00:00How about this, Bobby, as a manager, would you be concerned with having some of your pitchers being involved in
00:06this?
00:06I mean, you know, you saw a little bit in the Olympic experience with some of the hockey guys getting
00:10injured.
00:11Would you have a problem with some of your pitchers performing in the World Baseball Classic?
00:17Well, you know, after I won the championship in 2005, the first WBC was held and seven of my players,
00:24the four of my pitchers were on the Japanese championship team.
00:29They didn't get hurt, but they didn't last into the season with the kind of strength that I would have
00:35liked to have seen.
00:36So there's a concern.
00:37You know, Diaz broke his ankle, but, you know, you can break your ankle in spring training, too.
00:42So games are games.
00:43And, again, great revenue source, great for the fans.
00:47Hopefully everyone stays healthy and all will be well that ends well.
00:55Would you be a fan of the L.A. 28, Major League Baseball, having the professional guys in the Olympics?
01:04Would you be a fan of that?
01:06Not really.
01:08Again, talking about, you know, disruption, that would be in-season.
01:13And you're going to either take away, you know, games from regular-season ticket holders and fans that are in
01:20a regular season,
01:21or you're going to just suspend and lengthen the season.
01:26You know, I was always a proponent that baseball should be played in the Winter Olympics.
01:32Played, you know, it's a TV situation, the Olympics.
01:36So just get some domed stadiums and have the games played in warm weather climates during the Winter Olympics on
01:45television.
01:45And then nothing would be disrupted.
01:47Guys could get ready just like they do for the WBC.
01:50See, but WBC is an MLB product that it looks like it's entrenched now.
01:58As you said, Bobby, your great success that you had in Japan when you were managing over there,
02:05you're probably not surprised that Shohei Otani has had the success that he's had in Major League Baseball.
02:12Or are you surprised at the level of success that he's had?
02:17I'm surprised at the level for anyone, not a Japanese player.
02:21I mean, he's a one-of-one.
02:23He does stuff that no one else has ever done, and he does it at a higher level than anybody
02:27else.
02:28And that goes from his practice to his dedication to his in-game play.
02:35He's just a little, you know, a notch above everyone else.
02:38And it's great to see that kind of talent, you know, once in a lifetime, as they say.
02:44Maybe once in my lifetime, for sure.
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