Dodgers Territory - Alanna's All-Star Interviews! Dodgers Players Sound Off

Episode Date: July 16, 2026

Alanna Rizzo and Clint Pasillas are back and have All-Star Game thoughts! How was Alanna's experience at the game and what are her big takeaways after speaking with Los Angeles Dodgers All-Stars? (12:58) We hear from Max Muncy, Freddie Freeman, Dave Roberts and more! Plus, other random thoughts before the second half of the season kicks off in New York against the Yankees. 🌶️ Use code foul50off to get 50% off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last at Factormeals.com/foul50off Subscribe on YouTube!https://www.youtube.com/@DodgersTerritory  Follow our social media channels for more content!https://x.com/LADTerritory https://www.instagram.com/ladterritory/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578546105253  Check out DT merch at https://dodgersterritoryshop.com Support Guidry's Guardian at https://guidrysguardian.org Find Clint on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@alldodgers Follow Katie's work at The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/katie-woo/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, everybody. I'm Tarika Foster Brasby. What's up, y'all? I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoops. When you tune in to a new episode of our podcast levels to this, you're definitely going to get some spicy WMBA analysis. But we're more than just hoops. And the real conversation is what we actually breathe. It's been really, really cool seeing kind of these women just really step into their power off the court and understand that they aren't basketball, right?

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And that's how it's supposed to be. what is going on. My name is Clint Bacias. That is Alana Rizzo. You know her. You love her. You want some more of her. All-Star Game is behind us, Riz. You were there. Sites, sounds. We're going to have a lot of interviews today from Friends of the show, Dave Roberts. We got Max Muncie in there, who, funny enough, hasn't been on the show, but has been on the show a bunch of times because usually we end up getting interviews with him at either spring training or in situations like this. But before we get into all the interviews, how was the All-Star Game experience? I know you're out there with the guys that fell.

It looked fun. Yeah, it was great. Good to be with you guys. Get your comments and questions and concerns into the chat right here on a live episode of Dodgers territory. It was a lot of fun. I have to say, Philadelphia showed out. It was a great experience.

The fans were awesome. Obviously, all 30 teams being represented in terms of the fan base. Shout out also to Major League Baseball and Fox Sports and MLB on Fox because the stuff that happened during the All-Star game with the Center Field Gates opening and the little kids riding out on their bicycles and going up against the, you know, standing next to their player in their respective position was so cool and kind of an homage to the sandlot, right? That one scene in the sandlot where it's the 4th of July and it's the only game in town and you're playing baseball in your backyard on the back field, you know, on a dirty, dusty field.

You grab your glove and you just go, it was just a cool experience. Great to see, obviously, all of the Dodgers represented. Sad not to see Shohei Otani. We understand it, but we would have wished that he was there. All the fans would have wished to be able to see Shohei Otani. But it was great. I loved catching up with Dave and catching up with the guys and talking to Justin Rebleski, who had to have a couple of things happened for him to get in there.

But certainly well earned. And congratulations to every single person that was there. And congrats to Jordan Walker, a guy that has had his struggles and his adversity. He was making $799,000 this year, which, listen, I'll take it. I'll take it in a heartbeat, right? But the one winning swing of the bat made him a million dollars. So overall, really cool to be there. You know, all eyes of the baseball world were on Philadelphia,

and it was a really nice week. Yeah, if somebody has $799,000 to just spare, I will take it. It would definitely change a few things. Don't worry. I won't go big leagues. I might wear like shades during the show, just a show that I'm better than everybody. but still, we would still be doing content.

Yeah, All-Star game was, all right, I'm in a position where I'm not paid by anybody who put the All-Star game on, not to say that you are. Obviously, you... No, I don't work for Fox and I don't work for Major League Baseball. Exactly. You're going to have critiques overall. Boring game, and I talked about this on my All Dodgers channel with Jeff Spiegel, who decided to just run away and go on vacation.

But anyways, just a dull game. And really the state of baseball is pitchers are so much better than hitters. I just were focusing on that. Like from what you're saying, you know, the pomp and circumstance in the sandlot. For me, it's a lot. I understand Fox and MLB. They're trying to take advantage of a lot of eyes on them. I think they overdue some of the stuff, some of the, I like to call it propaganda,

because it kind of is different things going on. Like, can we focus on the game, focus on the players? But I understand the why. some of the interviews were good sometimes sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit it's still good to get a perspective from the players while they're out there playing a meaningless game um but that much said yeah just a boring game because there wasn't a lot of action pitchers alana are so much better the elite pitchers are so much better than elite hitters right now yeah i mean i think so and in the nationally just kind of looked flat right um how about shout out to old friends cody bell The two-run single that put the first two runs on the board for the American League. It kind of proved to be all they needed in terms of offense because the National League was just not good offensively. But to your point, the starting pitchers were good.

But let's focus on the positive as far as that is concerned. I don't know if we're going to do it in order as far as that. But Justin Rebleski, I mean, it was his birthday, first-time All-Star, the shark on the inside of his Red Star carpet jacket. So I think he's really enjoying that. Monica given to him by Pedro Martinez and strikes out the side on his B day. So good day for him and good week for him and obviously a good season for him. But I really enjoyed, you know, and as far as our guys were concerned, right, Justin Rubleski striking out the side.

Freddie Freeman, a really nice defensive play. I was actually very surprised as to how long Dave kept our guys in. I thought I was going to be, you know, like maybe an inning or two. But I looked up and it was still, you know, the fourth inning and these guys are still out there. Max Muncie, Freddie Freeman, those types of things. So I was a little surprised on the length, but you know what? Dave Roberts is the manager. He's allowed to do that.

