Just caught Davey Lopes’ interview on the ”Mason & Ireland” show on ESPN Radio, and I can already tell I’m really going to like this guy. He says what he believes and seems to be as no-nonsense as they come. Here are a few quick notes & quotes from the interview that I found interesting:
- Lopes felt that the Dodgers were a great fit for him after negotiations fell apart with the Phillies: “I’ve always wanted to come back to the Dodgers.”
- When host John Ireland described Lopes’ 2000-02 Milwaukee Brewers as a “good young team,” Lopes responded with “neither one is correct.”
- Interestingly, he said that he felt that the Dodgers could have just as easily gone to the World Series in 2008 and 2009, as he felt the talent levels of the Dodgers and the Phillies were very similar in those years.
- Davey talked a lot about the value of stealing bases, and that without it, “it made the game so much more boring.” He went on to blame the reduced role of the stolen base on the influence of the “Ivy Leaguers” in baseball in recent years.
- “I only know one way to play the game, and that’s with good, aggressive baserunning,” said Lopes. “You have to go out there with that kind of mentality.”
- Lopes philosophy is for players to fully commit to winning by sacrificing and putting pressure on opposing defenses. “You have to play the game a certain way. You got to have a certain attitude. You’ve got to have a certain mentality to win a championship.”
ShareRelated posts: