Obstacles have defined, never denied the determined Dave Roberts

When he heard the news that the Los Angeles Dodgers had selected Dave Roberts to become their next manager, Gary Adams was driving.

En route to his brother's house in Orange County, Calif., from his home in Bear Valley Springs in Kern County, the former head coach of UCLA's baseball program from 1975 to 2004 had plenty of time to think of what he'd say in the congratulatory voicemail he'd leave his beloved former player.

When he finally arrived at his destination at 9 p.m., Adams called Roberts, whom he still refers to as "D.R." just as he did when he coached him at UCLA from 1991 to '94.

Only, he didn't leave him a voicemail.

"I had my message all planned," Adams said. "In the middle of the second ring, D.R. [answers], 'Hi, Skip! How ya doin'?' I said, 'D.R., I didn't expect to talk to you in person, I thought you'd probably just let the voicemail take care of it.' He said, 'Skip, I saw you [calling], and I'd always pick up the phone for you.'

"That's the kind of guy he is. He doesn't forget where he came from."

Gary Adams, the most winningest coach in UCLA baseball history, coached Dave Roberts from 1991-94.

The two discussed Roberts' job for a brief moment and then began reminiscing about memories they had from UCLA. They recalled the time Roberts called Adams at a low point in his playing career in 1996 while playing on a co-op team ("about as low as you can get," Adams said) in Visalia, Calif., in the Detroit Tigers organization asking him for advice on what he needed to do to excel in his career.

When Adams hung up, he realized he had hardly talked to Roberts about the very thing he'd called him for. But that was just how Roberts had wanted it.

*****

Before Roberts donned No. 10 for the Bruins and No. 30 for the Dodgers as a player and now manager, he sported No. 10 on his jersey at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, Calif., where his baseball uniform hangs in the gym as the only retired number in school history.

However, baseball was only a third of his athletic experience in high school.

As a sophomore, in addition to being the starting center fielder and leadoff hitter on the baseball team, Roberts was the starting point guard on the basketball team, and starting quarterback running a modified Wing-T offense for RBV's football team.

It was an incident on the football field, after all, that Roberts' baseball coach at RBV, Steve Hargrave, believes helped shape him into the man who dazzled the Dodgers' front office and landed one of the most coveted jobs in baseball.

On the first day of practice during his junior season, running the option with no pads on, Roberts "totally blew" his knee, and was sidelined from all athletic activity for a year.

The following season, Roberts led RBV to its first CIF championship.

"When you talk about dealing with adversity and being determined, dedicated, all those things, I think his junior year set that tone," Hargrave said. "It was a terrible thing to happen to a junior, but I really think it has helped him in life deal with the adversity."

Adversity followed Roberts throughout his playing career. At 5-foot-10, 170 pounds and with a below-average arm in the outfield, he had to work exceptionally hard to appeal to major-league scouts despite setting the all-time record for stolen bases at UCLA (109) with his blazing speed.

"I think that's just part of who he is," Hargrave said. "He knows that hard work is going to get him to his goal."

While there were other more naturally gifted athletes with whom he played at every level, nobody worked harder than Roberts on the field.

"He definitely was not the best skill player that we had. He would definitely rank in the top 10," said Hargrave, who coached RBV's baseball team for 17 years. "But when you talk about the leadership qualities and determination and desire – those things –“ he is No. 1."

After being selected in the 28th round of the 1994 amateur draft, it wasn't until 1999 that Roberts made his major-league debut with the Cleveland Indians. Nonetheless, with determination and a positive attitude, he became the starting center fielder for the Dodgers at age 30 in 2002.

"There wasn't a day that he didn't go out on the field and give his 100 percent," Adams said of Roberts' career at UCLA. "It could be on a Monday, cold day at practice, and he's the same guy as he was the day after he went 3 for 4 and we won a ballgame. He's just enthusiastic every day.

"That's the thing about D.R. It's an everyday thing. It's not that he can just turn it on and turn it off. It's always turned on."

Roberts' enthusiasm while playing at UCLA, which he has carried with him throughout his life, was noticed not just by those who sat in the dugout with him, but by anyone who watched him play, including legendary UCLA basketball head coach John Wooden, who once told Adams that he thought Roberts fulfilled the cornerstone values of industriousness and enthusiasm in his famous Pyramid of Success the best out of anyone he'd seen in UCLA's baseball program over the decades.

Adams immediately knew Roberts would have a potent influence on the team during his freshman season, when he was limited to a very small pinch-running role and spent the majority of the season on the bench.

Dave Roberts holds the record for both single-season (45) and career (109) steals at UCLA.