I think it's his fifth time managing the All-Star game that shows you a lot. It tells you a lot about your manager, right? If you can manage the All-Star game, it's because you took your team to the World Series the year prior. So he's doing something, right. Yeah, well, we'll hear from Dave a little bit later because you obviously asked him about that. The fact that he's got a lot of, you know, All-Star Game managing credentials under his belt now. That's usually a good sign for a team. Going back to the Reblesky side of things,

I didn't prep the tweet to post it, but of Dodgers All-Star pitchers. He is third now. I think it's, yeah, this specifically Dodgers. Dodgers' all-star pitchers with five or more strikeouts in a single All-Star game, Don Drysdale, Fernando Valenzuela, Justin Reblesky,

exactly the three names you'd expect to be uttered in the same sentence. Don Drysdale was in 59. Fernando in 1986. But that's a pretty cool lore to etch yourself along. And I mean, that is not indicative of the growth and maturity and not so much maturity, but just the growth of the shark, as we call him. Robo, if you're nasty as well. Just showing off the growth of where this kid has come this year from being a guy that I

wasn't sure was a starting material to be in, well, he was pitching in relief. That's maybe why he was so dominant. But it's really cool. Five strikeouts is really cool. It is. And I'm happy for him and proud of him. Again, we talked about it when he was on our show a couple of weeks ago about the Dodgers giving him the ability to just be who he was and trying not to make him into something

that he isn't. And he's very well aware of who he is when we were doing media availability. The pitching ninja was next to me getting ready to ask questions. And you could just see Reblisky's eyes light up when they were going to start talking about tinkering of the pitches. and all of the different grips and the, you know, arm slot and all of that stuff, too. So he enjoys the craft of pitching. He's not a thrower.

He's a pitcher. He enjoys the science behind everything. And I know that gets you, too. Clint, you love that stuff. So Justin's really evolved into a very, I talked to Dave about this, the unheralded ace of this staff, on a staff that has the names and the likes of the, you know, Yoshinobu Yamamoto's and the Shohei Otanis and the Blake Snells and the Tyler Glasnows and this, that, and the other thing. he's really emerged as somebody that has absolutely posted every fifth or sixth day,

depends upon the schedule. 10 and 2 with the sub 3 ERA. You can't beat that. No, not even slightly. Wish we would have a little more offense from our boys. Good to see Muncie back in there. I just love the narrative of Muncie all around, you know, the game. And again, we'll hear more from that.

But all in all, again, dull game, boring game. Looking forward to second half. of the season kicking off. We'll talk about Dodgers Yankees a little bit later in the show. But a little bit of a gauntlet here, if we're going to talk about this for just a minute, a little bit of a gauntlet here to enter the second half. You got Yankees. You got Phillies, who obviously we have, I don't say fears about, but Phillies are always ready to win. And then the New York Mets, that's a tough, you know, little East Coast roadie. We really saw a lot of the Dodgers flying out there, including Will Smith, where people are

looking at how he's kind of bending his neck back to take this photo. Oh, what's going on with that neck? But Glasnau is also on the plane. You know, some of the guys getting healthier. What are you looking forward to just, you know, quickly before we take a break and then hear from all the players and Doc? What are you looking forward to, like, immediately in the second half? Well, I think the biggest thing is you're thankful if you're Doc and Max Muncie and

Freddie Freeman and Jester Robleski and Andy Pahas and Yoshinobu Yamamoto because you're already in Philadelphia. So you're already on the East Coast, right? So those guys are like, who quick, quick 45 minute flight. That's great. What I'm looking forward into the second half is just who are we getting back, right? We are three weeks away or whatever it is from the trade deadline. And we've talked about it at length, how we're going to get guys back off of the IL.

That's almost as good as just getting these guys off the free agent market or the trade market. Obviously not free agent in the middle of the season, but you guys know what I'm trying to say. The point is we're getting some reinforcements coming. And I just want them to start the season strong, but moreover, just be healthy. I mean, they can continue to tow the line the way that they're towing it. They have an 11 and a half game lead. I don't need them to do anything differently in the first half or the second half than they did in the first half, with the exception of maybe more of the passing the baton, getting more guys on base,

getting, you know, moving guys over a little bit more offense because it does seem to come offensively feast or famine. And while the postseason is going to be very much driven by starting pitching and defense, you can't just rely, in my opinion, to win postseason games on the long. ball. So I'd like to see more consistent offense up and down the lineup. We talked about it, our X factor for the second season, or who we want more out of. For me, it's Teosker Hernandez and what's Kike going to be like when it matters, October. Okay. You listen to the show. I'm proud of you. I don't even listen to the show. How dare you? How dare you? It is funny that, you know,

I did mention that kind of in passing that it's funny. We think about how important all the pitchers are. the guys come back from the injured list. But that offense, it's leaving a little bit to be desired. Guys, before we throw to a break, we also want to announce on behalf of the network. There's a whole bunch of new merch over there on the Fowel Territory Shop. Fowelterritory Shop.com. You can scan that QR card you see on the screen. But you got a bunch of options when it comes to your Los Angeles Dodgers.

And you know what we're going to do? We're going to go ahead and play that bad boy again because I think we're going to be. we're going to play it. There we go. Because you got Shoah, you got Munch, you got Freddie, you got Pahas. You know, there should be a dock in there for the hell of it as well. But that is pretty cool there. Visit phaltorritory shop.com. They'd appreciate it. We'd appreciate it if you get yourself some cool Dodger shirts. Yeah, and shout out to Sarah Tepper, who's new to our crew.

