Foul Territory

I was just thinking about a book I read a few times a long time ago, and I think it's really good. It's called Out of the Blue, and it's written by Orel Hershiser and Jerry B. Jenkins. It was written after the 1988 baseball season. I really enjoyed it the times that I've read it, and if you can find a copy at your library, I recommend picking it up. Orel is the pitching coach with the Texas Rangers now, but when the book was written he had just finished a season in which he won the Cy Young award, won the NLCS and World Series MVP awards, and broke the longstanding record for consecutive scoreless innings. The book talks about his childhood, his career, his family, and it goes into a lot of detail about that 1988 season. Reading the book and watching his late career years with the Indians leaves no doubt in my mind that he would be an excellent pitching coach. He has a great understanding of the sport, as he was not an overpowering physical specimen, but he managed to have a long and productive career.

Here's a tidbit for you: Orel is kind of a funny name, don't you think? However, he is Orel Hershiser IV, and his son is Orel Hershiser V. Now you just have to read it, don't you?