WEBVTT - Orel Hershiser (4-22-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.

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<v Speaker 2>We're join right now by a man that knows all

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<v Speaker 2>about the Dodger Giants rivalry, the nineteen eighty eight SI

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<v Speaker 2>Young Award winner World Series MVP, the only man in

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<v Speaker 2>baseball history to be awarded the NLCSMVP and ALCSMVP, and

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<v Speaker 2>one of those few Dodgers that did wear the orange

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<v Speaker 2>and black for a short time. That's the one and

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<v Speaker 2>only Oral Herscheizer Bulldog. Thanks a lot for the time.

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<v Speaker 2>Great to be in San Francisco with you.

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<v Speaker 1>It's amazing and you saying that I was on both

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<v Speaker 1>sides of this equation. My current business partner, Eddie Alizade,

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<v Speaker 1>had a poster of me in his bedroom, and when

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<v Speaker 1>I became a Giant, he tore it down and ripped

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<v Speaker 1>it up. But I'm still friends with him and still

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<v Speaker 1>business partners.

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<v Speaker 2>What was the reception here when you did come to

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<v Speaker 2>the Giants late in your career.

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<v Speaker 1>Although there were reasons that I chose the Mets, the

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<v Speaker 1>Giants and the Cleveland Indians at the time now the Guardians,

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<v Speaker 1>but chose because I wanted to be a better baseball

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<v Speaker 1>person when I retired and I wanted to experience American

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<v Speaker 1>League baseball, and they were a team that was scoring

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<v Speaker 1>about seven runs a game, and I'm like, I think

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<v Speaker 1>I can pitch that well, so I could win some

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<v Speaker 1>games over there. Then I chose the Mets because I

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<v Speaker 1>thought the New York met fans would hold me accountable.

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<v Speaker 1>Because of the city of New York. I wanted everything

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<v Speaker 1>we did against them in eighty eight, and I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to live in New York. I think it's one of

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<v Speaker 1>the greatest cities in the world, and I wanted my

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<v Speaker 1>kids and family to be exposed to that. I chose

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<v Speaker 1>San Francisco for the same reason, another great city in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States. I knew the fans would hold me accountable.

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<v Speaker 1>They had a chance. We lost in Game one, sixty

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<v Speaker 1>three to the Cubs that year, and the Mets we

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<v Speaker 1>made it to the playoffs. The Indians. We were in

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<v Speaker 1>the playoffs all three years I was there, ninety five,

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<v Speaker 1>ninety six to ninety seven, So it was about winning

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<v Speaker 1>and getting in the right experience and having a fan

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<v Speaker 1>base that would hold me accountable. And my body gave

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<v Speaker 1>out before I turned forty two that I could not

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<v Speaker 1>continue to pitch, and my last stop was going to

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<v Speaker 1>be the Chicago Cubs, live in a brownstone and work wow.

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<v Speaker 1>But it didn't work out. But not all free agents

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<v Speaker 1>picked places just because they get paid a lot or

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<v Speaker 1>just I actually had a plan for my life in

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<v Speaker 1>that part, and it wasn't about the money at all.

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<v Speaker 2>What about the post playing equation. You were a coach,

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<v Speaker 2>you were a part of a front office. Did you

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<v Speaker 2>want to experience what it was like and how it

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<v Speaker 2>was done in other organizations. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>When I was a player, early on, I noticed what

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<v Speaker 1>was going on with people in the front office, in management,

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<v Speaker 1>in broad with broadcasters, and really was always a one

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<v Speaker 1>way street. When you left the field, you weren't really

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<v Speaker 1>allowed to come back. But then there were executives and

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<v Speaker 1>managers that started to go to broadcasting and they were

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<v Speaker 1>able to come back to managing. There were executives that

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<v Speaker 1>went to broadcasting and went back to being a general manager,

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<v Speaker 1>so all of a sudden it became a two way street.

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<v Speaker 1>So I felt like I need to have a full

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<v Speaker 1>education of baseball, and the only part of baseball that

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<v Speaker 1>I hadn't experienced was the front office. So the first

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<v Speaker 1>thing I did was when I signed with the Cleveland Indians,

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<v Speaker 1>back then as far as an executive, it was associate

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<v Speaker 1>general manager like we see Chase Sutley doing and other guys.