She designed all of those shirts. She also designed a really cool one for the Fowel Territory crew. I'm sure you'll get one, Clint, for the All-Star Week. It has a star. It has the Liberty Bell. It says Fowel Territory. All-Star Week, Philadelphia, 26. So shout out to Sarah for creating this. But guys, just scan the QR code that we talked about, get some new gear. Always appreciate new gear in the house.

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and free daily greens per box with new subscription only while supplies last until 927, 2026. Hey, I'm Ruby Carr, the host of the podcast, Encore. Check out our brand new episodes featuring music from the show that everyone is reheating as we speak. Heated rivalry. Join me as I go behind. the songs that brought Shane and Elia together.

I'll tell you the stories of Fice, My Moon, My Man, wolf forades, I'll believe in anything, and tattoos all the things she said, and how they all became a part of this global phenomenon. Stream encore on IHeart Radio, crave, or wherever you get your podcasts. As we've teased a whole bunch, Alana, you had a mic in your hand out there,

and I'll say, I always love when you have a mic in your hand, because you've seen me in the clubhouse. I try to care. I don't. I'm not great at coming up with things on the spot as where you are a professional and damn good at your job. So who do you want to hear from first? We've talked a lot about Rebleski. Maybe we should hear from Robo, friend of the show.

That sounds great. I caught up with him on media availability on Monday. Let's do it. We got some Robo. We spoke. Congratulations again. By the way, nice to see you. We spoke about how your path was anything but linear.

Obviously, you just talked about it. Oh, I don't have swing and miss stuff. I'm going to come out of the pen and look at you now and All-Star. What does that mean to you? if you've even had a moment to reflect on how you got here? Yeah, it means a lot. Obviously, like, just getting the chance to be here amongst, you know, the best in the game is super cool.

And that's always been something I've dreamed of and something I've wanted to do. So super cool to get that opportunity. But, yeah, it means the world. It's super cool. It's, like I said, it's just, I'm super blessed to be here. And like I said, I'm going to try to enjoy every second of it. 10 and 2, sub 3. R.A.

You've been one of the most consistent starters. Every time you've taken the ball. in a rotation that has the likes and the names of the Otanis of the world, the Yamamoto's of the world. Blake Snell's on his way back, hopefully Tyler as well. What does that mean to you to be, you know, maybe under the radar this team's ace? It's fun. It's fun to be a part of this team. And I think a lot of the reason that I've pitched while this year is just learning from those guys,

even if it hasn't been through asking them direct questions or whatever, just kind of watching how they prepare and watching how they pitch. And obviously understanding, you know, Mice, like watching it, through a scope of what I'm good at and how I can take what they do to my game. And, you know, it's obviously super cool to be performing in a rotation like this because at the start of the year, you know, there's talks about me not being a starter, maybe me not being good enough to be a starter, maybe me not, me being better bullpen arm and all this stuff.

So it's been super fun to kind of prove some of those people wrong and also just go out there and just get a consistent run as a starter. And that's something I wanted and I voiced that this offseason and getting the chance to do. It's been super cool. question for me, a pinching ninja jump in here, Rob, but you've talked about my game. And one thing about the Dodgers is that they allow you to be who you are and not try to make you or turn you into something that you're not. How much has that allowed you to kind of prove the doubters wrong? Yeah, I think, you know, they've helped me a lot, just understanding

why I'm good, what I do that makes me good. And then it's just a matter of, you know, I'm a guy, every pitcher is a guy that wants to tinker and wants to change things, and wants to get a little better, and wants to create a new pitch and do this and that. And just trying to keep me in the guardrails, and they know that I can do a lot of things with the baseball. But keeping me within the guardrails of what is good and what makes sense for me and my delivery. And that's been super helpful. Really appreciate Robo there. What's cool about this?

Obviously, we talked to him not terribly long ago. Asked him about the All-Star game, kind of what that would mean to him. this then obviously he's kind of a little you don't want to you don't know if you're going to make the all-star games so you're not going to be uh being like yeah this would he was sort of this would mean so much to me but ultimately this is like the realization all of this the work the effort the growth this nod is a hand shake it's a pat on the back like you did it buddy now keep going like you figured it out you did you've reached your kind of childhood goal your lifelong goal to be a major league starter, maybe being all star, he's already a World Series champion. But this is a dude who

persevered and, you know, is an all-star. You can't take that away. It's really cool. Just the growth of this dude. Yeah, you'd sit around and you're walking into the dugout or the clubhouse and you're just kind of looking around you're like, oh my gosh, you know, there are so many unbelievable people here. The game's best, whatever the game's best has to offer, it's all in the same place. and you can say, you know what, I'm there. I'm just, I'm as much of an all-star as these guys are. And Dave Roberts talks about it. And we're going to run the interview here that when I caught up with Dave on Monday at BP

about what Justin Robleski has gone through. You mentioned the adversity and those types of things. And I'm sure the doubt that people had about him, maybe doubt crept into his mind. I don't know. But the point is what he went through last year, sometimes you need to be taken down a peg in terms of the game doing it to you, right? not because he thought he was, you know, I'm not saying he's like arrogant or anything like that. That's not what I mean.

But the game will take you down. The game will humble you. The game humble is the best of us. So what he went through last year and Dave talked about what he went through last year to get to this point now, not even a full year later. That's pretty special for a robo. And I'm happy for him and not to sound condescending, but I'm proud of him to. Yeah. I really like Dave's point.

Maybe we get some Dave tape now because I love you on the field with Dave. none of the BS of the red carpet or any of that. It's just you guys, a couple of guys being dudes, one of them's a lady. But here's Riz with Doc. It's always an honor, man. I've known you a long time, and I'm not surprised at all that you're once again at the helm of a National League team in the All-Star game. It means you're doing something right with your own club.

