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00:00Hey, we're going to be joined by Bob Brindley here in just a moment.
00:03Former Diamondbacks manager, current broadcaster for the team,
00:08and obviously, Joe, as you know, you watched some Bob Brindley growing up
00:11as a San Francisco Giant, did you not?
00:13Yes, I did.
00:14What do you remember about Bob Brindley, the player?
00:16I mean, there's a million things, but there's famously he played third base
00:20and had a bunch of errors and then came and hit a game-winning home run
00:23to win the game.
00:24It was one of the all-time moments for many, many Giants,
00:28and I believe he was the catcher on the final day of the year, 1982,
00:32Bill Lasky starting against Fernando Valenzuela,
00:35where Joe Morgan hit the home run to knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs.
00:39Well, let's ask Bob about that.
00:40Hey, Bob, good morning.
00:41You're on with Joe Spadoni and Joe Shasky.
00:43Do you remember that game?
00:46I vaguely remember scoring on Joe Morgan's home run
00:49and jumping up and down at home plate like an idiot,
00:51but, you know, any time you beat the Dodgers back then,
00:54it was worth celebrating.
00:55Well, still now, as Bob Brindley is joining us on the River Islands guest line,
00:59former World Series champion manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks
01:03and current broadcaster with the team as the Giants start a four-game set
01:06in the desert starting today.
01:08And both of these teams, Bob, as I say good morning to you,
01:10are struggling mightily.
01:12Obviously, the D-backs without their best player,
01:15Corbin Carroll, dealing with that wrist fracture there.
01:18We'll see when he comes back.
01:19But they've lost four in a row all of a sudden.
01:21The red-hot Miami Marlins just cleaning up the NL West right now
01:25when it comes to the Giants and then the D-backs.
01:27I don't know who saw that coming.
01:29But what have you made of this orange and black team this year, Bob?
01:33Obviously make the big deal for Devers in the offseason.
01:36They bring in Adamas.
01:37They re-sign Matt Chapman.
01:38Justin Verlander joins this team.
01:40They're scuffling as of late right now.
01:42But what do you make of this team so far heading into July?
01:45Well, you know, just looking at it from the outside,
01:48I wouldn't be overly concerned if I was a Giants fan.
01:52I know they're not scoring a lot of runs.
01:53I know they're not getting a lot of base runners.
01:55But, damn, you've got a pitching staff that can keep the other team from scoring.
01:59And in today's game, that's what it's all about, keeping runs off the board.
02:03And I know this four-game series, we're going to get four of your best.
02:07And runs are going to be hard to come by,
02:10even though the Diamondbacks might be one of the best offensive teams in baseball.
02:14They slug.
02:15They have the ability to steal bases and manufacture runs if they choose to do so.
02:20But they just can't keep the other team off the board,
02:23especially the bullpen right now.
02:25It's just in tatters.
02:26Yeah.
02:27Okay.
02:27Well, you know, Bob, the Giants are looking at themselves,
02:30and there's just a lot of frustration.
02:32You know, Adamas and Jung-Hoo Lee,
02:34they're failing to try to, like, go the other way and make adjustments.
02:38From somebody who was a player, was a part of many staffs,
02:42and understands the modern game the way it is now,
02:45a lot of Giants fans, they're basically saying,
02:48hey, get Pat Burrell out of here.
02:49He's the hitting coach.
02:50And get Matt Williams out of here.
02:51And I'm like, guys,
02:52if you don't think that they're sitting down with these highly paid players
02:55and saying, guys, you've got to adjust.
02:58But it is up to the players.
02:59Like, break it down when you're part of the staff
03:02and working with these guys that are on big, mega deals
03:04and how difficult it is to maybe get them to change their approach at the plate.
03:11Well, that's a hard thing to do, you know,
03:13especially for guys who have had success their entire career,
03:16wherever they've been.
03:17They've probably been the best hitter on the team.
03:19And, you know, you get to the big leagues,
03:21and it's a whole different animal.
03:22I've seen a lot of really, really good minor league hitters
03:25carrying a lunch bucket very quickly after they got to the big leagues
03:29because the pitching is that much better.
03:33You know, as far as getting rid of coaches,
03:35I think unless there's some kind of an egregious error taking place,
03:39like down in Atlanta, they decided to change their third base coach
03:43because they were getting guys thrown out at home plate every day.
03:45But it is on the players.
03:48I mean, you can coach them up all you want.
03:50You can tell them all the right things to do.
03:52You can even tell them what pitches to look for
03:54in certain counts against certain pitchers.
