Episode Details

Long before Clint Hurdle became one of baseball’s most recognizable managers, he was the kid everyone expected to become a star.

A first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in 1975, Hurdle reached the major leagues at 20 and soon found himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated under enormous expectations. His playing career ultimately followed a different path — but the lessons that came with it would shape everything that followed.

Hurdle went on to build a remarkable second act as a coach, teacher, and manager. He led the Colorado Rockies to the 2007 World Series and later helped transform the Pittsburgh Pirates, taking them back to the postseason in 2013 after a 20-year absence.

But his most important story may be the one beyond wins and losses.

In this episode of Stories from Real Life, Melvin E. Edwards talks with Clint Hurdle about being labeled a future star before adulthood, confronting disappointment, learning from failure, sobriety, family, leadership and discovering that sometimes the life you were supposed to have isn’t nearly as meaningful as the life you eventually build.

Hurdle-isms book

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