Hour 2: New NFL Power Rankings, Dodgers C Will Smith, and Robert De Niro Keeps His Word

23:37Rich Eisen:The infield is in. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa is just out of your field of vision to your left. The play goes to Rojas. Walk me through, because I'm sitting at home thinking this series is over because the way that he collected it, corralled it, and threw to you I thought was too late. What was that like from your vantage point, Will? Yeah, yeah. I mean, you're kind of preparing before the pitch is thrown, you know, if it's hit to whoever. you're hoping maybe you have time to turn a double play or something but as soon as it was hit you know he he took a drop step you knew it wasn't gonna be a double play so then I just turned into a first baseman there just make sure you get one out and yeah luckily my foot stayed down enough but that was that was a little hairy for a couple seconds when they replayed it but got the out moved on and got the game going well that was my question for you is what was going through your mind while the entire World Series, your ability to potentially repeat the entire season was in a replay machine?

24:42Yeah, I was pretty sure, you know, the throw beat him and everything. Didn't realize my foot came off at all for, you know, that half inch or whatever. So I was pretty confident they replayed it. You know, we get two replays in the postseason. So, you know, usually that first one they just kind of throw out there is like a maybe maybe not who cares we still have the second replay um so i kind of thought that's what was going on and then it plays on jumbotron and you know i see my foot come off it's like oh crap here we go like i can't imagine ending our season this way you know it's a little bit of panic um but i was i was pretty confident after

25:17Rich Eisen:seeing the replay that he's gonna be out the call is gonna stand and uh did you notice so much conversation will uh about um isaiah kiner for lefers for lefers secondary lead uh not being as large as he wished or the blue jays subsequently wished it could have been did you notice pre pitch from yamamoto that he was kind of even with max muncie at the time did you notice any of that prior to the pitch yeah yeah i noticed um you know we were muncie and i was kind of looking maybe for a back pick right there or something. Usually that's with just a man on third. I was on, but he's got to stay close in case of the back pick, a line drive.

26:00He can't get more than months. That's just typical baseball one-on-one on that. But yeah, that's just a tough spot. I'd allude to come up a couple inches short. But I don't think he did anything wrong. It was just, that's just how it had to be.

26:17Rich Eisen:Okay, because that's been a large conversation. And then as if you thought maybe your heart rate couldn't get any faster than the next pitch. Yep. Right? Or the next back. Yeah. Yeah. Clement, Ernie, you know, putting that ball up there, Pahez and Kike running into each other. It was a little hairy for a second, too. So what was – again, you don't have the best seat in the house for that, but what was your perspective from behind home plate for this moment that we have on the screen right here, Will? Yeah, I think Kike – I don't know if he was playing a little shallower than normal because taking away a little blue pit, you know, make him burn you over your head.

26:55But I thought it was Kike's ball the whole way, just where it was hit. You know, I'm kind of watching Kike and I wasn't I wasn't too confident that first couple of seconds that he was going to get all the way back there. Yeah, then Pahe just kind of came out of nowhere and took it from him. And there, yeah, there's the picture. And it was I mean, what a play by Andy. that was you know neat if the ball drops at all it's it's game over well i mean let's talk about

27:22Rich Eisen:coming out of nowhere will um because he did come out of nowhere in the middle of the inning out of the dugout and you know again you performed well extremely well terrifically well uh from the two hole after being moved around in the lineup with mookie being dropped down from two to three and then three to four and then you're inserted in the two hole from which you hit the ultimately game-winning home run. Rojas is in at second. The reason why there's even a bottom of the ninth is because he homers. Can you walk me through what it's like to be managed by Dave Roberts, Will? Yeah, he's great.

28:01He's the only manager I've had, so I've been pretty lucky. I don't really compare him to him, but we get along great. We like to golf together and all that, but yeah, Doc, I mean, it seems like the last two years, he's pulled all the right strings. knowing what the team needs, knowing when we're at our best and who's out there. Last year, it was where the bullpen going and leaning into that. This year, it was leaning into starters, bringing starters out of the bullpen, lining guys up correctly, getting Miggie in there for game six and seven, just moving guys around and kind of playing who's hot, who's not a little bit, but just sticking with us.

28:43He's always had our back. He's always trusting us. He's always letting us know that he trusts us to just go out there, play our best baseball. And I think that instills a lot of confidence to us and gives us a little bit of a slight edge to win these tight ballgames.