03:55But if they can't execute when that time comes,
03:59that's on the player.
04:00That's not on a coach.
04:02I always felt bad for coaches that got fired midseason
04:05because their team wasn't playing well.
04:07And, you know, they turn around and maybe hit a little bit better
04:10for the new coach, and all of a sudden he's the savior
04:12until they don't hit again, and then they want to fire that coach.
04:15So, yeah, I tend to put it on the player.
04:19I mean, coaching, real good coaching helps, good managing helps,
04:21but it's all on the player.
04:23So how do you, in the modern era, how do you hold these guys accountable?
04:28Do you say something at a press conference?
04:31Do you have a closed-door meeting?
04:32Do you go individual?
04:34What's the best way to hold these guys accountable?
04:37All of the above.
04:39You know, I think for me the most important thing is getting guys to buy in.
04:44The success of the team is much more important than my individual success.
04:50If I can hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield
04:52and move that runner from second to third with one out in the inning
04:55and my teammate behind me picks up the RBI, that's team baseball.
04:59I'll give myself up.
05:01I'll sacrifice one of my at-bats here to move my teammate into scoring position
05:05for the teammate behind me.
05:06Once you get guys to buy into that team concept and, you know,
05:10maybe this isn't what I want to do right now,
05:13but it's what the team needs me to do.
05:15Once you get guys to buy into that theory,
05:18managing becomes much easier, coaching becomes much easier,
05:21and certainly winning becomes much easier.
05:23You know, Bob, we had a situation over the weekend for the Giants
05:27where there's runners on second and third.
05:29You got Rafi Devers at the plate.
05:31There's no outs, and he's clearly your best hitter,
05:34and he swings and misses, essentially,
05:37and then they back pick and throw out the guy at third base
05:40who's way too far off the bag.
05:43What is it about the modern player and the base running mistakes that I'm seeing?
05:47It just feels like they're way more prevalent
05:49in the worst possible situations now than ever.
05:53Why is that?
05:55Well, I think it's a lack of fundamentals being taught,
05:58not only at the minor league level,
06:00but going down to the college level,
06:02you know, there's such an emphasis on winning in the NCAA now
06:05that I don't know that players are a solid fundamentally.
06:09I may sound like a, you know, back-in-my-day guy,
06:12but we knew how to slide.
06:14You know, I see guys steal second base and go in head first
06:17and end up 10 feet past the bag and get tagged out.
06:21Who taught them to do that?
06:23You know, you're supposed to slide to the base and stop.
06:26Bunt defenses, defending the stolen base,
06:29all those little fundamentals that you used to be drilled on
06:33because that's what makes up winning baseball
06:35have fallen away to exit velocity and launch angle
06:39and, you know, the velocity on your fastball
06:42and how many rotations does your slider take on the way to the plate.
06:45All stuff that, for me, is basically unnecessary
06:48in teaching the fundamentals of the game.
06:52I'm talking with Bob Brenly here on the Morning Roast,
06:54former Diamondbacks manager, current broadcaster with the team
06:57and obviously former orange and black catcher here in San Francisco
07:00and teammates with Bob Melvin.
07:02You also, Bob Melvin was the bench coach on your staff
07:05when he won that World Series back in 01, Bob.
07:07Bob, and I want to talk to you about it
07:09because I'm assuming you know him pretty well,
07:11being a teammate and him being a part of your staff.
07:13Is that fair to say?
07:15Oh, that's very fair to say.
07:16He's one of my best friends ever.
07:18What would you say are the strengths of Bob Melvin as a manager?
07:23Well, I'll tell you, the X's and O's of the game,
07:26he's on top of all of that.
07:28I mean, there's always a reason for everything he does,
07:32and it's not just based on his gut instinct.
07:34He does use his gut instinct an awful lot,
07:37but it's based on things that he's gathered from his scouting reports,
07:42things that he's gathered from the video,
07:43things that he's gathered from watching games,
07:47watching other teams, and picking up little things here and there.
07:50And he doesn't miss a thing.
07:53As a matter of fact, while the Giants are in town here,
07:55we're going to hopefully do a little bit for our TV
07:57where Mel and I sit down and walk through the ninth inning
08:00of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
08:03I don't know how many fans out there saw it.
08:06Of course.
08:07Luis Gonzalez.
08:08Yeah.
08:09We didn't know if we had enough players to feel the team
08:12at the end of that inning if the game stayed tied.
08:14I think we pinch-ran two or three times.
08:17We pinch-hit two or three times.
