Once more, the Dodgers will attempt to beat the drum. Without question, when the season started; there was one goal. While we all know the Dodgers aspire to not only return to the World Series a third consecutive time, no one in the organization is happy just to get back there without finishing it off.
On Tuesday at Dodgers Playoff Media Day from Chavez Ravine, manager Dave Roberts spoke about a ‘Championship or Bust’ mentality. Now, this is a Roberts we haven’t quite heard before; and it’s exciting.
Dave Roberts Talks About Falling Short of World Series Championship
“Anything less than a championship would be unsatisfactory!”…… saying it was a failure would be unfair to the people who have worked so hard in this organization – Dave Roberts pic.twitter.com/K8CkOrnUzn
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 2, 2019
First, Roberts commented on what it would feel like if the Dodgers didn’t win the World Series in 2019. In short, he feels it would be unfair to the people who have worked so hard in the organization. Without question, there’s added pressure to win it all this season.
“Anything less than a championship would be unsatisfactory.”
While no surprise to hear a quote like that, it confirms that the end-goal isn’t far from anyone’s mind right now.
"This is our most versatile roster ever" – Dave Roberts.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 2, 2019
Furthermore, Roberts feels like the Dodgers are as ready to taste champagne from a roster standpoint than ever before. While it’s been said that the 2019 Dodgers have one of the deepest rosters and best benches in the history of the game statistically, its’ good to hear that Roberts feels this way about his players.
“This is our most versatile roster ever.”
Clearly, Roberts feels like he has a lot of weapons at his disposal for usage in October. Moreover, these things open doors for a manager late in a close ballgame. These are the things that show up in a tight 2-1 win when all hope seems lost.
Roberts Talks About Falling Short In Past Years
“There’s nothing worst losing in the post season and not being the last team standing!” – Dave Roberts
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 2, 2019
Unquestionably, the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fan base know what it’s like to come up painfully short. Perhaps the deepest quote in this story is the one in the tweet above. Think about being Dave Roberts – with all the success he has had – and what he says here.
“There’s nothing worse than losing in the postseason and not being the last team standing.”
Indeed, three times under Roberts the Dodgers have shown up with a team that seemed good enough to win it all before falling tragically short. Now, they have won a franchise record 106 regular season games. A possible MVP rests on the roster, as well as multiple Cy Young caliber arms.
Final Thought
Taking Roberts at his word, it seems the Dodgers enter the 2019 postseason on Thursday confident and ready to finish the journey they started out on so long ago.
