Column: Dave Roberts remains himself amid pressure to change
Listen in to the postgame show on the Dodgers’ flagship station and take note of how the callers describe Dave Roberts.
You’ll swear they’re not talking about the same manager they praised over the same airwaves last year.
On any particular night, the callers might be screaming that Roberts removed the starting pitcher prematurely. Or that he removed him too late. Or that he should have used only one reliever in a particular inning. Or that he should have used more. Or that he shouldn’t have used Pedro Baez, not on this night, not the other night, not ever.
Never mind that it was Andrew Friedman who constructed the team’s F Troop of a bullpen or that Roberts manages similar to how he did when he was named the league’s manager of the year. As the manager entrusted to deploy this band of human blowtorches, Roberts has absorbed a disproportionate amount of the blame when something has inevitably failed.
“It’s part of the job,” Roberts said.
Roberts wouldn’t complain, not about the ire directed at him or his lame-duck status, the byproduct of upper management’s unconscionable decision to not offer him a contract extension in the offseason after he managed the franchise to its first World Series appearance in 29 years.
His smile remains warm. His disposition is still bright.
He acknowledged that like many of his team’s fans, he expected the Dodgers to surge into a comfortable lead at some point after moving into first place last month.
But the Dodgers are in third place in the National League West behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. There are only 36 games remaining in the regular season and the $190-plus-million luxury vehicle remains in neutral.
Only Roberts remains adamant: The surge will come.
A noted extrovert, Roberts is proactive by nature. As a player, he was best known for stealing second base and later scoring a tying run for the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. His team needed him to do something to avoid elimination. He went out and did it.
Only in this situation, Roberts knows he can’t force anything. He has to trust the talent on his roster. Whatever adjustments he makes, he knows the team’s success ultimately will depend on his pitchers pitching and his hitters hitting. And so he waits.
That’s why he won’t scream. That’s why he won’t call gratuitous team meetings. That’s why he remains calm.
“It’s funny,” he said. “I’ve always considered myself a leader. But when you’re playing, it seems like leadership comes from being proactive in a lot of different areas — encouragement, calling guys out, getting meetings together, whatever it might be.”
Roberts continued, “The more I’m in a leadership role, as far as managing in particular, I’ve learned showing calm and not being reactionary is the best way to lead. Everything around you is reactive and emotional. So I always try to keep in my mind the optics of a player, what made me feel best and what made my teammates feel best. That’s when I had a leader who was consistent and kind of calm.”
He still initiates conversations with players, he still challenges them, just not any differently than he would if the team was in first place.
Roberts understands how much the fans want the team to win, as well as how many of them want to see more from him.
“I just think that it goes back to how I have to be true to who I am,” Roberts said. “Am I aware that fans would like me to yell and scream like Tommy Lasorda? Yeah. But that’s not who I am. If I do choose to react that way and it’s not authentic, it’s all for naught with the players, and that’s who most has to be affected by my actions or reactions.”
The players appreciate that, especially Kenley Jansen.
The All-Star closer was sidelined for 11 days with a heart condition, a period over which the Dodgers endured some particularly horrific late-inning meltdowns.
“Doc was checking in every day,” Jansen said of Roberts.
As Jansen blamed himself for the losses, Roberts reminded him that the situation was out of his control. As Jansen worried about the team’s place in the standings, Roberts reiterated that his health and family are more important than baseball.
The conversations relieved Jansen of his angst.
“The baseball stuff will take care of itself,” Roberts recalled telling Jansen.
Cleared by his cardiologist to return to the field, Jansen was activated from the disabled list Monday.
Jansen was certain the Dodgers would win the division. Roberts told him they would.
Are you a true-blue fan?
Get our Dodgers Dugout newsletter for insights, news and much more.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