You don't take anything for granted. You've worked in this game a long time. What does this mean to you? You know, honestly, I try not to take anything for granted. I think this is my fifth All-Star game. it obviously means you're doing something right. But I think for me, Alana, you've known me for a long time. I think it's just being grateful for all the people that you've been around and

shoot. It never gets old being around the best players on the planet are here in Philadelphia. And it never gets old. And I turn into a fanboy, you know, sometimes when I see all these names. And that's a good thing. Some of the names are obvious. Shohei Otani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncie. We get it.

Justin Rubleski, we were screaming off of the rooftop. that this man should be an all-star, 10 and 2, sub-E-R-A, or sub-3-ERA. He gets in, he did a couple of things to go his way, but he got in. What's made him so special? I feel like he's the, you know, the unmentioned ace of the staff almost. That's fair, that's fair. And I think the thing is that I told the guys once we announced that he was an all-star, you know, last April 8th, he was in my office pretty much in tears once we sent him out,

and he gave up eight to the nationals that day. And to his credit, he went back, looked in the mirror and said, how do I get better? How do I become a major league pitcher? Cleaned up his closet, got better. And I think for me it's like he's felt the pain. He's a tough kid. He goes after guys.

He's learned what, you know, because I always tell the pitchers, the hitters will tell you what you need to work on, right? And he took that to heart. And now he's an all-star. And like you said, he is an unheralded ace. And we talk about snow, glass, now, Yamamoto. But I'll tell you right now is we wouldn't be where we're at without Justin Roblesky.

No doubt about that. You mentioned Snell. You mentioned Glass. These are guys that you're getting back. Snell first, Tyler later. Edwin Diaz is coming back. Kike is going to be back soon. It's almost like you're getting these amazing signings, rather,

but they're already part of your team. A team that has an 11-and-a-half game lead in the division is about to get better. It is, and that's the funny thing is that, you know, as we approach the deadline and there's going to be a lot of talk about what the Dodgers need to do. But, you know, for us, you know, you mentioned Evan, Phillips and we're going to get Eddie Diaz back. We're going to get Snow back. We're going to get glass back. We're going to get Will Smith. So those guys in themselves are trade deadline acquisition. So we're going to get a hole at some point. But we do get a nice lead, but we got to play better

baseball, you know, coming out of the break because going into the break, we didn't play our best baseball. That's fair. But that's okay, because you check the box of if the season ended today, you win the division, okay? Then you got to worry about home field advantage, those types of things. what's impressed you the most about what you were able to accomplish in the first half with not having all of the big puzzle pieces? I think the thing that impressed me most is, you know, there's always a talk of, is there going to be a letdown? There's always unforeseen things about performance, injury.

That didn't take us away from the focus of stacking wins. And also to see guys like Edgaro Henriquez, Andy Paez is now an All-Star. We got Dalton rushing, a lot of opportunities since Wilson, businessman down. So to see the pitching, and then we talked about Robleski's kind of growth, and now he's an all-star. So, you know, while some guys are kind of getting back, you know, we persevered and kept going on. I always appreciate you. Congratulations, Skip. Thanks, Alana. Thank you. Appreciate those two together. Anytime we can get them, you and Doc are fun. And a lot of stuff,

Doc clearly listens, you know, his friend of the show, talking about getting those trade deadline acquisitions off of the IL. But we know things are trained. trending in the right direction for Blake Snow, Tyler Glass now. We're getting some good updates there. Edwin Diaz, maybe we'll find out with Katie on Monday, but maybe back ahead of that Met series. I think he's got that very much circled and highlighted on his calendar. But yeah, to kind of, I mean, everybody had a little bit of a Rebleski thought in there.

Some of the pie has thought as well. Just kind of, you know, what was your biggest takeaway from your chat with Dave? It was just good to see him, you know, and I got to see him and Trisha on the red carpet. And they're just so appreciative of the opportunity. I mean, there were times when, you know, Dave had wanted to be a manager. And I remember him getting passed over to be the manager of the San Diego Padres. And he has a great amount of respect, obviously, for Bud Black and for the other guys. But can you imagine, you know, Andy Green being your manager for the Dodgers instead of Dave?

You know what I mean? And I say that with the most respect in the world for Andy Green, who is now at the helm of the Mets, because they fired Carlos Mendoza. So I'm just so grateful that somebody finally gave him the opportunity because I think he's the best in the business. And I'm not just saying that because Dave is our manager. He truly has a way of connecting with people. But, you know, he has a way of communicating with them.

He knows, and he's really good at the off-the-field stuff, too. He understands the role and the job. And he always seems to have his team in a position to win. and a team in guys in positions to win and not trying to take them in positions that are not good for them, not trying to make them who they're not.

So it's just been fun. It's been fun to see him involve as a manager. And one thing I did like what he said when I talked to him on the red carpet about just him managing for 10 years. I remember in 2016, Clint, when he won the manager of the year award, he goes, I still think I'm getting better.

And that's interesting, right? I mean, the man's gone to five different World Series. He's won three as a manager, one, one as a player. I think he'll be in Cooperstown as a manager, certainly. If Bruce Bochy is with three, then Dave should be, too, because Dave's not done. So I do feel that he is getting better. And I like the way that he said that too. He's still learning.

