Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Willie Adamas joins the show on the River Islands guest line. Hey, Willie. Welcome. What's going on?
00:05Hey guys, so good. Oh good, man. Just happy to be here with you guys. Thank you for having me here
00:11How you guys doing? We're doing fantastic man
00:13You're a breath of fresh air on so many levels and we haven't even seen you play baseball yet
00:17But I wonder if you could just share with our audience your first impressions of what is at least at the big league level
00:24This is your third
00:26Franchise, what what are you noticing at this point in your career? That maybe is different about being a giant
00:33It's just so much history here. I feel like you know, we need to put this giant uniform on
00:38It's just just like you know that you representing something great, you know
00:42Something bigger than then then we as you know as a player is more, you know, it's a lot of history here
00:49You know the city of San Francisco they embrace the giant in a huge way
00:53And I think you know, there's a different there when you put this uniform. It's just like some it's a different feeling
00:59So like, you know, I'm very excited to take the field and you know
01:02Just just to be there in San Francisco for for many years and and hopefully we can accomplish the goal
01:08Not even not one time but like hopefully a few times. Oh, yeah, we're counting on a few times Willie and that'd be cool
01:14I mean if we could get more than one and I want to ask you about the free agent process because you know
01:21You had your choice to go out there and your pick of the litter and you met with
01:24Buster Posey a guy who actually did do it more than once he actually got three of them done here in the city
01:29What was it about Buster this team this franchise that made you so attracted to it? I?
01:35Think it was mainly Buster, you know, because uh, I mean when you have a guy like Buster running an organization, you know that
01:43He knows what it takes to win, you know
01:45He did it like you say on multiple times and and in him leading the organization
01:51it's like what made me be like if I got if I have a guy like fuzzy running the team like I
01:58Want to be part of whatever he's gonna build there because I know he's gonna bring the right pieces
02:03He's gonna build something great because he's a winner
02:05So he's gonna do whatever it takes to win and I wanted to be part of that and I think that was the main
02:10Conversation when we started to talk during the offseason and I don't know when I when I was talking to him
02:16I asked him I say like what are you planning or like what?
02:19What are your plans to do to do in San Francisco is like to keep winning, you know, like I'm a winner
02:25I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win and I was like
02:28Man, like if your plan is to build something great like I me up
02:32I want to be part of that Willie Adams with us here on Willard and dibs. Hey Willie does leadership come naturally to you?
02:40I
02:42Think so, man. I I mean I never be like, oh I want to be the leader of a team
02:47You know what? I mean? Like I just you know, I just go out there and compete every day. I
02:51Handle my business like I work the right way and you know
02:55And I try to help my teammates and I guess you know
02:57I guess if you call that leadership then that's who I am
03:01And and and I feel like when you're forced to do something it's not who you are
03:07So like you because you're fortunate but for me like I don't try to force anything
03:11I just try to let everything be and and obviously lead by example and do the
03:16Work the right way and I think that's because I do work like that. That's why people
03:21Think that they think that I'm a leader
03:24Yeah
03:24And and and the reason I ask and I'm not trying to make you blush here because I've never met you but man people around
03:31Cannot stop talking about what a great dude you are and what a presence you are in a locker room
03:37So my question is how do you go about sort of taking that leadership role when you're also the new guy?
03:44I mean
03:46It's easier when you have guys like choppy and and webby and and log up and you know
03:51And Robbie Ray Verlander like a lot of the a lot of the young guys from what I think so far like, you know
03:57They work hard and they they have they have an ethic
04:01so like it's easier to come to an environment like that and just like try to fill in and you know fit and I feel like
04:10You know, like just being around choppy and webby so far
04:13It's been it's been easy to communicate with them and like just to try to you know
04:18See what they're thinking and what they've done the last few years
04:21Here and how they run things here, you know, obviously we're trying to build a culture of like, you know
04:27Winning and obviously are working. So like I think
04:32there the
04:33Connection is there and for me like when you have guys like that that are like in the same page as you it's like it's
04:39Easy to come in and just just be yourself
04:43Yeah, and I'm thinking about
04:45Chappy and Willie now on the left side and you know chappy last year played in
04:50150-something games and I'm looking at your numbers and you played in
04:53161 and I won't ask you what happened for that one game because nobody plays all the games
04:58But how much are you looking forward to the chappy and Willie show on the left side literally every game. I
05:05Mean, I'm really excited for that. We're ready, you know talk about it. We say we wanted to play on a 62
05:12obviously, uh, well for me last year like that was my goal, you know, I wanted to play 162 but
05:19You know, they were like bugging me for like, you know to take another day since like June and I was like man
05:25Like, you know, I was like having a lot of conversations with a manager and I was like
05:29I don't want to take no day off
05:30You know
05:31like I'm here to play every day like I want to be out there every day and it was like a
05:35so hard conversation sometimes and I was like and then like I think around like September like
05:40Mid August September almost I told I told Murphy my former manager. I told him I say look
05:47I'm gonna give you the day off after we clinch the division. So like
05:53Division then the next day he was like, well, we were celebrating he was like, so what are you gonna do tomorrow?