08:18And at one point, I turned to Mel and I said,
08:20Jesus, do we have enough players to feel the team?
08:23But, I mean, it's Game 7 of the World Series.
08:25What are you going to do?
08:26Save somebody for tomorrow?
08:28You know, it was all hands on deck.
08:30And, boy, I'll tell you, the decisions were flying fast and furious in that dugout.
08:35But just to get back to your question, Mel is on top of things.
08:40Nothing escapes his gaze.
08:42And he fixes things quickly.
08:44If it's within his power to fix it.
08:48Yeah, Bob, thinking about that team, that 2001 team,
08:51we were all rooting for you guys to beat the Yankees.
08:53You were a giant.
08:54Like, to me, you were a giant.
08:56And you had Matty Williams.
08:58And there were a lot of guys that I rooted for on that team,
09:00even though you guys are in the West Division.
09:03It was one of the great upsets of all time.
09:05It was David versus Goliath, Bob.
09:07Like, literally, Mariano Rivera.
09:08Are you kidding me?
09:09The greatest closer in the history of the sport?
09:11And a Texas leaguer wins it all.
09:12Yeah, and Mariano Rivera, one of the best defensive pitchers in the history of the game,
09:17throws the ball away at second base.
09:19Scott Brocious decides not to go for a double play on a sacrifice bunt
09:23when it would have been an easy double play.
09:25Just a lot of things that happened weird, but they happened the way we needed them to happen.
09:30Yeah.
09:30You know, Bob, now that we're going in the way back machine,
09:33first baseball I ever got was at Candlestick.
09:35It was a Chris Brown home run in the family pavilion.
09:38My dad made me run on down on a Wednesday afternoon.
09:40And you subbed in famously for Chris Brown at third base with the four-error game,
09:46and you hit two home runs, one of them being a walk-off.
09:49Are you sick and tired of that story from 86?
09:52What do you think?
09:55I mean, other than winning a World Series, that's probably the highlight of my career.
09:59More people know me for that than anything else.
10:02So, yeah, you know, it kind of becomes part of your baseball DNA.
10:05And the fact that it ended well, I don't mind talking about it.
10:09Do you like – because when I see what the Giants are trying to build right now,
10:12Buster Posey at the helm, bringing in Bob Melvin, bringing back Matt Williams,
10:17you know, Will Clark's around the team now more than ever,
10:19Bonds around the team now more than ever.
10:22Do you – like, as somebody from afar,
10:24do you think that what the Giants are doing is a successful thing right now,
10:27bringing in the old-school guys?
10:30Personally, I do.
10:31I know there's differing opinions out there, but I think it's great.
10:35I remember back to my playing days when, geez,
10:37Willie Mays would show up for a week of spring training and put on a uniform
10:41and sit in the clubhouse and talk to us after workouts.
10:44And Willie McCovey and Mike McCormick.
10:47And right down the line, Bob Lurie started to bring back some of the former Giants,
10:52some of the big-name Giants, Hall of Fame Giants.
10:54And I thought it was great, you know, just to listen to Willie Mays tell stories
11:00in a clubhouse, sitting there in his underwear with his cleats still on,
11:04talking about things that he experienced during his career,
11:07most of them hilariously funny.
11:10That was invaluable.
11:11I think all of us that got to experience that back in the 80s will remember that forever.
11:16You know, Bob, I think of you kind of as an old-school guy.
11:18So I'm curious your reaction with what happened with Marte and the fan the other day.
11:24You know, I recently lost my dad a year and a half ago,
11:27and I try to tell people, like, unless you've been through it,
11:29you don't understand there are certain things that catch you off guard,
11:32and they just trigger you for whatever reason,
11:34and you just kind of lose your emotions.
11:37And I was defending Marte.
11:39Your thoughts on the whole situation?
11:42Well, you'd like to believe that fans would behave themselves a little better at the ballpark.
11:47I mean, I think the average fan would be absolutely mortified
11:51to hear some of the things that come out of the stands.
11:54Especially in areas that are maybe away from the field, Mike, down in the bullpens.
11:58And I've heard an awful lot of bad stuff during the course of my career as a coach
12:04and a manager and a player, but that's not going to happen.
12:07People don't know how to behave themselves.
12:09Some people don't know how to behave themselves,
12:11and you get a belly full of beer, and all of a sudden, you know,
12:14they're going to be a tough guy.
12:16It was unfortunate the way it happened.
12:18It was unfortunate Cattell couldn't get to the dugout or something to avoid,
12:22you know, the spectacle that we saw out there on the field.