28:59Rich Eisen:Yeah. And did I see him running the bases prior to game six in Toronto, keeping you loose? Yeah. What was that moment? Yeah, him and Heisman were racing. What was that? Him and Kimmy were racing the bases before game six. And, yeah, I think, Doc, I don't think he's going to be doing that anymore. Because he face-planted, right? He face-planted. Oh, yeah, everybody caught on camera. He comes in. He's, you know, covered in dirt, asking for, you know, Tylenol Advil and all that stuff. I don't know if you hurt his hammy, but, yeah, he was kind of in a rough spot for a minute or two. Hey, I'm the last guy to, you know, have fun at anybody running.

29:38Rich Eisen:you know so i i just thought it was again you know you're down three two after that amazing game three win uh the next two go to the blue jays and you show up in toronto he's running bases and you know having a good time and and i'm wondering if that's a lead that you guys all collectively took from him yeah i think it's just keeping it light you know reminding them everybody just to kind of relax, not be so uptight, you know, not forcing it. Obviously, that's kind of a, you know, spur of the moment decision. He wasn't forcing it. So it's genuine, you know, it's genuine. You know, follow me. We're just going to keep it relaxed and, you know, not be all uptight and go out tomorrow and play good baseball and try to win a ballgame.

30:23Rich Eisen:And it also helps, Will Smith. I have them written down here just so I can remember the names. Shoei Otani helps to have – by the way, I haven't written them down. uh yamamoto and glass now and snell to be able to go out and throw those guys in relief and starting and things of that nature how do you as a catcher keep keep your you know wits about you knowing that these guys are all different types of pitchers and catching them all into the in the crucible of games six and seven well is there a process that you can lay out there for us yeah yeah there's for sure a process you know it kind of starts with talking with prior talking with you know, Danny Lehman and Connor McGinnis and Bardo, the pitching coaches, you know, just talking through hitters, talking through, you know, our pitcher's strengths, you know, show his strengths, their class now, what he's doing well, what he's not been doing well.

31:12Whoever it is, whoever, you know, is going to be out there for us, kind of going through the plan and going through their hitters and all that. Yeah, then going, you know, getting in the game and just kind of reading the game, reading, reacting, but it's just a constant, constant conversation with those guys. with the pitchers, obviously, as well. What needs to be done, what we're seeing, the hitters are doing, how they're adjusting, how do we need to adjust. It's this chess game that keeps going on, and it's fun, and it's intense. It's definitely a mental grind as well, thinking through however many outs we had to get and facing such a good lineup so many times, getting Vlad Guerrero out.

31:57I mean, seven, basically eight games with 18 getting game, you know, 30 something times, like trying to figure out how to do that is, is just one thing in its own, but they got, you know, nine, 12 guys on their bench that are just as tough. Um, so it's just having those conversations and talking through things and being on the same page and then just, you know, instilling that conviction in the picture you got on the mound.

32:19Rich Eisen:I mean, there's so many, so many things I want to ask you about in a few minutes I have left with you here. the most impressive thing you've ever seen Shohei Otani do on a field off it oh my gosh I don't know I mean he started taking BP when was it like before the World Series or before the NLCS we made him hit in the last group by himself just because no one wanted to hit with him and just be completely you know embarrassed because he's hitting balls out of the stadium and you know we're getting it giving it our all and getting it five rows deep six rows deep and he's putting another 100 feet.

32:54It's just incredible how strong he is. He throws 100 miles an hour. Just the power behind everything he does is incredible. You guys don't get to see it, but we get to see the work he puts in. In the weight room, just his dedication to his craft is second to none. He's been doing that since he was a kid. You can just see that's his work ethic and that's just who he is and you know we're just lucky to have him and you know have have a guy as special and as talented as him but also a guy that works hard too he he makes it all look easy will he

33:30Rich Eisen:really does uh yeah he really does it's like it does he sweat it's annoying it's times but you know you're two now with him you're just kind of like all right he's with us let him go do his thing and you can't get too annoyed about that have you ever seen him sweat does he sweat does he have sweat glands oh yeah yeah okay okay i just want to make sure you know because again the only the equivalent i i i make is you know a couple times i covered the u.s open in tennis it's roger federer where he never sweat or didn't look like it he made everything the most difficult look simple and um had an air of invincibility you know and and being a teammate of his must be glorious it just must be yeah you know at the end of the day much we're glad he's with us for sure i'm sure and then Kershaw, my goodness I haven't even brought up a first ballot Hall of Famer what was that moment like in game three game on the line he's never pitched relief like this before and what do you say to Clayton Kershaw on the mound as he's getting ready to pitch what is the exchange with somebody like him I don't even remember he's such a competitor such like a he's not emotional, but he's fiery out there.