05:59You're gonna play or what? And I was like, well, I already gave you my word
06:02But if you want me to play I play it like now you crazy you off tomorrow
06:08161 last year, but this year is a different different story choppy and I we want to play on a 62
06:13So we're gonna be out there
06:16Competing every day
06:18Even after you clinch. Yeah. Yeah, exactly
06:21Yeah, we got to do it man. We got to continue to be you know to get ready for the party even after that
06:26Well, you know what? I mean that that leads to a question Willie
06:29I know you feel this like the fan bases around baseball are looking at this going like well
06:35No one's competing with the Dodgers, but but I know you're a competitor. I bet you guys look at it very differently
06:41How do you view what's going on in the National League West? I?
06:45Mean there's obviously this is from my point of view. This is the hardest division in baseball right now, but
06:53you know like I want to say like
06:56the the thing that we have in the clubhouse is just like we have to play the
07:02You know the right baseball you have to play small ball take advantage of every opportunity that we can take and just like, you know
07:09Try to be yourself not trying to worry about like, you know
07:12All the Dodgers are like San Diego or the D backs, whatever. We got to focus on winning tonight
07:17You know have that mentality of like worrying about today that we worry about tomorrow the next day
07:22But we have to you know, take care of business today and then we worry about the future in the future
07:28So I think the mentality for this year is just like let's let's play today. Let's be present
07:33Let's try to take your business today and then we worry about tomorrow tomorrow
07:36So I think for me that's the right mentality to have because it's gonna be a tough year
07:40But you know, we're competitive. We we're gonna be out there and just know just competing and try to win the division
07:47yeah, and you talk about competing and if it's you know, you and chappy on the left side and a pitching staff of
07:52Webby and Verlander and Harrison and Robbie raid
07:55Does that give you a sense of an edge that maybe other teams don't have with the pitching in the defense?
08:01yeah, I mean I feel like
08:03When you when you have a really good defense and and a pitching staff that like the one we have I think
08:10That gives you an advantage, you know when you have those two combined and then you know, we are if you know
08:17Our lineup is really good, too
08:19We have a lot of young players that are really talented and and and when you combine those three things
08:24I think you know, we could do something special that nobody's expecting us to do
08:28So like I think the expectation for us is just you know, no expectation, you know
08:33Just go out there and compete and let it be
08:37Willie Adamas is joining us here on 95 7 the game. Hey, Willie
08:41Why did you wear 27 in Milwaukee? And why are you wearing number two here in San Francisco?
08:47so
08:49so in Milwaukee Carlos Gomez, he was
08:53Number 27 there. So when I got traded there, he was like
08:57He wanted me to wear number 27 because of him
08:59He's like, you know, we from the same town in the Dominican is like a big brother to me
09:04I'm actually gonna meet with him now. He's coming to my house
09:08But he wanted me to wear number 27 and and the club either in Milwaukee
09:13He's like, I think it will match because the fans in Milwaukee love Carlos because he had a lot of energy
09:19he play always play hard whatever and
09:22They they thought that that would match me and and and I was it, you know, I was like, you know what?
09:27I'm gonna do it cuz like in Tampa when Carlos honey with Tampa in 2018
09:32I was gonna wear number 27. I had it because I was my second year in the 40-minute rusher
09:37So I was number 27 and he asked me if I could give it to him in
09:42Tampa so I gave him number 27 and then when I got traded to Milwaukee
09:46He was like you should wear number 27 because you know
09:49I took her for you in Tampa and I think it would be a really cool story
09:53If you were here in Milwaukee now because you know, it was kind of like match what I did in Milwaukee
10:00And in terms of personality wise and like, you know fans like loving Carlos the way he played with a lot of energy
10:06And that's why that that's the reason why I were number 27 in Milwaukee
10:11And now here I wore number two
10:13I'm wearing number two because my idol Derek Jeter was number two and that's my also my favorite number
10:20nice and that 27 is
10:23Occupied forever by one Marcial so that wouldn't actually be available
10:28but I love the fact that you're wearing number two and I can't help but wonder about
10:32you coming here to Oracle Park and
10:35Thinking about how you've done here because I was looking at some of your numbers and it looks like Willie
10:40You've been pretty comfortable here as a hitter. Are you at all?
