Orel Hershiser is the greatest modern pitcher in Dodger history. He's a 3 time All-Star and pitched 59 1/3 scoreless innings. He's won a Gold Glove, Cy Young
, World Series MVP, Babe Ruth
award, a league championship MVP in both leagues, and even won a Silver Slugger award. Basically, he's done it all. So, it is apt that the above autographed Diamond King green frame variation card of the "Bulldog" is a 1 of 1. He was that rare and special.
On another note, I wanted to pass along this great story from
Tommy Lasorda's own blog:
“I never saw a pitcher pitch as negatively as you,” I told Hershiser. “You were afraid to throw the ball over the plate. You were saying to yourself, ‘I better not throw the ball there or he is going to hit it.’ Instead, you should have been saying to yourself that you are going to throw the ball there and he aint going to hit it!”
But he was thinking negatively, and he did not have the confidence in himself.
I went on, “And furthermore, I don’t like your first name, Orel. If I bring you in tonight to pitch to Dale Murphy and the PA announces, ‘Now pitching for the Dodgers, number 55, Orel Hershiser,’ Murphy is going to think hitting against you is going to be easy.”
“From now on your name is Bulldog! You are going to act like a bulldog. You are going to pitch like a bulldog. And you are going to walk around like a bulldog!”
“Now when the PA announces number 55, Bulldog Hershiser, Murphy is going to be thinking you have got to be mean to have a name like Bulldog.” Well, he began to pitch like a bulldog, and everybody knows what he did.
From the mouth of the master motivator.