34:48You know, when he's in game mode and pitching, he's a little bit hard to talk to, especially on the mound. You know, he doesn't want to be talking on the mound very much. In between innings is great, but yeah, that's just, he comes out, hey, we got to get an out. Like, do your thing, compete, just make pitches. One pitch at a time, do your thing. You know, trust it. That's basically what you say. I don't remember what I said exactly, but that's what you say. But yeah, he got that big out. You know, bases loaded. I feel like it was like a 9 or 10 pitch at bat. I don't even remember, but the guy rolls over.

35:21Yeah, huge out there in the 12th, 13th inning, whatever it was.

35:24Rich Eisen:Yeah, and then I didn't even bring up Justin Dean with the ball that hits in the crack of the fence line down in the warning track. This is the wildest baseball series I've ever seen, Will. Yeah, it had everything this year. It was special. It was fun to be a part of. Including a walk-off. Well, not walk-off. a game-winning World Series. Hitting a game-winning Game 7 extra inning home run. Again, I know it wasn't home and it wasn't walk-off. Is that the stuff you dreamt about in Kentucky growing up? Oh, yeah, for sure. I think every kid dreams of that. Getting the last strike out on the mound or hitting a walk-off homer or a base hit or whatever.

36:03That's what you play in the backyard with your friends. You're constantly playing on situations and just having fun with it. And it's kind of what I did. You know, just got a pitch to hit. You got to go swing off. And yeah, I got over the wall and put us up and then got to go three more outs the next inning.

36:21Rich Eisen:All right. So you're sitting in your car. Why? Explain why you're sitting in your car, Will. Go ahead. I'm in the car. I got two little girls and they're playing inside. So I was just stepping out a little peace and quiet, you know, or else they'd be jumping in this screen for sure. How old are they? What are their names? Three and one. Charlotte's three and Layton's one. Okay. So one day, Charlotte and Lincoln, is that the names you mentioned? Layton. Layton, okay. Charlotte and Layton. Okay. One day, you'll be able to look at them and say, Dad's got all these rings. Right now you got three. And I caught Shohei Otanian and Clayton Kershaw and World Series MVP and Yamamoto.

37:05Rich Eisen:He's only just getting started. Do you sit back and think, again, I know you're just 30. Do you sit back and think about what's going on? What's happening to you, Will? Yeah, it's definitely crazy to step back, reflect, kind of reflect on my whole career so far. And also, it's exciting to see, I've got eight more years with the Dodgers, what we can do. It's a special organization. Just grateful for their trust in me to have you back there for eight more years. It's just amazing. But yeah, I think, you know, it's all said and done who knows but just being able to you know remember remember hanging out the guys um in a clubhouse just just working through things um grinding together traveling together um you know getting close to their families like it's just it's just a special you know special group each and every year and uh you know we we we just really enjoy it I couldn't be more happy for you, man.

38:06Rich Eisen:So is there a retirement coordinator on the Dodgers to talk about the 401k plans and stuff like that? I know, right? With all the deferred money and everything? You know? I mean, sock it away. Do they have an actual IRA executive in Chavez? I don't know. I don't know yet. I still got a while until then. I think that was like Kersh or whoever else. Okay, very good. Well, we're all happy to have you here, Will. Hopefully we can get you another time. We can talk about other sports, other things. I guess to show our happiness, do we do this? Do we all do this thing? Is that it? Is that how we're supposed to celebrate?

38:47Rich Eisen:Something like that. Is this true that you're mocking Freddie Freeman? Is that what you're doing? Well, it started with our strength coach, Travis Smith. He loves a good hip block at the weight room. We're always doing hip blocks for the last couple of years. So it's actually a workout. And then I don't know how it became our, like, you know, hit celebration, double celebration. But, yeah, now it's just kind of a joke, honestly. It's just a joke. See who doesn't give one or bad one. Who remembers or doesn't remember to do it after they get a base hit. That's kind of all it is. Oh, I thought it was Freddie Freeman was dancing at a wedding and you're making fun of his moves or something like that.