He's still willing to learn, but he thinks he's getting better. And, you know, that's kind of the narrative. If you guys missed him, by the way, missed our chats with Dave at spring training the last two years. I think there's a lot of good stuff and they're still pretty evergreen conversation. But last year when we talked to Dave, that was kind of one of the biggest things that I wanted to ask him about is the growth, the evolution of Dave Roberts. And not only just as decision making, but in being a captain of that clubhouse and kind of, you know, the growth of him knowing when to hold him, when to fold him or more. So when he needs to step in and put an arm around somebody as we've seen or when it's still up to the guys. like, you know, Muncie, Freddie going up to Dalton rushing a couple weeks ago, that kind of stuff.

In the past, Justin Turner being a guy to do that, maybe a little bit of, you know, some of the other event. Having Kike Hernandez back in that clubhouse, not only do you get the vibes and all that stuff, you know, the vibes above replacement are tops in the league, but having somebody that Kiki can talk to people in a much different way, then Freddie might be able to. And that's the thing is Dave knowing where he's, I don't want to say where he's, I don't say, where he's needed or wanted, but it's kind of what it is. That has changed. And then, of course, to the big field stuff, which people in the chat will know a whole lot about, is the decisions, the pitching decisions in particular, pinch hitting. Like, as the kids might say, bro is in his pocket these

days. And it's come from 11 years of learning and pain and growth and all of that kind of stuff. He learns each and every day and it's fully, fully legit to say that much. Yeah, a couple of things I want to address really quick. Boom must die, 3406. You're absolutely right. Bochi does have four World Series titles, three with the San Francisco Giants and one, of course, most recently with the Texas Rangers. My apologies on that. I wanted to address something else in here because I want to give Micah Johnson former Dodger a shout-out.

Referee 583 asking, what's the story behind the astronaut baseball statue with the crossed bats behind you? is that a custom Dodgers piece. What it is is former Dodger infielder, also former Chicago White Sox Infielder. Micah Johnson is a tremendous, tremendous artist. And these are the Aku sculptures and collectibles. It's a limited edition that Major League Baseball came up with, obviously, in collaboration with Micah.

It's the Dream Gaser sculpture. And if you don't know about Aku, just Google Aku and Micah Johnson and see what he has created. It's unbelievable. The artwork that Micah does, and it was Dave Roberts who encouraged Micah to really pursue an art career, in addition, obviously,

when he was still being a baseball player, and he has blown up. He's been on the cover of Time magazine. So that's what that is. It's the Akku statue, Micah Johnson. Check it out. Check it up. I wanted to address that, too,

because there was a question in the chat. And Mike, I'm so proud of Micah. So anyway, that's neither here nor there, but there you go. The more we know. And obviously, we got more video and all that kind of stuff to get two, not through, two. I want to talk more about what Dave said about Rebleski and somebody had it in the chat here. D.A. Barak and say, hey, man, don't talk about me crying. That was his first start last year. That was April 8th, eight runs allowed against the nationals who were a lot worse last year than they are this year. Not to say that they're great this year. But

you know you come up you're expecting this opportunity another opportunity to start uh does not go your way you get sent that back down immediately and it's a little bit of up and down for him uh it makes a couple more starts and then kind of i don't say banished to the bullpen but banished to like a bulk roll and a bullpen and and again going back to what i had said about um the realization of all of the the sweat equity the work to get to that point uh to think about that moment to go back to that moment like that's a changing point point for him. That's what Dave said. Yeah, that April 8th. That's really cool. It's, I mean, it's not cool. You got a dude crying because he's being sent down and he feels he failed,

failed the team or whatever. But you know what? I'd rather that. I'd rather that than somebody that didn't care. Somebody that was like, whatever. I'm just here so I don't get fined. You want the guy that is going to be upset that he's getting sent down. You want the guy that's embarrassed or whatever. You want the guy that is willing to do what it takes to be able to get to where he's at now and be an all-star. I mean, then talk about flipping the switch. Hello. Yeah.

Yeah, for real. Another flip switch type of dude, you did talk. I mean, other players also talked about Andy Pahas, but you did talk to Andy. For what it's worth, you know, obviously Andy prefers to speak in his native tongue before anything else in Spanish. So I did edit this down to get some of the translation, not out of the way, but whatever. Just get through that. It's helpful.

It's helpful for most of our listeners. and our viewers for sure. Yeah. So here's Andy Pahas. What does it mean for you to be here? And finally, to be able to talk to your parents and let them know that you were in this? Yeah, really, I'd be really proud of all the work that I put in to get to this moment

and finally was able to talk to my parents and I were super proud to see me get to this. Max Muncie just said a moment that he remembers where he felt like you were an all-star was an at-bat that you had against Mason Miller, where you just kept fouling off the pitches and running up his pitch. count at what point in this season, especially after what happened last postseason, did you feel like you took your game to another level to be here?

Yeah, you know, really proud of being able to get here, really proud of the work. Obviously, Mason Miller's an incredible pitcher. He's a really good. He's a real talent, you know, but I'm also put in a lot of work, put in a lot of time to get at-bats like that. And obviously, super proud of the at-bat, but it's one of those things I'm going to remember from time. I'm going to remember for the rest of my career, just being able to model with them throughout the doom. but I also know there's going to be multiple opportunities to face him again. There was a moment for you that you thought,

that you're a starry. Yeah, you know, I'm really proud of the work that I put in. You know, there wasn't like a specific moment where I realized it, but it's just more of the work to continue this work and being able to have a lot of confidence of the things that I'm doing and being able to kind of see myself in this game. Seeing himself in the game, Riz, and earning a spot, honestly, he earned a spot, you know?