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<v Speaker 1>So I wanted to learn the front office and what

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<v Speaker 1>was going on from naming rights and uniform designs and

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<v Speaker 1>scheduling and free agent signings and scouting. I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>be involved in all those meetings. So when I went

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<v Speaker 1>to John Hart, who was the executive there, I said, John,

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<v Speaker 1>all I want. I'm not worried about salary. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>worried about how much I work. All I want is

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<v Speaker 1>to be able to be in any meeting possible. I

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<v Speaker 1>want to be in all meetings and not get kicked

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<v Speaker 1>out because I just want the education. And so I

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<v Speaker 1>did that for a while, and then I became the

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<v Speaker 1>Texas Ranger pitching coach because we fired our pitching coach,

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<v Speaker 1>and I told them that the only way I'll become

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<v Speaker 1>the pitching coach is if you still let me in

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<v Speaker 1>any meeting so that I can continue to learn. So

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<v Speaker 1>it was a baseball education that I was after, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, it led me to ESPN, it led me

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<v Speaker 1>to the Dodgers, and I'm I'm just glad when I

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<v Speaker 1>look out on the field that I know how the

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<v Speaker 1>whole industry works.

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<v Speaker 2>Speaking of ESPN oral hersha As. It was part of

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<v Speaker 2>a very special Jackie Robinson broadcast last week with Joe

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<v Speaker 2>Buck and Ron Darling. What was that experience like working

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<v Speaker 2>with Joe Buck for the first time.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, Joe's going into the Hall of Fame

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<v Speaker 1>and it's kind of about time. Ron Darling has always

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<v Speaker 1>been a guy that I've never turned the volume down

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<v Speaker 1>on my TV. I want to hear what he has

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<v Speaker 1>to say. I learned from Ron all the time, so

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<v Speaker 1>I was excited to be in that booth. I was

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<v Speaker 1>even more excited that it was Jackie Robinson Day. And

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<v Speaker 1>it was hard to say this on the air during

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<v Speaker 1>the game because baseball is a joyous occasion. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>distraction for people to watch and enjoy and come home

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<v Speaker 1>from work and see it. But the thing I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>people to remember about Jackie Robinson Day was all the

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<v Speaker 1>hard things that he went through and how he handled

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<v Speaker 1>it so well, and how Rachel handled it so well,

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<v Speaker 1>and some of his teammates handled it so well, so

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<v Speaker 1>that you know, we don't we celebrate him and we

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<v Speaker 1>remember him, and we've retired the number and they get

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<v Speaker 1>to wear it all on that day. But the work

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<v Speaker 1>and the pain and the suffering that he went through,

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<v Speaker 1>it's hard to tell people about that. That that respect

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<v Speaker 1>and that level of admiration that we should have for

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<v Speaker 1>this man that paid, you know, not the ultimate price,

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<v Speaker 1>but I would say he probably died early because of

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<v Speaker 1>all that stress that he went through and the family

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<v Speaker 1>went through. So being a Dodger, being part of Jackie

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<v Speaker 1>Robinson Day on the ESPN broadcast, it was an honor.

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<v Speaker 1>But the thing that I can say in this pregame

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<v Speaker 1>show to you and to all everybody out there, is

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<v Speaker 1>that we need to remember Jackie for the price that

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<v Speaker 1>he paid and all the work that he put in.

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<v Speaker 2>Well said, And how about this Jackie Robinson, the ultimate dodger.

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<v Speaker 2>When he was treated to the Giants, he decided to

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<v Speaker 2>retire rather than play for the Giants.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh now you really put me in a bad foot.

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<v Speaker 2>I should have never Why didn't you retire? Oh?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh my god, I should have never went to Peter

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<v Speaker 1>McGowan's house for dinner and got convinced to be a giant.

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<v Speaker 1>But you know what, San Francisco is a great place.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a great organization. I know they've been on some

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<v Speaker 1>dry times. But I love the fact that we have

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<v Speaker 1>a rivalry, the Northern and Southern California rivalry, and it

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<v Speaker 1>will be good for the Dodgers and good for the

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<v Speaker 1>nationallygue West, and good for baseball as the Giants get better,

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<v Speaker 1>because we want that intense brotherly love, kind of brotherly hate,

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<v Speaker 1>brotherly everything. I say that at some time there used

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<v Speaker 1>to be this brother this brother relationship used to be

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<v Speaker 1>more physical, let's say, And now it's just kind of

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<v Speaker 1>you go over to your brother's room, you knock on

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<v Speaker 1>the door and say, turn the music down.

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<v Speaker 2>What an analogy. That's a good one.