10:43daunted or
10:45Intimidated by this gigantic ballpark you're coming to
10:48Not really, man. I really I really don't don't worry about like ballparks if I'm like, you know
10:55I'm good, you know, like I don't care if it's big or not
10:58Like if it's big just hit a lot of doubles, you know, like there's a lot of three poles, you know
11:02It's got a lot of runs and and then you know
11:06Don't worry about the homers whenever they go out they go out, but I feel the main thing for me is just like feeling comfortable
11:12at a stadium not about like
11:15Okay, I could hit like 40 homers here. Like I don't worry about that. If that happens, it'll be great
11:20It'll be amazing but like we're not we're not worried about stuff like that at least myself and I worry about that stuff Willie
11:28Obviously, you've met with the media now you're in Arizona
11:31So, I don't know to what level you've gotten a sense of the fan base in San Francisco yet
11:37But this group has really been looking for a star for for a few years now
11:43They're really thirsty for that
11:45And so I wonder how that lands with you especially because of the contract the stats the name value
11:52Everyone's really hoping that you're you're going to be it. So how does that feel? How do you receive that? I
11:58Think that's amazing. That's like a motivation for me, you know, just like
12:04Just to show them
12:06Like my personality my talent obviously on the field like I just want them to embrace me how I'm going to embrace them
12:15And obviously, you know, I I want them to expect from me just being out there every day
12:23giving my 100% you know, like if
12:27Obviously if I become a superstar there, it'd be great
12:30But I'm wanting to expect for me just going out there playing hard every day and trying to win some old ball games
12:37Right and and also hopefully
12:39Accomplish the goal, which is when a few championships and I think that fans out here are already so excited about you joining in
12:46Jung-hoo Lee coming back and of course Webby being here in Verlander and Chappie and Bailey and all the rest of it
12:52I don't know if you know this but the last giant to hit 30 home runs in a season
12:56Was Barry Bonds and you're coming off a year where you hit more than 30
13:00So, can you can you break the streak for us Willie? Can you get us 30 home runs?
13:06That's the goal that's a goal that's what we want
13:08Hopefully it's not just me but like hopefully we got Ramos Chappie and some of the guys that could I think they could do that
13:15too, so it'd be really special if you're not if it's not just me, but it would be like a few of us so like
13:20That's that's one of the goals for this year. So hopefully we can you know achieve that I mean, we're gonna try and obviously
13:27be there competing but I
13:29I
13:30One not just me, but a few of the guys
13:34That Willie I got a few fun ones with you before we let you go
13:38First of all, how is Logan Webb's self-esteem after you took him way over the fence the other day?
13:47Man
13:48That is okay. Okay, he knows now that he doesn't have to worry about it during the regular season
13:53So, you know the live EPs that doesn't count. So
13:56It's good
13:59That's good, that's a relief that's a relief Willie
14:04Okay
14:06After your years in Milwaukee, I need to ask you when the sausage race was happening
14:11Who did you root for the brat the chorizo the hot dog the Italian or the Polish?
14:18So I was like, you know in between of the
14:21Italians and the hot dot, you know, it was just like it
14:25Let me see what I'm feeling today. I either go to the hot dot or the Italian so like it was one of the older
14:31But like those two were like my favorite. Those are your favorites?
14:34Okay, did you know that the Italian the Italian sausage right now? It won the most races last year. Well, oh
14:41I didn't even know that. Yeah. Yeah, I was I was there for every game. I didn't even know that
14:46Yeah, Italian then Polish then hot dog. That was those were the top three last year
14:52Very good, so that I have won the first place exactly exactly
14:56And then while we're on food
14:59What what is your absolute favorite meal if someone said hey, it's your birthday. What do you want tonight? What are we doing?
15:06Well, then it'll be my mom's food man. Like she make a Dominican dish. We call it pasta long. It's like
15:15sweet plantains mash right with ground meat and
15:19Then switch for a smash plantains again, then a lot of cheese on top
15:24So it's kind of like a lasagna, but like with plantains
15:28No, it'll be that we're like chicken and like rice with corn
15:34You you had me at a lot of cheese on top
15:40Has anyone talked to you about food in San Francisco very different vibe than what you're describing
15:44But also a very big part of the culture here
15:47No, nobody they I mean they everybody talked to me about like the food they're being great
15:54Right. Yeah, and that's one of the and that's one of the things that I'm looking for the most right after you know
15:59Besides playing baseball like I'm looking forward to embrace the culture to like, you know
16:04Be in the city like trying different food like different restaurants and stuff like that cuz I'm a foodie man
16:10I love food. So I'm looking forward to being the city, you know going to restaurants and stuff
16:15Willie you're uh, you're a delight to talk to you man. Well, welcome to the San Francisco Giants
16:21We're really looking forward to watching you play ball
16:24Sounds good, man. Thank you for having me
16:26I'm really excited to you know to start the season and you know, get the boys running beautiful man. Best of luck and thank you
16:33Thank you. Thank you guys for having me. Okay. All right, Willie Adonis, San Francisco Giants Willie Adonis fan favorite
16:40Come on, come on