39:25Yeah, he's got the doubles, the Freddie double, I don't know, whatever that is the wave in the hands okay yeah that was at our uh our dodger gala a couple years ago okay uh he's just dancing to i don't remember who was playing but uh so it doesn't have an actual name there's no name for it it's just just the freddy i don't know okay all right that's ready

39:47Rich Eisen:because we we have rich eyes and show consulting around here will this is our area of expertise we could come up with a name for it uh freddy the freddy okay or on behalf of yankee fans and red Sox fans and Mets fans annoying. We could just call it annoying. You know what I mean? But we have to we are our teams have to stop it if we're annoyed by it. That's that's the main issue. You know, listen, enjoy time with your family. Greatly appreciate this. Thank you for the on behalf of every baseball fan everywhere participating in one of the greatest sporting series ever in any sport. It was awesome, man.

40:25Rich Eisen:And I hope the sport grows off of it, for sure. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me on here. Anytime. You know, we're local whenever you are. So thanks for the time, Will. You be well. Sounds good, guys. That's Will Smith, everybody. Three-time World Series champion who's confirmed that your hat is annoying. But he did accept me as a fan. Well, why wouldn't he? Exactly. The more the merrier. If I'm Will, I'm getting a clause in my contract. Wasn't it like six straight years that Will Smith has won a World Series? In baseball, and also if you Google Will Smith contract, Will Smith of the San Jose Sharks popped up.

41:02I mean, there's a lot of Smiths named Will. I'd be like, if you want to guarantee yourself a World Series, you've got to have me on the squad.

41:09Rich Eisen:NFL Network researcher, Bill Smith. That's right, Bill Smith. He just calls himself Bill. The great Bill Smith who looks just like 2010 Joe Flacco. Not 2025 Joe Flacco. All right, we take a break. 844-204-RICH. Number to tell Mike Florio beckons.

41:31Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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42:52Rich Eisen:all four of them i paid four figures for it in an auction and he was appearing on our show and he yanked it off the wall to say his signature was not real and we took it out of the case and he crossed off his signature and initialed it like it's a check right and then re-signed it and initially tried to break the plexiglass with the back of a small axe right and it left a broken spot in the plexiglass that is right on the forehead part of him on the poster it's just amazing it's a great keepsake it's amazing and it got us to thinking for years right years because this happened in 2015 um are the rest of the signatures real and so we got a boxing glove signed by robert de niro sent to us for a promotion a movie that he was doing sent to the studio and there's the signature on the boxing glove and that was the only way that we could measure whether the signature we have on the goodfellas poster matches the one that has been authenticated to be sent here and it doesn't look any not even close yeah and so that was our only way to authenticate until robert de niro himself zoomed into the show and i brought it up to him i need to ask you if yours is fake too because that would freak me out is that your real autograph robert de niro i i won't go so far as to say that but i if i looked at if i looked at the whole poster and saw the way it was i might be able to give you a better idea so i have been uh so i'll sign one for you next time i will take it i appreciate i was i will i will do that because ray ray did in fact bust the thing open and like a check he crossed it out and initialed the cross out and then signed it himself again.

44:45If you send me that one, I'll do the same thing if I don't think it's fine and I'll write it out.

44:52Rich Eisen:Thank you. So we did send it to Robert De Niro. That was back in March. Man's busy. I think he's traveled the world. I think I even saw him at the Pope. And so he has re-signed it and sent it back. and there it is it just arrived yesterday and it sure looks like the new one at the bottom that's the real one looks nothing like the one that's been on there nothing like it it looks like the glove signature well we actually put a side by side of that is the glove the real thing because it doesn't look like what we know is 100 from the man's hand I think that glove is real I do too, the way the De Niro is with the O and the dot of the I, I think the glove is real also here's the deal with the top one you understand, these guys probably sit there and sign signature and then after a while it's going to get tired and sloppy but the bottom line is Robert De Niro now, like Ray Liotta has re-signed this movie poster.

46:07Rich Eisen:I got Pesci and Scorsese to go. My belief is Scorsese's real and somebody signed the other three guys is fake. The Scorsese one, if you look online, looks exactly like the real thing. Well, we know where Joe plays golf. Well, Rich, here's the deal, right? I should do that. I should do it. You gotta get it. Rich, you're 0 for 2, so... I'm thinking. Let's keep going. Let's keep going. I mean, let's keep going. Let's keep going. Now we got the muscle. I know it's a different type of movie from a different director, but just updating you on all that. Hyundai Hope on Wheels is a spot that you should go to HyundaiUSA.com and learn more about something that you may not know about, which is every Hyundai sold for the last 27 years has helped fund life-saving pediatric cancer research.

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