SI.com · Oct 8, 2016
Speed and spin: As bullpens change, Roberts has Dodgers set up for success
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A year ago, at the age of 43, Dave Roberts willingly walked away from a good job in major league baseball. The San Diego Padres asked him to return as a bench coach, but they didn’t bother interviewing him for the managerial opening, a vacancy created when the team fired Bud Black at midseason and designated Pat Murphy as the interim manager. Roberts said thanks, but no thanks.
“I had no job,” Roberts said. “It wasn’t like I had anything lined up. Nothing. It’s just that I felt like I was at a point where I needed a new challenge.”