SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On the day Kiké Hernández came home, meaning the whole gang was returning for a run at a third consecutive World Series championship, I asked Dodgers manager Dave Roberts an obvious question.

Could this be his best team ever?

Relaxed and beaming throughout his annual Cactus League media day appearance Thursday at a local hotel, Roberts gave an obvious answer.

“Yeah,” he said.

As in, duck.

Yes, these Dodgers have a team that could be better than the teams that have dominated baseball the last two years. Yes, these Dodgers could be better than a group that produced two MVPs, two World Series MVPs, and a passel of All-Star appearances.

Take a champion, add baseball’s best reliever and one of its best young hitters, then do the math.

Yes, yes, and oh yeah.

“On paper, it could be [the best],” Roberts said. “Looking at the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters, the pen, the depth of the young players … probably the best team we’ve had on paper.”

Roberts is right. Who is even close to the Dodgers? Who can seriously contend with the Dodgers? Who would have a chance in a seven-game series against the Dodgers?

The answer is, nobody.

Adding reliever Edwin Díaz and outfielder Kyle Tucker, frankly, is just piling on.

Instead of the usual criticism that the Dodgers are ruining baseball, Thursday’s interview session was appropriately filled with talk about how nobody in baseball can ruin the Dodgers.

“It does get lost, the things that we do well,” Roberts said. “Scouting and player development, I think we do as well as anybody in baseball … to get superstars to play well every night, to put out a good product every single night, I think we do a good job at that.”

To understand why the Dodgers’ domination is beyond much of the payroll criticism, check out the last big transactions before Friday’s start of spring training, deals which included a one-year contract for Hernández and a one-year extension for Max Muncy.

At first glance, they didn’t really need either player.

Hernández has struggled during recent regular seasons while Muncy always seems to get hurt. Both players are aging and expendable and it seems like the Dodgers would be fine without them.

But upon further inspection, the heart of the Dodgers’ efforts are fueled by guys like these.

“That’s why the biggest conversation should be that instead of a payroll question,” said Roberts. “Why are we good for baseball? Because our players play the game the right way. When you watch our team play, there’s not anyone that can say our guys don’t respect the game and play the game the right way. We’re good because we play the game the right way and because we give our fans a great product every single night.”

Hernández is a postseason superstar, with an .826 OPS while seemingly making every big postseason play that comes at him.

He hit three home runs in the NLCS clincher against the Chicago Cubs in 2017. He homered in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory in the NLDS clincher against the San Diego Padres in 2024.

Then, more impactful than all of that, it was his decision to cheat in while playing left field in the ninth inning that led to a catch-and-throw double play that clinched the Dodgers’ victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series. All of that while nursing an elbow that would later require surgery.

““To play through it and not complain was pretty amazing,” said Roberts. “When it comes to crunch time, he can be counted on.”

Muncy is like Hernández. You forget about him until October, a month when he will be remembered forever.

He set a major league record by reaching base in 12 consecutive plate appearances in the 2024 NLCS against the New York Mets. He hit a home run in the eighth inning to spark the Dodgers’ comeback in last season’s Game 7 win.

Guess who has hit the most postseason home runs in Dodger history? Muncy, seriously, with 16 rockets in 259 at-bats. And to think when the Dodgers signed him to a minor-league contract before the 2017 season, he was a fringe player with seemingly no future.

“I think we’ve built something very good, very consistent, and I’m proud of it, I really am,” Roberts said. “It’s really special what we have, this whole operation.”

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In Thursday’s final few moments before the start of the race to a three-peat, Roberts allowed himself the luxury of reminiscing on a memorable postseason that included a monumental Game 7 victory created by the rich Dodgers’ ability to do the little things.

Roberts talked about Tommy Edman’s sliding-stop-and-throw to third base, Miguel Rojas’ throw home to Will Smith, two of a dozen little things that created a championship.

“It’s going to go down as one of the best games of all time,” Roberts said of Game 7. “I do think about a lot of things that would have changed the game … yes, I’m amazed … we got our breaks, we had big hits … man, when I think about that, it still blows my mind.”

Pitchers and catchers begin work this weekend. If you believe the manager, prepare to have your minds re-re-blown.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have responded to questions over judging in the recent Olympic ice dance pairs final. 

The couple was looking to defend their gold medal, but came in second to the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. 

A French judge graded Beaudry and Cizeron higher than Chock and Bates, which ultimately helped thrust the French team to gold over the Americans. The judging has been the topic of controversy on social media, with some arguing that Chock and Bates should have graded higher. 

Chock and Bates were asked by NBC News how they felt about the judging. 

“We’ve certainly gone through a roller coaster of emotions, especially in the last 24 hours,” Chock said. “And I think what we will take away is how we felt right after our skates and how proud we were of what we accomplished and how we handled ourselves throughout the whole week. Putting out four great performances at the Olympic Games is no small feat, and we’ve got a lot to be proud of.”

Chock and Bates were trailing the French couple by 0.46 of a point entering the free dance Wednesday night, and they were searching for their first ice dance Olympic medal with hopes that it would obviously be gold.

Their matador routine, dancing to a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It, Black” drew cheers from the crowd, and they finished with tears in their eyes.

They finished with 224.39 after notching a 134.67 score in their free dance.

Chock and Bates are two-time team gold winners after Sunday’s Team USA victory, but they had to watch one more routine to see if they could capture gold when Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron took the ice.

But the judges decided the French duo did enough to defeat the Americans in the end.

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Beaudry and Cizeron scored a 135.64 in the free dance for a total of 225.82.

Chock and Bates were looking to experience receiving their gold medals on the podium after a delayed reception of their medals in the 2022 games. 

Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals. 

It wasn’t until the end of January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, when Chock, Bates and the U.S. were declared the rightful 2022 gold medalists. 

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competitive results since that date. 

Chock and Bates spoke about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee media summit in October. 

“It’s hard to, I think, imagine what a 15-year-old has gone through and under that kind of situation,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is, being an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think that grace should be given to humans across the board. And we can never really know the full situation, at least from our point of view. … I genuinely don’t know what I would say to her.”

Chock added, “I would just wish her well like as I would. I think life is short. And, at the end of the day, we’re all human just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it has affected you, I think it’s important to remember we’re humans as a collective, and we’re all here for this, our one moment on earth, at the same time. And I just wish people to have healthy, happy lives, full of people that love them.”

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Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the initial Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented with them during a ceremony at the Paris Olympics in summer 2024. 

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Moving swiftly to find a new football coach, Servite has selected alumnus Rick Garretson as its next head coach.

He returns to the Anaheim campus after guiding Chandler High in Arizona to great success from 2019-2024. His teams put together a 46-game winning streak and won two Open Division championships. He spent 14 years overall at Chandler.

He replaces Chris Reinert, another Servite alumnus who resigned after three seasons to pursue other opportunities.

Garretson, 71, previously served as an assistant coach at Servite from 1989 to 2004, working for coach Larry Toner.

The Trinity League has changed immensely since his earlier days, with the pressure to win rising. He will join new coaches at JSerra and Orange Lutheran this fall.

The school had to move fast to find a replacement for Reinert because several top Servite players have already transferred to St. John Bosco and Santa Margarita.