Remember all those rumors we heard about how Dodgers managerial candidate Dave Roberts had aced his initial interview with Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi? Yeah, well… they were all true. And for those who believe that Friedman and Zaidi made a mistake when they ultimately selected Roberts for the job (if there are any), I encourage you to watch SportsNet LA’s replay of Roberts’ introductory press conference (below) which was held on Tuesday morning at Dodger Stadium. If, after watching the entire press conference, you still feel that Friedman and Zaidi got it wrong, then all I can tell you is no, they didn’t.

Video: Dave Roberts Introduced As Dodgers Manager
(Courtesy of SportsNet LA. – Click on image to view video)

“We went into it with a completely opened mind and in fairness to the nine candidates we had, every one of them we felt had a sincere shot at sitting up here today being announced as our next manager,” Zaidi told the assembled media. “I would echo again what Andrew said – there’s no way Dave walked out of that interview not thinking ‘I totally nailed that,’ because that’s how we all felt about it.

“For him to be sitting up here, more than a statement about any of our other candidates, is a credit to him,” added Zaidi. “The energy that [Roberts] brought to every encounter he had with every member of this organization that he got to meet and to build such a strong consensus, again, is just really a tribute to the person and the baseball person that he is.”

During the 35 minute presser, Roberts said several times that his will not be a “style” of managing but rather a a combined effort to try to get his players to be the best that they can be. He also used a word that we often hear players (and fans) use, but gave his own personal interpretation of the it.

“A word that I kind of like, I like grit. … I think grit is something where I believe [is] an unrelenting passion and desire for a common goal and you’re not going to waiver from that, and so it’s a word that I really believe.”

The 43-year-old Naha, Okinawa native plans to utilize an aggressive offensive approach in his role as the Dodgers new skipper – one that he is very familiar with as a former player.

“That’s the way I played the game because [being] vertically challenged, I couldn’t hit too many home runs so I think that’s the way that I had to play the game to kind of survive,” Roberts said. “So I think that for me it’s one of those things that as my job is to get the most out of the players that are put in front of me. I don’t think there’s one style that I kind of play to but I do believe in team offense. I do believe in playing for one another and again, I think that the situational hitting – if you get guys that can drive the ball out of the ball park and do some things.

“I believe in competing every pitch, running the bases. I think that those are things – when you run the bases and your teammates watch you competing every pitch – those are things that as you go through the summer, and it’s a grind, that your teammates kind of see that the effort that you’re putting in,” Roberts added. “When you go first to third on the base and create a situational opportunity for the next guy, those things – for me – those play.”

Magic Johnson presents new Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with his new jersey – number 30, of course. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Roberts was also mindful of the tremendous history of the storied franchise, including the careers of several former Dodger greats on-hand for the press conference like Don Newcombe, Maury Wills and Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, along with current Dodgers first baseman and Roberts’ former Padres teammate Adrian Gonzalez.

“I can’t really speak to the style of play, I just know that there’s a way to play baseball and I think that if you look back, you talk about the Dodgers, and it’s The Dodger Way,” said Roberts. “I think that people can look back at the Dodgers and say ‘Hey, these guys stuck their nose in there, they got hit by pitches, they took the ball in dirt, they took the extra base, they caught the ball, they made plays, hit the cut-off man, executed when they needed a play.’ I think that for me, it’s something that we’ve talked about and I think that we’re kind of in agreeance that [it’s] the players [that] drive this game.

“And I think that for me, I just believe that we’re a part of the entertainment industry and show when these fans that so up every single night to support our ball club and our franchise – home and away, there’s Dodger fans everywhere – and I think that it’s a responsibility for us to go out there and put a team that shows that we’re going out there and playing our tails off.,” Roberts added. “Just to reference my coach at UCLA, Gary Adams, he said that ‘I just want you to realize that every single time you play baseball there could be a fan or a kid out there that’s never seen you play baseball, and it’s your obligation to go out there and put forth your best effort.’ I think that’s something that always resonated with me and, again, I think it’s the entertainment business and I think that we all love it. It’s a great game and that’s something that I really believe in.”

So there you have it – new Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in a nutshell. It’s about grit, it’s about competing on every pitch and most of all, it’s about returning to The Dodger Way.

Is it Opening Day yet?