Hershiser’s Dinner Plate Filled With Optimism

Orel Hershiser’s interview to become Dodger manager turned out to be less formal and perhaps more meaningful than interviews conducted with five other candidates two weeks ago.

Hershiser did not meet with General Manager Paul DePodesta, instead spending a leisurely dinner Tuesday with owner Frank McCourt and Tom Lasorda, who was Hershiser’s manager during all but one of his 13 seasons as a Dodger pitcher. The dinner coincided with and lasted nearly as long as the five-hour, 41-minute Game 3 of the World Series.

“I thought it went fantastic,” Hershiser said. “It wasn’t this high pressure, answer this or that type thing. It was so conversational. It was just a fun night.

“Mr. McCourt will make a great decision, whether or not I am the manager or in the front office. I enjoyed getting to know him.”

Neither McCourt nor DePodesta would comment. Sources said Hershiser and DePodesta have spoken over the telephone several times in recent days and that one conversation qualified as an interview, lasting more than three hours.

He is not the only former Dodger to have a lengthy telephone conversation with DePodesta. Bobby Valentine, whose Chiba Lotte Marines completed a four-game sweep of the Japan Series on Wednesday, said he and the Dodger general manager talked for two hours.

Valentine, who is contractually obligated to Chiba Lotte until Nov. 30, characterized the conversation as “an informal baseball conversation” and said the managerial position was not specifically addressed. However, he would like to be considered for the job.

“It would be one of the greatest opportunities of my life,” he said. “But I’m not sure that I fit what they are looking for.”

Hershiser, who has no managerial experience, could fall into the same category. However, his comments seem to indicate he could be considered for a position other than manager. En route to the interview, he told the Dallas Morning News, “You think someday you’d like to be a manager or general manager, and when the interview process begins, it gets the blood flowing.”

The Dodgers have received permission from the Texas Rangers, who employ Hershiser as pitching coach, to speak with him only about becoming manager. Hershiser said that McCourt addressed a wide range of topics, but that no job besides manager came up.

“I definitely think Mr. McCourt wanted to meet me face to face,” he said. “We talked about everything from my being manager to my upbringing, where my life is now, what I did after I retired and my experiences as a Dodger.”

Lasorda, who gave Hershiser the nickname “Bulldog,” helped put his former pitching star at ease.

“It was very comfortable because my old skipper Tommy was there,” Hershiser said. “He was absolutely amazing in the way he asked really good questions and made it easy for Mr. McCourt to get to know me.

“I don’t know if this was, ‘Let’s meet Orel and be on my way,’ or if it was deeper with more to come.”

None of the other candidates has met with McCourt, although sources said the owner is expected to meet with Terry Collins and perhaps another finalist. Collins, the Dodger farm director, is at Dodger Stadium this week for organizational meetings. He was scheduled to leave for Phoenix today to watch the Dodger team in the Arizona Fall League, but has postponed the trip until Friday.

Other candidates are Dodger triple-A manager Jerry Royster, fired Detroit manager Alan Trammell, San Francisco bench coach Ron Wotus and Cleveland minor league manager Torey Lovullo.

*

International scouting director Rene Francisco has left the Dodgers. His successor has not be named.

*

Times staff writer Bruce Wallace in Tokyo contributed to this report.