"He was so good on the bench. He did exactly what I told him to do," Adams recalled. "He had tremendous patience waiting his turn to play, and he pulled for the team. The guys on the team loved him. His enthusiasm just rubbed off on everybody."

Three years later, Adams selected Roberts as the lone captain of the Bruins, the first time during Adams tenure that a single captain led the team – and the first time Adams, instead of the players, selected the Bruins' captain.

*****

Despite his lack of managerial experience, nobody who had previously seen Dave Roberts on a baseball diamond was surprised to learn that he had been hired by a major-league club to take over the helm. The consistent leadership, tremendous work ethic, and prevalent positivity he displayed indicated he was well-suited for a job of the ilk of major-league manager.

However, what took Adams by surprise was that he was selected to manage the Dodgers and not the San Diego Padres, with whom Roberts had been coaching since 2011 and had served as bench coach last season.

"I was surprised that the Padres didn't hire him. That was, to me, a real shock because I know how much he's loved in San Diego," said Adams. "I thought the Padres would for sure hire him, and I know it was disappointing for [Roberts] when he wasn't hired by them."

Nevertheless, Adams believes the Dodgers have hired the perfect candidate for what he believes they need in order to make a serious run at their first World Series title since 1988: consistency.

"Although they've been winning ... they seem to be lifeless. They don't take that energy out there every day. You never know what you're going to get from an energy part," Adams offered on the Dodgers. "I thought, 'Boy, D.R. would be perfect for this team,' because every day he comes with his energy. That's bound to rub off on his players just like it rubbed off on his teammates at UCLA."

Although Roberts' positive energy is said to be infectious, he is bound to encounter his share of obstacles in maintaining an even keel in the Dodgers' dugout for 162 or more games, particularly as reports of clubhouse tension surrounding right fielder Yasiel Puig routinely surface.

Dave Roberts smiles during his introductory press conference on Dec. 1, 2015.

While former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly reportedly struggled to reach Puig –€ at least toward the end of his tenure – Adams believes Roberts is just what the doctor ordered for the 25-year-old.

"Yasiel will know that D.R. cares about him as a person and as a player," Adams said. "D.R. will have the patience with Yasiel to know that Yasiel's going to get it someday and he'll be able to play the way D.R. wants him to play. ... There's no better example that Yasiel could have as a manager than D.R. because he brings it to the field every day. That's what Yasiel needs to learn, in my opinion. D.R. will have exactly what Yasiel doesn't have – and that's a consistent attitude going out there every day."

Despite Roberts' positivity, Adams says that he won't hesitate to be stern with a player when necessary.

"He'll get on 'em in private in the locker room, if that's what it takes," said Adams, who is the winningest coach in UCLA baseball history with a 984-823 record during his 30-year run with the Bruins. "If a guy's not running it out to first base, not running hard even though he pops up, he's not afraid to talk to 'em. He did it when he was captain of our team, and he'll do it as the manager."

Striking a balance between holding players accountable and being liked in the dugout is a delicate process. Tipping the scale in either direction can cause a manager to lose the respect of his players. Yet, it doesn't appear as though Roberts will have any issue achieving a comfortable balance in Los Angeles.

"He always had a positive outlook. He always had a smile on his face," Hargrave said. "I mean, that's why Dave gets along with everybody. It's pretty amazing: In high school, I don't remember anybody that did not like Dave Roberts."

*****

As he prepares to take over the helm of one of the most storied franchises in baseball history, obstacles are once again standing in Roberts' path.

High expectations, reported clubhouse rifts, and a lack of managerial experience are some of the hurdles Roberts will have to sidestep in his first season as Dodgers skipper.

Nonetheless, those who've been in the presence of Roberts over the years believe he is well equipped for the challenge.

"I think he's perfect for the job," said Adams. "He's adaptable, yet he will be their leader."

The determination he exhibited in returning from a brutal injury to lead his high school football team to a title and work ethic he demonstrated in tirelessly working on his bunting at RBV during the offseasons of his college and professional careers are deeply engrained into Roberts – qualities that just might bolster the Dodgers to heights unseen since 1988.

"I have full confidence in him that he's going to work his tail off to make this a successful venture," Hargrave said. "I think he would be a good match for any major-league team just because he's a quality person, he's a quality baseball person, but more importantly, he's a quality human being.

"It's hard to imagine somebody not wanting to play 100 percent for Dave Roberts."

While he has a sizeable challenge in front of him, it's hard to imagine Roberts won't make an opportunity out of any obstacle that plants itself in front of him during his tenure with the Dodgers.

By now, it's just second nature.