Yeah. Well, I mean, not only did he earn. a spot, but he was one of the high vote getters for outfielders. You know, I didn't think people were paying attention. And, you know, good job, Dodgers fans for showing up and showing out and voting. But I have to think that there were other people that are paying attention also outside of the Dodgers fan base that are paying attention to what Andy Paa has is doing to be able to get him the amount of votes. I mean, it was a no doubt. This wasn't like we're coming in through the back door. You know what I mean? This is like he was

the top vote getter, one of the top vote getters for the outfield. So congratulations to him. And thank you, Wanderato, for that. interpretation and translation for Andy Paz. I think this is the highest amount of Cuban-born players that have been represented at the All-Star game. Former Dodger Miguel Vargas and talked about trajectory and that poor bastard with this, that meme when he got traded over to the White Sox and he's crying.

He was so miserable. Oh my God, he was so miserable. Now look at him. He's an All-Star. He's doing really, really well. I talked to him momentarily too.

So congratulations to him as well. Seeing the joy back on, on Maggie Vargas's face. That's cool. That's cool. And the White Sox. They're a fun baseball team. Yeah,

they are. They're leading the A.L. Central. Season ends today. They're in. Good for that. Yeah. That's like saying that's the fastest man with a broken leg right there.

You know, it's like, A.L. Central is something special. If you're being chased by a bear, you only have to outrun your slowest friend. Okay? So it is,

it is what it is. I'm pretty slow. Hey, guys, we got two more interviews. We got last Licks. We got thoughts about the Yankee series. But I figure it's about time for us to have Riz give a shout out to our friends of

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Right on your screen. Cheers. Open the free IHR Radio app. Search video podcasts and tap watch. We're back with a little more Dodgers territory for you on this, the calm before the second half storm. And if you're enjoying anything you've seen so far today, hit that thumbs up button,

subscribe to the channel. It really helps us out. Share with your friends, your family, your dog, your neighbor's cat, whatever it may be. Sharing on like a Facebook group also helps us out a whole bunch. But a couple more interviews you had with, with Dodgers, the All-Star Dodgers at the bank there. I really liked what Freddie had to say, I think I'm going to pocket Freddie because

Muncie, Muncie's also just always so great, but he had some thoughts about guys we've talked to the whole lot about Rebleski and Andy Pahas. So here comes, here comes months. But Andy being in his first one, what have you seen the growth from him and his game and being able to be here for the first time? I think this year has been an extremely special year for Andy, when you consider what he went through in the postseason last year, for a young player, it would have been extremely easy for someone to crumble. You know, obviously he wanted to perform in the postseason last year. It didn't go how he wanted it to, but for him to come back this year, put all that behind

him and continue to grow as a player and, you know, grow as a person also. It's just been really, really cool to watch for me personally. I've always thought that he was going to be a great player for us, and he's really drawn into that. And also the work that he's put in for centerfield, and I know that was something that a lot of people doubted. We never did, but a lot of people had doubted his ability in centerfield. And for him to become one of the best defensive centerfielder,

I think it's absolutely incredible when it speaks to who he is as a person. What moment did you see from him, you know, playing your times with him, notice that, you know, this kid's going to be an all-star soon? How, man, it could be it. you could pick any number of moments, but, you know, a personal moment for me is Mason Miller in San Diego. It was ninth inning or we're in extra earnings. I can't remember, but the abat that he put together, fouled off, you know, seven or eight

pitches, was able to get a sack fly, drove in the, I think it was the tying run or the winning run for us. I can't remember, but just that abat really sticks out of my head for him to have the composure and to put together that kind of battle against. a guy as good as Mason Miller was, man, wow. Max, you had talked about your game and not wanting personal goals, but yet if you look at the numbers that you're not paying attention to, and I won't say what they are, you're always so consistent.

How do you find that consistency without paying attention to the results, just the process? Well, I think you show up every single day knowing that, you know, and this is something that I learned from Jim Tell me. there's always something you can put in the bucket to help the team win every single day. It could be play on defense. It could be taking a walk. It could be spotting something on the pitcher from the dugout and relaying it to your teammates. It could be you get on base and you have a good dirt read or you go first to third.

There's any number of ways you can help the team win. And when you show up every single day with that being your main goal is to just put something in the bucket to help move the needle forward for the guys, you know, everything else kind of takes care of itself. You show up every day, you work, and the ultimate goal is to win. And when that's all you're focused on, you know, you don't care if you go 0 for three or three for three. I kind of feel like everything just takes care of itself after that. Robo and All-Star, we were screaming off the mountain tops to get him in here because I don't know if you're not watching the Dodgers. Maybe a lot of people don't know Justin Robleski, but he's 10 and 2, sub 3 ERA. The kid has posted every single time he's taking the ball.

What have you enjoyed about watching him go about his business specifically from your vantage point? He's fun. He's, he's, he has a certain attitude on the mound. It's kind of a dual personality guy and it's fun to see the personality come out on the mound and, you know, I think the whole world got to see it in game seven last year and, you know, that's just kind of who he is. He's very fiery. He likes to attack and he's been very successful and I think, you know, for me personally, the biggest change I've seen from him is finding a way to translate his mindset from coming out of the bullpen to being a starter. And that's that, that can be tougher some. guys, but he's found a way to do that, and that's why I think he's had the success he's had this year. I want to focus on the Pahas factor of that. Really good observations from Muncie there, and you and I were texting each other, messaging each other during that interview, just how good Muncie's going to be. In my opinion, you know, in the dugout in some capacity, you know, as a coach or on TV,

you see Future Manager also definitely in his future there. The guy's going to be able to do anything he wants, you know, hopefully for, for, you see future manager. selfishly, I'd love to see him on SNLA with Hartung after a couple more years of playing in a couple more rooms. That much aside, the Pahez factor, and yeah, like Andy being El Benchaud for games six and seven, I'm not going to do the gesture. That could very easily just, thank you.

