether I, you know, started you Darvish in. In 17 and he doesn't pitch well. You know, could I be blamed for that? But we find out later they're stealing signs. You know, there's times that I brought in relief pictures and big spots and they don't perform, and it's looked at as a failure. But I've done a lot of things and had the same process that worked out and their successes. So a lot of things I think for me is, you know, you can go back and look at the Internet. You can go back print media and say all the different times that I failed or things didn't go our way, and I take the brunt of the blame. But honestly, I think for me is the process has to be sound. And I don't just try to go rogue. And there's a process and whether it's a belief in a player that might not necessarily add up to analytics, but it's something, it's still a process that I go through with coaches and I make a decision. I'm just trying to think of certain things that didn't go well. I just honestly said, eff it. And I think whether it's me having cancer and going, eff it, I'm going to beat this. Whether it's, I'm on first base in game four, we're down a run, Mariano Rivera's pitching, and if I get thrown out, we lose, we're eliminated in the postseason. But I said effort. Whether I bring in a pitcher, I take. I'll tell you this, Zach, there was a pitcher this year in the postseason. I took him out. Emmett Sheehan, a young prospect pitcher, in the middle of an at bat against the Cincinnati Reds in the wild card series. In the middle of an at bat because I felt I had a guy in the bullpen warming up and I felt Emmett wasn't going to be able to get this left hand hitter out at that moment in time. And I just said, eff it. It was unorthodox, but I said, eff it, I'm going to do it. Because I feel. But if that guy would have come in and given up a home run, I would have been a clown.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah.

[Dave Roberts]

But I just said, eff it, I'm going to do it. And it worked out. He got, he struck the guy. Alex Veccia struck the guy out. And so there's things that I guess to a point that, you know what, you, you have your journey and you're crushing it. But at the same point, it's like you can't worry about what other people think. And I think, I don't know when that really point of happen in my life, but I just sort of live my life that I just can't chase validation from people.

[Mystic Zach]

Yeah, I. It's so hearing you say that, I felt the exact same way in my career, you know, where like even the handful of massive decisions that I've made, the one time I didn't go with what I truly felt, that wasn't my gut, it's the one that panned out the worst. So after that, like when I like, you know, confide with my family and Friends. I say, zach, you know, when we went away from what you wanted, we saw what happened. So what do you think? Right. You're always right, and I feel very similar.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah. Well said.

[Mystic Zach]

Before we head out, what's one thing about Dave Roberts that nobody knows?

[Dave Roberts]

Gosh. One thing that. That people don't know. I'm a foodie, but people might know that because you. You're going to pair wine with food. I'm half Japanese, so I definitely love to sleep. I can say that about Japanese people because I'm Japanese. I loved. I love my naps. You know, I love naps as well.

[Mystic Zach]

Do you think I could be half Japanese?

[Dave Roberts]

You know what, man? You know what? Yeah, you might be half Japanese.

[Mystic Zach]

I'm a big nap guy.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah, you. You might. Yeah. What? I'm kind of an open book. I did. I might have gotten a little bit of trouble when I was at ucla. When I was at ucla, I was a freshman, and I was living in a dorm. Me and my buddy were playing catch with a football in the dorm on, I think, the third floor. So he hits the sprinkler because I'm. I'm in this. We're in the studio right now, and there's these splint sprinklers right there. And so my buddy hits his sprinkler. Zach, I'm telling you, it gushed out, and it started flooding the floor.

[Mystic Zach]

Oh, my God.

[Dave Roberts]

And so we both bolted the other way, opposite ways, down the stairwell. Flood the whole dorm. And we're trying to contemplate. Do we tell our. You know, tell ourselves and. And admit that it was us, or do we just act like we don't know what the heck happened, why this dorm was flooded? So we ended up confessing, and I ended up having 40 hours of community service. We flooded the entire dorm. And the people said, if I wouldn't have told, we would have got kicked out of ucla. That was my first quarter at ucla, so that's something I try to keep under wraps. That my gpa. I don't want to talk about my GPA my first quarter. But I got better after my first quarter, and I flooded Sproul hall at ucla. So I had a rocky start to ucla.

[Mystic Zach]

There you go, Dave. Appreciate you. Thank you for your time. Would love to run it back. And we're going to hit that golf league.

[Dave Roberts]

Oh, 100%.

[Mystic Zach]

And we're going to. We're going to pop open this.

[Dave Roberts]

No, we're going to pop open this red switch. We're going to start with some Pino. Then we're going to.

[Mystic Zach]

BJ waiting in the wings.

[Dave Roberts]

Yeah, BJ's waiting in the wings. Yeah. So we're going to. And we got Neville back there from Orange County. He's half Japanese. So we got people on the set, and I.

[Mystic Zach]

We learned that I am.

[Dave Roberts]

And then we're going to get you drinking some wine, too. There you go.

[Mystic Zach]

Okay. All right, let's do it.

[Dave Roberts]

Napa. Zach.