Roberts Offers Words of Wisdom

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Palisades High baseball players got the surprise of a lifetime when, near the end of a players-only practice January 29 at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, they were approached by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Having heard of the devastatting fire that ripped through their community, damaged their school and left them without a field to play on this season, Roberts drove up from San Diego to show his support and share a little advice from his decades in the game.

“I couldn’t pass up this opportunity and my thoughts go out to each of you and your families. You’ve been through COVID and now this… just seeing your energy and enthusiasm warms my heart,” said Roberts, who piloted the Dodgers to the World Series title in October—their second MLB championship since he took over the club in 2016. Things happen and how you respond to them is enormous. Learning from a bad situation and growing is how you win in life. You have a leg up. I promise this experience will make you better men moving forward.”

Palisades is set to open the season February 26 at Venice and seeks to regain the Western Leaguie crown it lost to the Gondos last spring. The Dolphins will have to be road warriors as George Robert Field will not be available, but coach Mike Voelkel said Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine have offered their stadiums for Palisades home games where the schedule permits.

“Fortunatey we’ve only had a few players transfer as a result of the fires,” said Voelkel, who enters his 18th season two wins shy of 300 at Palisades. “Eight or nine of our kids lost their homes and many others are displaced. A good friend of mine connected me with Dave. This is bigger than baseball and it was nice of him to come visit with the team.”

Seeing some players having trouble fielding bad hops on the all-dirt infeld got Roberts’ juices flowing.        

“What bothers me the most is excuses,” Roberts continued. “Last year’s team didn’t make excuses and that’s why we won. Whatever happens, I wear it. If it goes bad I’m man enough to say it didn’t work out. Even on a rock hard diamond like this you have to expect to make the play. You guys chose to stick it out and not leave—I respect that. Enjoy practice. All of the great players love to practice. Dominate the fundamentals. Don’t just show up. Hit the cut-off man, creep over a few steps in the hole, learn how to navigate the game. If you’re an infielder it’s about footwork, arm strength and accuracy. That’s what scouts look for. When you’re batting, be able to hit to all fields. Guys at your level shouldn’t strike out much. No matter what position you play you’re job is to be ready when called upon. Strive to get better every day and lastly, get good grades. I was a walk-on at UCLA and there were more talented people than me, but I was dtermined to succeed.”         

Players fired question after question at Roberts,who played for five major league teams in a 10-year career highlighted by a World Series win with the Boston Red Sox in 2004.

“It was pretty cool that he came out and talked to us,” senior catcher Ryan Hirschberg said. “His showing support means a lot. I like how he emphasized the dedication a team has to have to the fundamentals.”   

Before leaving, Roberts posed for a picture with the team.   

“Only one franchise wins the World Series every year,” Roberts said. “Sure, I’d rather manage the Dodgers than a team that loses 120 games but even if I were I’d want to get the most out of my club. I’m going to share this with my guys at spring training. You have the chance to write your own story. Who knows? They might make a movie abut you someday. You’re teaching me more than I’m teaching you, I’ll be following  your progress and I’m going to share this with my guys when I get to spring training.”