Q & A: Dave Roberts

I’m super excited for this week’s Q & A, because it’s with one of the nicest guys to ever put on a Major League Baseball uniform. Ask any baseball writer, player, manager, whoever, that’s been around Dave Roberts (I know several and can include myself in that group after covering the Padres in 2006), and they'll probably tell you the same thing.

You’ll get to hear from him about his new role with the Padres as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations and his take on Spring Training. He also gives us some restaurant suggestions.

But before we get to Dave, allow me a minute to talk about the awesomeness that is Spring Training.

Do the Spring Training games matter? No. Is Spring Training more exciting than the NCAA Tournament? Definitely no. Is a Spring Training game possibly the best way to spend an afternoon in the history of the world? Yes.

In March, the weather in Arizona has not reached its heatstroke-inducing heights yet. So basically, we’re talking about 80-85 degree days. You buy cheap tickets, lay out in the grass just over the outfield fence and watch baseball.

Do you really need to know anything more than that?

It’s also the best place, hands down, to interact with players and or baseball legends. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

True story: last year, my sister and I went to Arizona for a few days for Spring Training, and in the process of taking in a few games, got sunburned. As we were walking into Camelback Ranch for the first time, new Spring Training home of the Dodgers, someone behind us was making fun of our sunburned shoulders. It was Fernando Valenzuela.

So, with baseball season almost here (thankfully) I spoke with Dave Roberts via e-mail.

Yes, the Dave Roberts who stole one of the most famous bases in baseball history while with the Red Sox. That 2004 stolen base turned the fortunes of the Red Sox around and led to their first World Series title in eleventy billion years (That’s not the exact number. I’m just rounding down).

Here are his answers:

CC: What have you enjoyed so far about your new role as a special assistant?
DR: Getting to know and work with players has been a thrill. Also, having the access to the front office has given me a completely different perspective on baseball. Everyday is different and has made my transition from player to staff more intriguing.

CC: Why did you want to stay in the game of baseball after your playing days ended?
DR: It is something I have always wanted to do. Baseball has given me so much and I've always felt compelled to give back to this game in some capacity. 

CC: What does it mean to you to be able to have this position with your hometown team?
DR: Being back in a Padre uniform is really special to me. I don't think I would have taken this position in any other organization. The opportunity that I have been given by my hometown team was something I could not pass up. Geographically it makes sense for me and I believe in the organizational philosophies on and off the field.

CC: What do you enjoy most about Spring Training?
DR: I enjoy playing a bunch of day games and having the chance to go out to dinner. Having the fan interaction in a more laid back environment is always fun. It doesn't matter where you are in Spring Training; a sense of optimism always surrounds the teams.

CC: What is your schedule like during Spring Training in your new role?
DR: My Spring Training is pretty much double duty. I get to the park around 7:30 (a.m.) and leave around 5:00 (p.m.). The first part of my day is spent with the on-field staff and players and the second part is spent with the baseball operations staff. It has been quite an experience.

CC: What are some tips you have for fans to keep in mind who are visiting Arizona for Spring Training?
DR: Get to the park early and watch them do fundamentals and take batting practice. Also, it's much easier to get access to the players for autographs!
 
CC: Any restaurant suggestions?
DR: There are so many great restaurants in the Scottsdale area. My two favorites are Mastros Ocean Club (warm butter cake for dessert) and Sakana ( for sushi).

Again, a big thanks to Dave Roberts for taking the time to do the Q & A. If anyone goes out to Spring Training, I hope you enjoy it!

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 I hate when I hate both teams in a championship game.

OK, hate is a little dramatic. But today, Alabama and Texas will face off in the BCS national title game, and I don’t really want either of them to have the glory that comes with winning this game.

It happened to me in the World Series this year too. The Phillies embarrassed my Dodgers (I’m still not ready to talk about it) in the NLCS, and as a life rule, voting for the Yankees is unacceptable. But the pain the Phillies caused me won out (in one game I actually blurted out, “come on A-Rod, get a hit here.” It gave me my answer of who I was voting for, but I was horrified that just came out of me. I think my boyfriend nearly broke up with me).

