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Questions & Answers With Doc Roberts

The Padres bench coach answers questions from Twitter and from Darren Smith.

By jodes0405
Steve Mitchell

You probably know by now that Dave Roberts has been officially named the new Padres bench coach, following Rick Renteria's move to the Chicago Cubs managerial position.

Fans were given a chance to submit questions via Twitter for Doc Roberts to answer on MLB.com. Watch the video below to find out things what a bench coach actually does, what advice he would give Buddy Black, and whether or not he'll still be working with base runners.

It's kind of a short video. Only three questions were asked/answered. I suspected that maybe it was because of a lack of questions submitted on Twitter, so I went looking through the #Padres hashtag to see what other kind of stuff was asked. I found a few that I would have liked to hear the answers to.

If you're interested in that last question by Friar Fever, you might want to check out the interview Darren Smith did with Doc Roberts this afternoon. Darren brought up the possibility of Roberts taking over as manager if Bud got himself ejected during a game. So maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Bud Black were to run at an umpire next season.

It's a good listen, but if you don't feel like listening I jotted down some bullet points.

  • He considers moving from first base coach to bench coach a promotion.
  • He has a great support staff with the Padres and learned a lot from Rick Renteria.
  • Buddy knows what he has in Roberts and this will be a great opportunity for him. "Whatever Buddy asks of me, that's what I'm gonna do."
  • Managing is something he's thought about, but not too much because he has always had his plate full. Right now he's just looking forward to being a bench coach.
  • Roberts decided, during a breakfast with Buddy Black, that he wanted to come back to the game after retiring, rather than doing something in the media or broadcasting. He ran his options by Black and talked about his love for being on the field and teaching. It was where his heart was at.
  • He has a lot of respect for Buddy. He tells players all the time that he wishes he had the opportunity to play for their manager.
  • In regards to instant replays, from a coaching standpoint: "We just want to get things right. Players, staff, fans, people just want to get things right. Umpires as well."
  • How will this impact his life as a wine maker? "That was my wife's first question... it won't impact it at all." It's something he loves to do in the offseason but once the season rolls around, "It's all about the Padres."

    • If you need even more Doc Roberts in your life (and really, who doesn't?), he'll be on MLB Network's Hot Stove tomorrow morning at 7:45. So make sure to set your DVRs.

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