That's huge right there. Noah, clip that. That could very easily be something that just, derails your career, but very hard to battle back from, had just an abysmal postseason run. And for him to put up an all-star caliber second half, it's, it's impressed, sorry, first half, it's very, very impressive. It's an impressive follow-up. And yeah, you know, he's fallen on kind of harder times of late since moving in that two-hole games. I wouldn't say sped up on him, but the league has caught up and he's done his part to make some adjustment still. Max also mentions the growth in the outfield.

There was a lot of chatter about this guy is absolutely not a center fielder. Maybe you're lucky to put him in one of the corner spots. We knew he had a cannon. But he worked. He humped. He hustled. And he is an all-star starter in center field. And it's not like, I wouldn't have put him in center field.

No, he belongs there. It's just really cool. The growth of Andy Pahas. Another one of those homegrown Dodgers, Alana. You know what I think about when I think about Andy Paez in the postseason? I don't think about any of his at-bats. I think about the saving catch that he made. Kike Hernandez thought we lost the World Series because he didn't catch the ball.

And here comes Andy Paix is off the wall with the ball in his glove, just like walking off the field. Like, bro, I got it. That's what I remember when it comes to Andy Paas in the postseason because that defensive play, we could have lost the World Series. had they not caught that ball. Should have been. So that's what I think about, that's what I think about when I think about Andy Pahas in the postseason.

Yes, would we have liked to have had him more productive offensively? But if you're banking on Andy Pahas to be the offensive savior of the Los Angeles Dodgers with names like we have, and you're putting your balls in the wrong basket, I believe, and he has really emerged as a hell of a defensive center fielder

when I was on the leading the charge of, let's send this man to the moon camp. So he is absolutely a wonderful, deserving All-Star. And this is a guy that has been through it also. I mean, he can't even reach his parents to tell them that they made the All-Star game. I mean, he finally was able to. But, I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that we have no idea.

So congratulations to Pa-Haz. That's what I think about when I think about the postseason. And by the way, not for nothing, nobody is hitting in the two-hole. Okay? That's why Andy Pa-Haz has been moved up to the two-hole because the production, by and large, across the team in the two-hole is the worst offensive production. spot in the lineup. So, yeah.

Kyle Tucker didn't walk so Andy Pahez couldn't score runs. I think that's how, that's not really how it goes. Is that the way it goes? It's not. If my soundboard was on, I would 100% be booing myself.

So if you guys hated that, hit that thumbs up button. One final bit of interview. And we, we save one of the Dodgers for last. We got some Freddie in his 10th All-Star game. And that meant something to him. Here's Freddie.

Freddie, this is old hat to you, obviously, but I would imagine you never want to take it for granted. So what is your perspective? As you just mentioned, you may never know when it's your last. Yeah. For me, it's him over there. My other two boys will be on the field for a home run derby. He's really into baseball cards now.

So it's just creating those kind of memories. And trying to take it in, it's a lot. It really is. These two days, there's a lot going on. But to try and take a step back and realize the guys in the clubhouse, the first-timers. You don't want to be that old guy who thinks it's not cool to be here anymore. It really is special to be here.

It's an honor, especially when the fans vote you in. So try and take it all in and try and create the memories with the boys. First-timers, Andy Pahas, Justin Rubleski. Should be a second time. Should be. And Justin is here, thank goodness. What do you want them to know about this? Yeah, I told Justin to just take it all in.

He might probably pitch tomorrow because he hasn't pitched probably since, what, Tuesday or Wednesday. So what a great experience for your first one of probably pitching it. It's a lot. It's just more of just trying to stay grounded for a second. It's hard to. My first one, I felt like I didn't belong. It was, but it's just trying to help them get navigate the two days of making sure they take a step back and realize how special this is and still get to have a little fun in between. All right. Finally for me, this team, obviously, you guys need the break, I'm sure. everybody kind of limping around here,

but you still have an 11-and-half game lead in the division. That's the first box, right? Win the division, get the home field advantage type of thing. How would you assess your first half? Yeah, I mean, when you end 25 games over 500, I think everyone's going to be pretty thrilled about how we played. Obviously, this past weekend wasn't the best, but the break came at the right time.

We get a few days off. Hopefully, Shoah can get healthy. We have a couple guys coming back after the All-Star break. You have Kiki going to come back. Blake Snell is going on. going to come back. Tyler's back starting to feel better. So we got reinforcements coming and we still had a really good first half. So I like how we are. We're playing great baseball.

And to start in the East Coast against these teams that we're going to face really kicks off the energy, the high intensity. So kind of what we need. Thank you. Freddie using the right word. Reinforcements. It's not trade deadline acquisitions. Oh, okay. Yeah.

I mean, listen, listen, it's not us. We blame Katie for that one. one who keeps bringing it up. That's not fair. We can't blame her when she's not here to defend herself. By the way, Katie is en route to New York, I would imagine, from Philadelphia. That's why she's not here today. She's on assignment or en route to start the Yankee series, too.

The only thing I really wanted to randomly dive into quickly on the Freddie stuff, we appreciate you guys hanging out with us if you're still here on a longer episode of the show, but I'm enjoying it. He said, you know, you don't want to be that old guy who thinks it's not cool to be here. And there was a lot of All-Stars, a lot of people. I mean, the whole Zach Wheeler thing was kind of, you know, probably more than it needed to be. Just accept that you were an All-Star and, you know, you don't need to go to the game or whatever.