Ahem, but we’re talking about college football. My baseball issues are for another time. I’m still working out those issues.

It’s not that I have a huge distaste for the Crimson Tide. Sure, their fans are a little crazy obsessive passionate, but my main issue is simply that I’m tired of the Southeastern Conference. There’s no doubt it’s the best conference in the country. However, it makes me crazy that they play no one of consequence in their pre-conference games and take almost no risks. I understand why they do it, but how fun is it for football fans when Tim Tebow faces Charleston Southern?

The last non-SEC team to win the national title was USC in 2004. It’s time for some other teams to step up here. I’d even take Ohio State at this point (just kidding, I wouldn’t. But some other Big 10 team might be nice). Having a non-USC Pac 10 team would be nice too. But after the conference’s horrid bowl performance this year, I can’t even bring myself to entertain the thought.

So I’m very lukewarm about Alabama. Texas on the other hand, I just plain get annoyed by.

Now, I should mention that I like Mack Brown a lot, and think he does a great job. As a former sportswriter, I like the way he handles himself with the media. But the burnt orange. The HIDEOUS cheerleading outfits. I can’t bring myself to root for them, even though nothing would make my dad happier. Except of course, if I decided to become a Dallas Cowboys fan, but that would never happen in this reality. Ever.

I guess I’m rooting for Alabama and hoping for a better college football season next year. One where I actually want someone to win the title.

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2009 and the Fall From Grace

You know how lots of Chinese restaurants have place mats with the Chinese Zodiac, where each year corresponds with a certain animal?

I happen to be born in the Year of the Pig, but we’re not here to talk about me. If there was a Sports Chinese Zodiac, the year of 2009 would be The Year of the Fall From Grace.

The image of TYOTFFG would not be an animal…well, it does involve a Tiger, but not an animal.

Tiger Woods is certainly not alone in having a rough 2009. The placemat would also have to have images of Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez. We should probably put Rick Pitino on there too. It would also show the late Steve McNair, unfortunately.

It’s not just that the year has taken its toll on some professional athletes or coaches; these men are legendary in their respective sports.

If we were living 50 years from now, these are still men we would talk about in sports history as some of the best that have played or coached the game (McNair is arguable, but he’s certainly legendary in Tennessee and in his home state of Mississippi).

Anyone who ever coaches men’s basketball at University of Louisville will be measured in comparison to Pitino. People around the game of baseball say Rodriguez could eventually go down as the best player to put on a baseball uniform. Experts will tell you there are few in history that have the ability to hit a baseball like Ramirez can. It’s not a matter of if Woods will pass the great Jack Nicklus in major tournament titles, but when.

Sports fans want to believe these athletes can be great at their sport and great people that make the right choices at all time. Well, that’s not possible for any of us, so we shouldn't expect these guys to either.

After covering Major League Baseball for a year, I got a tiny, tiny glimpse into the life of a pro athlete. I realized that pro athletes behave they way they do because basically, these guys haven’t been told no since they were in elementary school. Most of these guys have known from an early age they were gifted athletically. They were most likely always in the cool crowd. They have few limits financially. Girls have probably been throwing themselves at these guys for most of their lives. It leads you to live in a warped reality.

It’s a reality that can cause you to think you are untouchable. As we have seen from the TYOTFFG, no one is untouchable. Woods’ nightmare seems to grow exponentially by the day. Pitino has to face recruits’ parents and try to explain away his poor decisions. A-Rod and Ramirez’s careers will always have a cloud over them: were they that good, or were they only good because they had help? McNair’s choices, or at least one very bad choice, left him dead.

Luckily for these guys (except for McNair, who tragically won’t get a second chance) winning seems to heal all wounds for the sports fans. A-Rod is a prime example of that. In a year where he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs in 2003 (by having his cousin shoot him in the butt to do so, which if that’s true, is another awful choice altogether). A strong showing in the playoffs en route to a World Series title, and that story seems to drifted away.

Hopefully, these guys learn from their mistakes. And maybe, we’ll look back on 2010 as the Year of Redemption.

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