Orel Hershiser - Between the Lines: Nine Principles to Live By

Hes My Son, by Mark Schultz. Copyright Mark Schultz Music (BMI) (Admin. by The Loving Company). All rights reserved. Used by permission. When Im Back on My Feet Again, by Diane Warren. Copyright 1989, 1990 Realsongs (ASCAP). All rights reserved. Used by permission. Warner Bros. Publications U.S. Inc., Miami, FL 33014.

BETWEEN THE LINES. Copyright 2001 by Orel Leonard Hershiser IV. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Warner Books,

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

ISBN: 978-0-7595-2619-8

A hardcover edition of this book was published in 2001 by Warner Books.

First eBook Edition: October 2001

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

To Jamie, Quinton, and Jordan.
Ill never grow tired of your love.
Ill never stop loving you.

This book is filled with the names of many peoplefamily and friends. As you read youll find out that their contribution to my lifeand the principleshas been huge. This book is an expression of sincere appreciation to them and a recognition of their gifts to me. My sincerest thanks to each one.

A special thank you goes to Robert Wolgemuth, one of my closest friends for more than twelve years. Writing this book with him has been a great experience. A fellow German eccentric, Robert didnt mind my brooding over every single word.

And a big thanks to my wife, Jamie, who carefully edited the first draft of the manuscript.

Also thanks to Jo Ann Lacey and her colleagues, who did the transcribing so efficiently and accurately.

The folks at Warner Books/NashvilleRolf Zettersten, Leslie Peterson, Paul Shepherd, Kathie Johnson, and Preston Cannoncaught the vision for this book in the first place. Their encouragement and professional skills have made it happen. Also thanks to Larry Kirshbaum, Jamie Raab, Maureen Egen, Martha Otis, Chris Barba, and Jimmy Franco and their colleagues at Warner Books/New York for their support. Also, thanks to Ken Samuelson, my friend the detail wizard who made sure that every baseball stat was correct.

Finally, a special thanks to Dixie Fraley. Her friendship means so much. Her husband, Robertmy sports representative for seventeen yearsmeant more to me than I could ever express. The pages that follow are meant to be a tribute to both of them.

W hen I found out that Warner Books was publishing a book by Orel Hershiser, I called them myself and told them I wanted to write the foreword. They didnt ask me to do it. I offered.

Why did I call the publisher? Because I love Orel Hershiser and I want you to read this book and get to know him, too.

For over three decades I have managed some pretty remarkable people, including the talented young athletes of the 2000 Olympics gold-medal-winning baseball team. As a result, I have had the privilege of shaping and molding the talent and mettle of some of the best athletes in the world. Orel Hershiser is one of those at the top of my list. Let me tell you why.

The first time I met Orel was when the Dodgers brought him up in the fall of 1983. He was an impressive young man. And I knew the moment I met him that this was a man of great character. The following spring in Vero Beach, I could tell he was ready. There was a skill, a focus, and an aggressiveness that I liked. So I sent him out to pitch. But a few weeks into the regular season, I noticed a tentativeness. A fearfulness. Instead of trusting his instincts, Orel was out there trying to make the perfect pitch.

I had had enough. I told Ron Perranoski, my pitching coach, to bring Orel into my office. I really read Orel the riot act. I got in his face and told him he had good stuff but that he was afraid. He was pitching negatively and he didnt believe in himself.

Go after the hitter, I said. Quit being so careful. Get ahead of the count. Even the good hitters are going to fail 70 percent of the time. You got what it takes to get anybody out.

What I saw in Orel over the next twelve years was a baseball player with a tenacious will to learn, to grow, and to improve. I saw an outstanding young man who was a hard workeraggressive, even daring, on the mound. Not only did I get what I asked for, I got more.

Without a doubt, Orel Hershiser is one of the smartest baseball players Ive ever managed. His intelligence is visible on and off the field. Hes a gentleman. He loves God. He loves his family. Orels the real thing. Since that day back in 1983 when I first met him, weve become like father and son. I loved him as a manager and today I love him as a friend.

Orels a man who deserves the title role model. I tell people, If you have children, just hope they grow up to be like Orel Hershiser. If you have a daughter and someone like this comes to date her, invite him in, lock the door, and never let him leave!

Everyone needs someone like this to look up to. Orel Hershiser is one of the best.

If you ask Orel a question, hell tell you the truth. At all times. And thats exactly what hes done in this book. If you want great advice about living from someone who has the right to speak, youve come to the right place. Orel was a shrewd player on the fielda tireless student of the game of baseball. But I have as much respect for his perspective on the game of life. Even though Orel Hershiser is a sports hero to many, this is not a book about baseball. Its a book for people who want to live balanced, productive lives. People like you and me.

If you knew Orel Hershiser like I know Orel Hershiser, youll read this book and do exactly what it says.

TOMMY LASORDA

A Quiet Table
Back in the Corner

D uring the summer of 2000, when I retired from pitching in the big leagues, the folks at Warner approached me about writing a book. I told them that I wasnt interested in writing an autobiography. Im too young for a book like that. So they suggested that I string some of my stories and experiences together, using them as a backdrop to help someone out of a tough situation or to encourage and inspire a friend who needed a lift. Someone like you.

We decided to call the book Between the Lines. Of course, as a baseball player, I know the feeling of stepping across the foul line on my way to the pitchers mound from the dugout. At that moment, everything Ive prepared for from the time I was a little boy comes into sharp focus. And the anticipation of putting this into play is awesome. It still makes my heart race when I think about it.

Stadiums fill up with people to see whats going to happen between the lines.

But life isnt only about visible realities. There are invisible and unseen nuances. These subtleties are shaped by our experiences, by our families, and by our culture. And there are eventsa lot of them unplannedwhich become part of our own personal histories. These things change us and shape us into who we are. A big part of my life and yours is this unseen but very influential stuff. The part that hides between the lines.

What Ive done in this book is taken some of my life experiencesevents you may have read about in the paper and many you havent read aboutand boiled them down into nine principles that are very important to me. I hope they will be helpful to you, too.

Actually, this isnt a book at all. Its a conversation.

My good friends know that when Im in a comfortable setting with people I enjoy, I love to tell stories and laugh and listen.