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As we continue to dive headlong into the Major League Baseball Championship Series, it is quite timely to note that the media has always had an interesting relationship with baseball managers. Lately, however, there hasn’t been a personality large enough to dominate the screen and headlines. That may be changing in the person of Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts.
Last week, during the NL Division Series, Roberts told the media that he believed San Diego’s Manny Machado threw a ball at him with the intent to hit the Dodgers’ skipper. Of course, the media ate this morsel up with vigor, adding extra spice to an already hot LA vs. SD rivalry.
This incident gave Roberts, who ironically played for and briefly managed the Padres, a chance to once again play the media like a Stradivarius. He could have easily quelled the controversy, saying that Machado’s throw was an accident, but instead, Roberts played his part like a Hollywood thespian. In interviews, he appeared quite shaken and verbally reinforced his belief that Machado’s forceful toss was intentional.
In his 9 years in the City of Angels, Roberts has never shied away from the media spotlight. On the contrary, he has publicly reveled in the fact that his team has become the modern-day version of George Steinbrenner’s Yankees – buying or acquiring seemingly every high-priced personality in the game from Mookie Betts to Freddie Freeman to Shohei Ohtani and others.
What Roberts has also done is win. His clubs get the media attention thanks to a World Series win in 2020, two NL flags, and total domination of the NL West Division. Not since the days of Billy Martin, Earl Weaver, Tony LaRussa, and Lou Piniella has controversy and attention so surrounded an MLB manager.
More recently, you have to go back to the heated Red Sox-Yankees rivalry of the 2000s with managers Joe Torre and Terry “Tito” Francona. While these two skippers never engaged in any sort of fisticuffs, they certainly did not discourage their players from doing so, making for some classic TV moments.
That New York vs. Boston rivalry brings us full circle back to Roberts. So, how about a little trivia? Who was acquired by the Red Sox in exchange for Henri Stanley? What Red Sox player took over Nomar Garciaparra’s locker in 2004? Who is the only MLB player to achieve folk hero status by stealing one base?
Dave Roberts is the answer to all of the above. His ninth inning steal of second base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS blazed a trail for the Red Sox first world title in 86 years, and propelled Roberts to heroic status in the Hub. I spoke to the affable Roberts several years after this milestone title, and his championship enthusiasm had not yet ebbed.
“When I was with Cleveland, I loved going to Fenway with that great fan base and history,” said Roberts, who was dealt to Boston by the Dodgers on July 31, 2004. “But when I was traded to Boston, my wife was 8 months pregnant. I was happy in LA and was disappointed by the trade.”
The self-proclaimed team of idiots changed Roberts’ tune. He related, “When I met guys like David (Ortiz), Pedro, Johnny Damon and Wakefield, I realized that this was an opportunity to play on a great stage. Everyone had their own personalities.
“It seemed like we were all over the map, but these guys were professionals. It was business and we had a common goal. The fact that we were free spirits helped us handle all the pressure from fans and media in Boston.”
Roberts was no stranger to big market baseball, but Boston angst was a new experience. “The passion is unique,” he stated. “There were so many years of falling short. It seemed that everyone expected something bad to happen.”
The part-time player status that Roberts inherited in Boston was tempered by Francona. “Tito clearly laid out my role,” said Roberts, who also played with the Indians, Dodgers, Giants and Padres during a 10-year career (1999-2008). “He told me that I would be playing right field while Trot (Nixon) was hurt, and that I had to be available when needed. It was the ultimate compliment that he had confidence in me in crucial situations.”
This year, the media has celebrated the 20th anniversary of that 2004 Red Sox title, especially the ALCS vs. the Yanks. In fact, on October 23, Netflix will release its highly anticipated docuseries The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox.
To review, Boston trailed New York 3-0 coming into Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Moreover, they had lost Game 3 by a whopping 19-8 margin. Said Roberts, “The mood wasn’t great. We were upset and embarrassed, but still making jokes and keeping things lighthearted. We were just trying to win one game.”
Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Millar worked a walk against Mariano Rivera. Like a scene from a bad movie, Francona gave Roberts a wink, and Roberts headed to first as a pinch runner. The manager had given him the green light to steal and Roberts immediately flashed on a previous situation.
“Back in September at Yankee Stadium, I pinch ran for Doug Mientkiewicz,” Roberts recalled. “Rivera held the ball for a long time. I knew he would use that tactic again. I watched a lot of video and learned his tendencies.”
A strange smile came across Roberts’ face as he dug in at first. He related, “You have to be in the moment. If you are not having fun in that situation, you never will. I was prepared. When I got to first, (coach) Lynn Jones told me to just do what I do.”
An alleged throw from Manny Machado is nothing to Roberts. In 2010, he underwent radiation and chemotherapy to successfully treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so he knows about real pressure. In 2004, however, it was palpable. He explained, “I had a lot of nerves because I hadn’t played in a week. After Mariano threw to first, I settled down. After his second throw, I knew I had him. I got a good lead and a great jump.
“As a base stealer, you don’t really hear the fans. You get into a zone and it all goes silent. All I see is the base. I knew I was safe, but when I looked at the highlights, I had no idea how close it was.”
Bill Mueller would follow with a single, scoring Roberts, and Ortiz won the game with a homer in the 12th inning. Late in Game 5, Roberts pinch ran for Millar again. He related, “Tom Gordon was on the mound, and he was working a lot more quickly. I could see he was uncomfortable. It was a 3-1 count, and I took off. Nixon got a hit. I made it to third, and scored on a Jason Varitek sacrifice fly.”
Roberts would not play the rest of the postseason for Boston, but had a front row view of history. “Oh yeah, I got a crash course on Yankees-Red Sox,” he explained. “A lot of things that, in the past, would have gone bad went our way.
“It was a changing of the guard. The real emotion was after Game 6 of the ALCS. What Curt Schilling did was absolutely amazing. We had all the momentum heading into Game 7 and the World Series.”
Roberts was traded to San Diego after the 2004 season. His return to Boston for the team’s ring ceremony in April of 2005 was emotional. Said Roberts, “I wasn’t sure I should go. I was with a new team and agonized over it for days. Our GM Kevin Towers gave his OK and I got a call from Trevor Hoffman who told me I just had to do it. Coming back was the hugest honor for me.”
Yes, baseball can be cruel. Henri Stanley never made it to the big leagues, while Dave Roberts became a postseason legend. “It was like a script,” he explained. “Going to the Red Sox, being in Nomar’s locker and then doing what we did. Having that kind of impact in Boston is incredible.”
Roberts is making that same impact in Los Angeles. While Dodger players are hardly underdogs, the grit, spark, and media magnetism of their manager is contagious, creating some interesting and combustible action in a game that sorely needs it.