But if Zach was in, Justin's out. Well, he wouldn't a pitch. I think they would still need a replacement for him. But regardless of how that all works, like too many people not showing up to this thing. Yeah, it's taken away from the allure. of the, I mean, Mizorowski didn't pitch in the game, you know? Like,

going back to what we said earlier, like all these elite pitchers are better than the elite hitters. And we still didn't have like that top 1% of some of the best pitchers in the game, Baskins and Mizorowski and Cam Schlittler, you know, stuff like that, didn't pitch in the game. Yeah, but again,

then the other side of that argument, that's why if you're going to want these guys to pitch, then it has to be when it's not in season and their regular season isn't on the line. You know what I mean? If these guys are trying, These guys are trying to get into the postseason. I mean, you can imagine if the Yankees lose Cam Schlittler,

the frontrunner for the American Leadsaiang Award winner because he, I felt so bad when junior Kemanaro got hit. I was like, oh, my God, Kevin Cash just had a heart attack somewhere on vacation. Yeah, no, 100%. It's tough. Yeah, there's, I don't know if there's a right answer. This is still in like, in my opinion, the best all-star game of all the major sports. Like, Pro Bowl is garbage.

NBA All-Star game had its kind of moment for a second trying to come back but it's still just honestly like I don't know what the answer is like I don't know

Freddie was also asked before I was asking him those questions about baseball in the Olympics he's like when would you do it like it's just so difficult because you'd have to take a two week hiatus from your regular season

kind of like the NHL does so there's you're always going to be upsetting somebody there's no right answer for this but I do appreciate his approach about the All-Star game, you can't take that type of stuff for granted. Because I'm sure these guys with like an extra couple of days off. It's a long season, right?

And it's like the guys that are the best in the game get less time off than the guys that aren't, and they're on vacation right now. Yeah. You know, but. Quickly before we move to last licks. But there's all the interviews. Good stuff, Alana. Shout out to Fandul.

Fandul, whatever they called, foul territory. Those are the people we work with and work for. Having you, you know, bringing the family together out there. I'm sure you guys had a great time. But Brandon in the chat had a question about, oh, Super Chat, two bucks. We appreciate Brandon. So asking any news on Broussdarder all real quick. He had the back surgery a couple weeks ago, maybe a month and change ago.

He is up to walking now and he is actually running on like a zero gravity treadmill. Still highly unlikely that he returns this season. But happy for Bazooka to be trending in the right direction, hopefully. You know, he's able to find himself either a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, which seems to make a lot of sense or in some way back with the team as he continues to rehab into next year. But that much said, Riz, I want you to tell people about a dog. Let's get to last licks. All right, guys, let me introduce you to Frankie.

He's a cute little guy. He is three years old. He is a mixed breed. Lots of stuff going on here as far as Frankie is concerned. He is Minpin. He is also mixed with poodle. As you can see, that gives him his curly fur there. So it's Minpin, Poodle, and Chihuahua.

Those are his three main breeds. He's up to date on all of his shots. He's neutered. We're looking for a home with older kids. So if you have like teenage kids, that's fine. The reason being is we believe he was absolutely abused and tormented by kids. And we don't want him to be in a house with young kids again. It's just not good for anybody involved in that situation.

He's currently being fostered in Southern California. He's available for adoption in California. Great with other dogs. He's a sweet boy. If you're interested in learning more about Frankie, please reach out. Cool, cool. Yeah, nobody has kids ever. That's an important thing.

And certainly if you do, please don't let them abuse animals. Yes, absolutely. Big series coming up, Dodgers, Yankees. Let's see what we got. We don't have matchups yet. But here's a little bit of tale of the tape. the Yankees there. 54 and 42 in the AL East are those Yankees.

These are always fun series, you know, and be interested in hearing our friend Derek Lewandowski's thoughts and opinions about, you know, Dodgers, Yankees. If you guys want a different opinion, different outlook at it, check outpensripe territory. Derek is absolutely great. But I don't know, what do you need to see, if anything, in this particular series? You should have Yama getting the ball in game one. Yeah, you should have Yamamoto.

I mean, you're also wanting to take advantage of a Yankees club that doesn't have Aaron Judge in the lineup. You know, obviously Ben Rice is probably their toughest at bat right now. He's having a really great year. He, too, was an all-star. Cody Bellinger, an all-star, the all-star MVP, of course, for Belly, who I got to give him a lot of credit. I even told him this. I said, listen, when I found out that you were going to New York, I didn't know if this was going to work out for you. Because I just, with his personality, I didn't think that New York was going to be it.

It's been it. He's looked great, and he's obviously having a tremendous year there. So nothing. I want to see the same thing that we're doing. You know, I want to see continued starting pitching going as deep as you can into the ballgame. We'll see what happens, you know, in this series. But this is a fun one, right? It's the rematch of the 2004 World Series. Let's play the fifth inning the way that we did in 2024 in the last game of the World Series there. So let's do that.

Let's do that again. That's what I want to see. Yeah. should be some good really good pitching matchups in the series as well what a whole bunch of 4 o'clock games or something like that we will be live post game tomorrow so guys make sure you are tuned in for that subscribe to the channel do all that kind of stuff mash that thumbs up button share with your friends share with your family

you got something like that way yeah no really quick you can leave this on there subscribe subscribe subscribe by the way the 2007 Dodgers schedule is out if there is season. Pack your bags. You know where to go. Check it out online. We'll see where you guys want to. Where are we road trip in next year? Check it out. That just came out. That's what we open with. Open the year at home on March 25th against the Braves. A lot of work to be done between MLB and MLBPA before then because they are still doing the... I mean, when the season starts on July 3rd like it did in 2000 and whatever the hell it was. Oh, God. All right, guys. We'll see you tomorrow night. Bye.

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