Two good friends and two icons in the world of baseball talk creating a positive culture

Colorado Rockies legends Clint Hurdle and Dan O’Dowd join Off the Rak to share their experiences leading diverse teams, the Colorado Rockies trip to the 2007 World Series, leadership lessons learned on the diamond and beyond, and more!

About the Guests

Clint Hurdle
The cover of the March 20, 1978, annual baseball preview issue of Sports Illustrated featured a picture of Kansas City Royals rookie Clint Hurdle looking ready for action, with the caption “This Year’s Phenom” in bold yellow letters right next to his smiling face.

Appearing in 515 games over 10 seasons for the Royals, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals, Hurdle batted .259 with 32 home runs and 193 RBIs. In only three of those seasons did he make more than 200 plate appearances in major-league games.

Hurdle made more of a mark in baseball as a successful manager, for both the Colorado Rockies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams were in the midst of prolonged periods of losing at the time Hurdle took over. He led each to a level of success including postseason play — once with the Rockies in 2007, when they went to the World Series, and three times with Pirates in 2013 through 2015.

Dan O’Dowd
Dan O’Dowd was a baseball man from the beginning. A nose-shattering line drive during his sophomore year virtually ended his playing days and by his senior year he had transitioned into a coaching position assisting Rollins coach Boyd Coffie and soaking up every ounce of baseball knowledge and nuance available.

After graduation, O’Dowd was accepted into the executive development program with Major League Baseball and from there secured employment in the Baltimore Orioles’ front office in 1983 and more importantly with his baseball mentor, Orioles general manager Hank Peters. He instantly got to savor the sweet taste of victory as the Orioles won the 1983 World Series.

Dan O’Dowd’s foundation was built in Baltimore, where he learned the business and sales functions of a major-league organization before moving into the baseball operations/player development side of the house. Moving to the Cleveland Indians with his mentor Hank Peters, his career blossomed; he gained acclaim as one of the top baseball operations minds as part of the historic Indians teams of the ’90s. Success in Cleveland allowed O’Dowd to leverage his substantial reputation into a 15-year stint as the general manager and eventually president of the Colorado Rockies. The overall body of work can be scrutinized by detractors but the 2007 World Series appearance and 2009’s incredible second-half run can be noted as key highlights. In the end, Dan O’Dowd’s analytical mind and opinionated persona found a great fit at the MLB Network as he became a top analyst who speaks his mind and draws upon his life as a baseball man to provide wonderfully insightful commentary.

Links in this Episode

ClintHurdle.com

Learn more about Off the Rak and watch past episodes at waltrakowich.com/offtherak
Follow @waltrakowich on Linkedin | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | Threads