12:25But I don't know if there's an easy answer to the whole thing.
12:29You could say the players need to be more thick-skinned.
12:31But as you said, there are certain things that are triggering,
12:34that hit a nerve within your family.
12:37And it's too bad that has to happen,
12:40but I guarantee you this is not going to be the last time it happens.
12:44Bob Brantley joining us here on the Morning Rose,
12:45former Diamondbacks manager, current broadcaster with the team,
12:47and obviously a former Giants catcher as well.
12:50And, hell, you had that player in Pittsburgh try to swing on a fan in the bullpen the other day.
12:54There's been a lot of craziness happening.
12:55Hell, World Series last year, Bob.
12:57A fan trying to just take the glove and call away from Mookie Betts in the outfield.
13:02What are we doing?
13:04Yeah, I don't know.
13:05I mean, read the back of the ticket.
13:06It tells you what you're allowed to do and what you're not allowed to do at a ballgame.
13:10And, you know, just behave.
13:11You know, be a human being.
13:12Put yourself in somebody else's spot for once in your life
13:15and think twice before you say something.
13:17No, it's a great point.
13:19How do you see this NL West race shaping up here, Bob?
13:23Because, obviously, the Dodgers are the Dodgers.
13:24I mean, they're just so stacked offensively.
13:26They're 21 games over right now.
13:28I feel like they're going to run away with this thing.
13:30The Giants see them next week.
13:31You've got the Padres.
13:32You've got the Giants and D-backs all kind of muddled up together
13:35just a couple gains from each other.
13:37How do you see this thing shaking out the rest of the way?
13:40Well, you know, obviously, I'm hoping the Diamondbacks do well
13:43because it makes my job a lot easier when they're winning than when they're losing.
13:46But, you know, just looking at it from the outside, I like the Giants pitching.
13:50I mean, you can talk all you want about 500-foot home runs and exit velocity
13:56and all that stuff and scoring runs.
13:58But, man, if you can't keep the other team from scoring, it doesn't matter.
14:01And the Giants, for me, have the strongest five-man rotation right now in the West,
14:06no doubt about it.
14:07And some of the guys in the bullpen seem like they're falling into their roles down there.
14:12And I don't know.
14:13I mean, the Dodgers, like you said, they're just stacked.
14:16They're loaded.
14:16If they need anything at the trade deadline, they'll just go out and, you know,
14:20give up a few more prospects and get another all-star.
14:22That's what they do.
14:24But as far as the way the teams are organized and staffed right now,
14:28I think the Dodgers are one, the Giants are two,
14:31and the Diamondbacks and the Padres are going to be battling out for that third spot.
14:35And the other team is going to end up just ahead of the Rockies.
14:39Well, it's funny you say that, Bob.
14:41Like, if you were to ask, it's funny because I love having different perspectives, right?
14:45You're heading into this series saying, wow, I got a lot of respect for what the Giants are doing.
14:48Sky's falling here this morning, Bob.
14:50You lose to the Marlins, you get swept by them,
14:52and you lose a series to the White Sox,
14:54who are the worst team record-wise in the American League.
14:56You'd think everything was gone wrong.
14:58We got the panic meter up for a lot of people here in the Bay right now.
15:01Well, you know, you can hold a mirror up to the Diamondbacks,
15:04and it's the same thing.
15:05They went on a long road trip to Toronto, Colorado, and the White Sox,
15:09and they came home five and four from that nine-game trip.
15:12But they were hanging their hat on the fact, well, we got the Marlins when we get home,
15:16and the Marlins just swept the Diamondbacks, too.
15:18So, you know, I've said it for years.
15:21It's not always who you play.
15:22It's when you play them.
15:23And right now the Marlins are a scary team.
15:26I mean, they crushed the Giants.
15:27They out-hit them 34-14 or whatever it was in that three-game series.
15:32So, yeah, trust me, we're well aware of how well the Marlins were playing when they left San Francisco.
15:37What exactly is this team right now, the Diamondbacks?
15:39You know, I know Corbin Carroll got injured.
15:42Zach Gallin is, like, having a very bad year just looking at the numbers.
15:46But you're watching this team every day.
15:48Who are the Giants facing over the next couple of days?
15:52Well, I'll put it the way Tori Lavelle, the manager, does.
15:54A very inconsistent team.
15:56I mean, there are days they go out there and play airtight defense.
16:00Everything seems to fall into place.
16:02The starting pitcher gets you into the sixth inning,
16:04and you can use your bullpen in an orderly fashion.
