Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Regardless of your fame as an athlete at Nebraska, being away for 15 years is a long time.
Sure, veteran Husker fans remember Darin Erstad, NU's new baseball coach, but they may be fuzzy on some of his career details.
Younger fans know the name, but don't have personal memories.
Unfortunately, those disconnects have allowed some to become tainted by the message-board slop and Twitter idiocy about Erstad being a bad hire simply because he has never coached before.
Knowing that you learn more about a man in a few hours of action than in a thousand hours of conversation, here's a reintroduction of the Erstad I've watched and come to know over two decades:
• Nov. 25, 1994: Erstad already is a national name as a baseball standout, but on this day he's in a Husker football uniform, playing a key role in a 13-3 win over Oklahoma. Erstad bombed a 73-yard punt, drilled a 45-yard field goal and had none of his five kickoffs returned past the 21-yard line.
“Some kickers are basket cases, but Darin's not that way,'' then-NU coach Tom Osborne said. “Mentally, he's a pretty tough guy.''
What we learned: He thrives on challenges and isn't afraid to test himself against the best in a nontraditional setting.
• May 20, 1995: Nebraska was three outs from ending nemesis Oklahoma State's 14-year stranglehold on the Big Eight baseball championship.
But the Cowboys scratched out two runs in the bottom of the 11th to win 8-7. The stunning loss ended Erstad's college career, and his misery was compounded because he went 0 for 6 — despite hammering three balls to the warning track — and stranded six runners.
For a full 15 minutes afterward, Erstad sat glued to the bench, bent at the waist with a look of disappointment/horror/anger/shock that I had never seen before nor have witnessed since.
What we learned: The man isn't perfect. And he cares. A lot.
• June 11, 1995: Erstad is selected No. 1 overall in the amateur baseball draft, joining names such as Ken Griffey Jr., Darryl Strawberry and Bob Horner.
“I guess that's all-right company,'' he deadpanned. “It doesn't make me nervous to think about that. I'm more proud and excited than anything else.''
What we learned: He's got a sense of humor and a sense of perspective.
• July 26, 1995: Erstad signed with the California Angels for a guaranteed $1.575 million. So what kind of wild shopping spree ensued? None. He paid off his parents' credit card and invested the rest.
What we learned: He has a young man's body and a wise man's head.
• Sept. 14, 1996: One hour before a major league baseball game with zero playoff implications, the Angels' dressing room buzzed with activity unrelated to baseball.
Two noisy card games took up the middle of the room. About a dozen players watched the Presidents Cup golf matches. Eight more players huddled around another TV in a supply room hooting and hollering about a Notre Dame-Purdue football game.
But in a back corner, one lone player sat hunched over a 12-inch monitor poring over video of that day's opposing pitcher. The man punching the rewind button over and over was Erstad.
“He's very serious about what he's doing, and he plays hard,'' said then-Angels manager John McNamara, a veteran of 2,400 major league games.
“Those are things that are hard to teach, and those are things that baseball people like.''
What we learned: This was a quintessential Erstad moment. While others saw a chance to take it easy, he remained on task and worked extra to find anything within the rules to succeed.
• Oct. 27, 2004: In the midst of a baseball career that included a World Series title, two All-Star Game appearances and three Gold Glove awards, Erstad and his wife, Jessica, donated $1 million to the Nebraska athletic department.
He quietly talked that day about how, next to his family, his time at Nebraska had impacted his life the most.
“If I had signed out of high school and played minor league baseball, I can't even imagine what I would've been,'' Erstad said. “At Nebraska, I learned to deal with people and deal with the media and play in front of big crowds.''
What we learned: He didn't go stuck-up and all-Hollywood with fame and fortune. He remembers those who helped him on the way up and is generous enough to give back.
By the way, Bubba Starling, are you listening?
None of this makes Erstad a cinch to succeed as Nebraska's baseball coach. Among the first to agree would be Erstad.
But this is no harebrained gamble of a hire. It's a well-reasoned, calculated risk from Athletic Director Tom Osborne.
Nebraska has spent millions on baseball in recent years, but Erstad brings the things money can't buy and that this slip-sliding program needs — passion, excellence, loyalty and love, all from a quiet yet powerful and respected voice.
If I have a question about this hire, it is this:
Elite athletes often can be difficult to play for as coaches. Those who performed at a high level often struggle to understand the growing pains of the less talented.
Erstad, to no surprise, has already thought that out.
“As long as the effort is there, I'm fine. I'll be patient,'' he said. “The one thing about baseball that I will never forget is how hard this game is to play.
“It's a simple game to play. But there is failure. And if you don't accept that, you're going to be in trouble. Dealing with that failure is a big part of what I'm going to help these kids with.''
Something tells me that's one of the few failures we'll be discussing during the Erstad Era of Nebraska baseball.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com
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