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<v Speaker 1>You used to fight your brother. Now in this generation,

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<v Speaker 1>we just ask them to turn the music down.

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<v Speaker 2>Before I let you go. So many images that flash

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<v Speaker 2>through my mind when you talk about Dodgers, Giants and

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<v Speaker 2>your teams at Candlestick Park. What was it like for

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<v Speaker 2>you to pitch at that ballpark? Because it feels like

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<v Speaker 2>the Dodgers and Giants in this beautiful ballpark they built

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<v Speaker 2>here are living a way better life than you guys did. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>I loved Candlestick Park because I loved playing the wind.

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<v Speaker 1>It was another element where you could win the game,

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<v Speaker 1>and so if the wind was off my left cheek,

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<v Speaker 1>there were other certain pitches that would do certain things.

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<v Speaker 1>If it was off my right cheek, there were certain

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<v Speaker 1>pitches that would do certain things. I would rather throw

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<v Speaker 1>a hanging curveball and have Matt Williams hit it into

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<v Speaker 1>the wind than to throw my best pitch ever low

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<v Speaker 1>and away and now he hits it to right center

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<v Speaker 1>where the wind was gusting out. I always followed the

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<v Speaker 1>hot dog wrappers. I always talked to my infielders and

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<v Speaker 1>outfielders about the wind, and I always looked at that

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<v Speaker 1>place as a place that even though it was cold

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<v Speaker 1>and it was rainy sometimes and it was you know, windy,

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<v Speaker 1>those elements made it a next level for somebody who

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to think on how to win the game, and

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<v Speaker 1>those kind of elements.

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<v Speaker 2>That's amazing. I've never heard any pitcher say those things

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<v Speaker 2>to their strategy. As far as the wind coming on

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<v Speaker 2>one side of your face to the other, that's just

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<v Speaker 2>who oral herscheizer was.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, if it's coming off my right cheek, it would

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<v Speaker 1>accentuate my curveball and make the break bigger. And if

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<v Speaker 1>it was coming off my right check with my sinker,

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<v Speaker 1>it would make it go more straight down, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was coming off my left cheek. It would make my

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<v Speaker 1>sinker flatter because it wouldn't have any wind to bite against.

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<v Speaker 1>But it would also then make my curve ball go

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<v Speaker 1>more straight down, so it would change the pattern of

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<v Speaker 1>the pitches. And in doing that, then you apply that

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<v Speaker 1>to the hitter. Then you apply that to the wind

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<v Speaker 1>direction in the outfield. And what field do I want

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<v Speaker 1>him to hit it to the left side of the

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<v Speaker 1>right side, and you got a better chance of getting

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<v Speaker 1>them out?

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<v Speaker 2>All right, Here's the one question every Dodger fan wants

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<v Speaker 2>to know. What was it like facing Will Clark? Was

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<v Speaker 2>he a tough guy for you to face?

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<v Speaker 1>He was, But that's where I loved using the wind.

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<v Speaker 1>They were a tougher team to pitch to in Dodger

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<v Speaker 1>Stadium because they had some great hitters that could spray

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<v Speaker 1>the ball over the field. Like Will, he could pull

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<v Speaker 1>the ball for power, he could go the opposite field

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<v Speaker 1>of power. But when you're in Candlestick and the wind's blowing,

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<v Speaker 1>I forced him to hit it into the wind.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, no doubt. Thanks a lot for the time

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<v Speaker 2>and man orl Hers Scheizer and David Vassey in San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 2>I never would have thought that when I was ten

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<v Speaker 2>years old, but certainly a treat always to share you

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<v Speaker 2>with everybody ORL and you know how much you mean

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<v Speaker 2>to all of us in Los Angeles and to this franchise,

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<v Speaker 2>and you're a treasure.

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<v Speaker 1>This is so much fun to continue to live my

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<v Speaker 1>dream and to be this close. The only frustration for

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<v Speaker 1>me is that the arm and the body wore out.

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<v Speaker 1>I wish I could go out there. It's not even

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<v Speaker 1>close about the salaries, but these facilities and all the

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<v Speaker 1>things that they get to walk onto this field. It's

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<v Speaker 1>like walking on heaven on earth if you love baseball.

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<v Speaker 2>No doubt. And Oral h Herscheiser will be on the

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<v Speaker 2>call tonight with Joe Davis on Sports Net LA. Thanks ORL,

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<v Speaker 2>you got it, David,