AUG2015: THE 150th ARTICLE FOR BASEBALL GURU
ONEMOREINNING
INTERVIEWS
Herb Rogoff: Publisher/Editor
During the 22 years that I published ONE MORE INNING I interviewed over 700 players. Here are some of the more memorable ones:
MIKE WITT:
While having lunch at the Javitts Center with Jimmy Leyritz MIKE WITT (he pitched a perfect game) walked by and I asked if I could interview him for One More Inning and he said yes.
We went to a quiet area and I started asking him questions. After a few of them I noticed that he was giving me just one or two word answers like "yes" "no" "maybe" "could be"
I kept on going and that continued. Finally I said we're really not getting anywhere in this interview, are we?
He looked at me and with a smile on his face he said, "Apparently….you really catch on fast." I answered back," I didn't force you to interview with me…..why are you doing this? He got up, and said, "You're really nosy aren't you" and walked away.
Of all the interviews I've had his was one of the worst.
One of the best was with:
JIMMY LEYRITZ:
When Jimmy Leyritz first came up to the Majors I was able to get to interview him at the Yankee Fan Festival.
We started the interview with his days in the Minors and how thrilled he was to be getting to play with the Yankees. He also talked about Pete Rose helping him early in his career. He and I differed about Rose being voted into the Hall of Fame, I was con and he was pro. He felt that all of Rose's accomplishments in the game deserved recognition no matter what he had been accused of as far as betting in the game. I felt that he had set a horrible example and that the fact that betting while in baseball was prohibited he should not get in.
It was a friendly argument, the interview lasted about an hour or so, and I must say he was so comfortable to spend time with. I really got a sense of what life was like in the Minors and the frustration you went through when others were called up before you
Over the years we would touch base and then there was his car accident, a woman died, and things went badly for him.
I'm glad to see he's making a comeback of sorts and hopefully things will turn around for him.
Next month interviews with Dick Bartell and a sort of interview with Clete Boyer and Johnny Blanchard
