Don Mattingly

It felt like we changed managers every year.

So I went through in-season changes a few different times.

I always felt like it was my fault, right?

Or not my fault, but our fault as players.

I think you know that the manager...

you know, didn't cause this, you caused it.

And so just basically be straight up with that.

And then just talk about playing better baseball.

It was really not that hard.

It was let's, let's just, we got to play better.

That's why we're, we're not, we're not losing because of tops.

We're losing because we're not playing good enough to win.

And that was the basic message.

Donnie, so how did you get your veteran group to buy into what you're saying right there?

Because that makes a total, you know, a lot of sense.

When you're 27 and 11, since you became manager, you must be selling the right message.

But I would assume, you know, sort of that veteran leadership needs to buy in.

Was there a certain guy with the Phillies, a player?

that maybe you called into your office, maybe you went to their locker, had a conversation.

Obviously, you were already there, but it's a little different now that you're leading, driving the ship.