There’ll all the time be excessive expectations for the particular person managing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Followers demand a World Collection yr in and yr out whereas something in need of it’s thought-about a misplaced season.
The phrases, “Hearth Dave Roberts,” have been written so many occasions over the previous 9 years that the supervisor has misplaced depend. That hasn’t stopped him from persevering with to succeed, although.
“The one ones who query him, I feel, is you guys,” Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter stated earlier than the staff received the World Collection. “He’s received 4 pennants in eight years. Anybody who thinks they’ll do higher than that – that’s rather a lot.”
Roberts doesn’t get sufficient credit score generally for the job he has achieved. However, that doesn’t hassle him.
“I’ve discovered to have thicker pores and skin and attempt to respect the truth that there’s all the time going to be criticism. Perhaps extra jaded at occasions,” Roberts stated.
“However it’s a outcomes enterprise, and I get that. I perceive the job, the market, however I’m simply completely satisfied that our guys actually carried out.”
This season was a masterclass in managing from Roberts and he might have simply given up and seemed forward to 2025. As an alternative, he gathered his staff and so they locked in.
“There’s lots of occasions within the season the place we might have punted and had each excuse to look ahead to ’25,” Roberts stated. “However they didn’t.”
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman gave Roberts all of the credit score for that.
“I feel there have been occasions in the course of the yr with among the accidents we had the place it was a bit of bit deflating,” Friedman stated. “And I feel Doc did an ideal job of getting in entrance of that and pumping some enthusiasm and optimism into the group.”
However the noise can be a constructive be aware as a result of if there wasn’t any, it might as if the fan base didn’t care.
“Now we have such an ideal fan base and we love that,” Friedman stated after the Division Collection victory over the Padres. “The expectations are tremendous excessive. We love that as properly. And every time we fall in need of that, there’s lots of blame to go round and lots of dissatisfied individuals. We might a lot fairly that than individuals not caring.
“The theater of October baseball is all outcome-based. In case you have a very good consequence, constructive issues are stated and written. In case you have a nasty consequence, actually unhealthy issues are stated and written.”
The 2024 postseason was stuffed with positives for Roberts and the Dodgers. It’s secure to imagine followers received’t be chanting ‘Hearth Dave Roberts’ anymore.
Picture Credit score: Kirby Lee-Imagn Pictures
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