16:06When that happens, they're a really good team.
16:10Now, if they're not catching the ball, which they've been horrific at this year,
16:15I mean, this was the best defensive team in Major League Baseball last year,
16:18made the fewest errors, and they're going to blow right by that probably before the All-Star break.
16:23So, the defense has been really shaky.
16:26The injuries have obviously hurt immensely.
16:29You know, Gabby Moreno, our catcher, Josh Naylor's been a day-to-day guy with a neck-shoulder thing.
16:34Just right down the line, Marte was out for a month early in the season.
16:39People forget that.
16:40He's having an All-Star first half, but he missed nearly a month of the season.
16:44So, when you watch D-backs baseball, you better like offense,
16:48and you better be able to grit your teeth when the bullpen comes in.
16:52Bob, from a managing perspective, when you get a big acquisition or a new player,
16:56like the Giants did with Devers, it was a major shift, right?
16:59In tone in the organization, getting a player of that caliber.
17:02Yeah, all the stuff in the background with him and the Red Sox withstanding.
17:06He's had 12 games here now.
17:07He's batting .217.
17:08It's been a struggle offensively for him,
17:11and he's been a designated hitter the entire time as he's been working through a groin injury.
17:15How long does it take for a player, you know, in your experience,
17:18to kind of get their feet under them when they join a new team like this?
17:21And hell, a whole different league at that point.
17:23Well, and I really thought Devers was going to hit the ground running,
17:26and he did that first game.
17:28I think he hit a double to the triples alley out there and had another base hit later in the game,
17:32and, you know, the fans were giving him a standing ovation every time he stood up in the dugout.
17:36So I thought it was going to be a very easy transition.
17:39But, you know, you've got to keep in mind that you've got to find a place to live.
17:43You've got to find a place for your family.
17:45You've got to find your way to the ballpark.
17:46Once you get to the ballpark, you have to find your way to the clubhouse.
17:49It's all new, and it's all kind of disorienting until you kind of get settled in.
17:54But off the subject, I had knee surgery last week, so I was laying in bed for a few days,
18:00and I was watching three baseball games a day, and I just watched some of the Giants games.
18:06And I did see Devers and Willie Adamas spending a lot of time on the bench.
18:11It was obvious they weren't monkeying around.
18:13There were some serious conversations going on.
18:15And I think that will help immensely, having another veteran who recently has come from another team
18:20maybe kind of relay his experiences and smooth over some of the speed bumps for Devers.
18:26But I saw a lot of that when I was watching the Giants games this past week.
18:30Bob, you're such an old-school guy, and you're just a baseball lifer.
18:34And I was curious, who's Bob Brenley's favorite baseball player in the modern day?
18:41In the modern day?
18:43Yeah, like right now.
18:44Who's the guy you like to watch the most?
18:47Who's that guy for you?
18:49Well, I would say probably Bobby Witt Jr. is either at the top of the list or damn close to the top of the list.
18:56And it's funny because Bobby Witt Sr. was a pitcher on my staff back in 2001,
19:00and I've got some pictures at home of Bobby Sr. holding Bobby Jr. and the World Series trophy,
19:07and the trophy was bigger than Bobby Jr.
19:09So that tells you how long ago that was, but he's a special player.
19:14There's nothing on the field that he can't do at the highest level,
19:17and he does it with enthusiasm and energy, and I love to watch him.
19:22Well, don't let Corbin Carroll hear this.
19:24I thought he was going to be your favorite player, Bob.
19:26I'm kidding, of course.
19:27Hey, Bob, really good stuff this morning, man.
19:29Really big fan of yours.
19:30Always have been.
19:30And we'll be tuning in this week.
19:32Massive four-game series for both these teams.
19:35Yes, indeed it is.
19:36I'll be there.
19:37There he is.
19:38That is Bob Brenly, former Diamondbacks manager,
19:41current broadcaster for the Diamondbacks, former Giants catcher.
19:44Teammates, Bob Melvin, and Bob Melvin's on staff,
19:45so he's got a lot of ties with this Giants organization, Joe.
19:48When it came to Bob Melvin, I did want to ask.
19:50He said...
19:50He said...
19:50Here we go.
19:51To study the Absolutely.
19:51At the top of the table, I did want to ask.
19:52He said...
19:52To study the in.
19:57He said...
19:57To study the Divine hablando, Joe.
19:59I'm going to ask.
20:00He said...
20:01He said...
20:01Here we go.
20:03I think...
20:04He said...
20:04Here we go.
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