Between the Lines: Nine Principles to Live By [Hardcover]

Orel Hershiser (Author), Robert Wolgemuth (Author), Tommy Lasorda (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2001

Orel Hershiser diligently paid his dues day after day until he accomplished his dream and become the highest-paid pitcher of his time. Along the way he was guided by principles and values that he now shares in the pages of this book, including perseverance, adaptability, balance, family, laughter, and personal reflection.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hershiser, one-time acclaimed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (and a few other teams), seems to have led a charmed life: he pitched 58 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988, won the Cy Young Award and was the World Series MVP, all in the same year. However, as Hershiser readily admits, his early career was not as promising. He was cut from his first teams and played in the minors for several years before moving up. Yet faith, determination and some crucial values helped keep his career on track. Writing in a casual but convincing tone, he shares his guiding principles for everyday life: believe your coaches, love your family, pursue excellence and balance, among others. After one frenzied afternoon at an airport when Hershiser and his family were literally trapped by fans, he faced the fact that "because we were famous, we were going to be recognized and interrupted.... Jamie and I set boundaries. We learned to say no without feeling guilty. And we stayed involved in our church." While the extremes of Hershiser's experience may not correspond to the lives of most readers, his basic advice is sound and applicable. And though his words may not be unique, they will ring true for many. (Sept.)Forecast: Hershiser's reputation in tandem with the publisher's planned five-city tour and extensive national advertising should make this a winner as soon as books hit the stores.n

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hershiser's best-selling autobiography, Out of the Blue, chronicled his finest year, 1988, when he won both a Cy Young Award for best National League pitcher and a World Series Most Valuable Player trophy as he propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to a world championship. But his subsequent years were not golden as he struggled to overcome serious arm troubles. He recently retired after pitching into his forties. In this book, he offers advice liberally sprinkled with baseball anecdotes. Despite being a ferocious competitor, Hershiser has always been known as an almost squeakily clean role model who found particular strength through his religious beliefs. The principles stressed in this book include believing in your coaches, striving for excellence, keeping a balanced outlook, and striving to love and live with gratitude. Key points and quotes are highlighted throughout the book. Hershiser has written an upbeat book of advice in the baseball-as-metaphor-for-life tradition. This is an entertaining and easy-to-read book and libraries should purchase as demand warrants. Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Warner Faith; First Edition edition (September 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446528501
• ISBN-13: 978-0446528504
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,890,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book For Young People -- And Not Bad For The Not So Young, July 19, 2007

By 

Indiana Jeff Reynolds "Preacher Jeff" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between the Lines: Nine Things Baseball Taught Me About Life (Paperback)

Orel Hersheiser's book is excellent on giving advice for life.

Unlike most athletes, Orel does not give a biography. Instead he picks nine principles he sees for a successful life, and then gives anecdotes, almost exclusively from his own life, to support those points.

Orel does not come across as "Look at me! I have a Cy Young award, two league championship MVPs, and a World Series ring and MVP award, to go along with having the record for most consecutive scoreless innings." Instead, you have a normal person who managed to accomplish a lot, and a desire to encourage others to accomplish a lot in their lives.

This book is very readable. In the introduction Orel paints the picture of the book being like a conversation in a diner. It is fun reading stories about Tommy LaSorda, especially when he is in the ear of his former pitcher before the 5th game of the '95 series.

I would recommend for every parent to get this book for their son or daughter, and then read it with them so they can discuss the issues. One, this will help your child apply the lessons, and two, we oldies can use the advice as well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Orel Hershiser gets personal, February 17, 2004

By 

Richard Hallock (Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between the Lines: Nine Things Baseball Taught Me About Life (Paperback)

Orel Hershiser was one of the most dominant pitchers during the 1980's and 1990's. He won over 200 games, he posted season ERAs of 2.66. 2.03, 2.26, and 2.31, he has 13 double-digit victory seasons and he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series in 1988. During that magical season he won the CY Young Award, the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP. So it is safe to say that he is qualified to write a book on how to be successful in life.
In his second book Between the Lines: The Nine Things Baseball Taught Me About Life, co-authored by Robert Wolgemuth, Hershiser writes about how his experiences in baseball taught him about perseverance in life. Although Hershiser stared in the Majors, his rise was not an easy one. He had to overcome many obstacles early on in his career. He was stuck in the minor leagues for four years and he had to come back from serious shoulder surgery in the prime of his career. Hershiser also talks about personal miseries with him dropping out of college after getting cut from the baseball team and then later in life dealing with the death of his good friend and agent Robert Fraley. The book was an easy read and Hershiser offers some very good advice about life or at least on how he became successful. The book is not organized chronologically but instead Hershiser and Wolgemuth headline each chapter with his principles of life. Readers looking for play by play analysis of his career will be disappointed with Between the Lines because Hershiser takes a more personal account of his life in and out of baseball. But overall the book taught me things about life and inspired me to strife for my goals not only in sports but in life.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Baseball Lessons & Life Lessons are the Same!, November 20, 2001

By 

Steve Nakamoto "The Friendly Voice of the... (Huntington Beach, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Between the Lines: Nine Principles to Live By (Hardcover)

Here's a book that in simple terms tells the reader about how overcoming the challenges in baseball are similar to those that average people encounter in life. I think that this would be a good book for young people who may be in team sports. It can help them see the greater benefit of playing sports rather than being caught up in winning and losing. Being from Los Angeles, I have a little more awe for Orel Hershier, who for a period of time was the best pitcher in the game of baseball. I hope that other mature athletes in football and basketball do books like this so that our youth can gain the full benefit of being in sports. I hope that parents buy this book for a Christmas present for the young athlete in the family.