The other BG pitcher

If you mention Bowling Green baseball to the casual BGSU sports fan, one name will probably come to mind: Orel Hershiser.
No secret, Hershiser is the biggest celebrity to come out of the BGSU baseball program. The last Falcon pitcher to hurl a complete-game no hitter in 1979, he was vaulted to stardom by a surreal stretch run for the Dodgers in 1988, pitching a record 59 straight scoreless innings. He went on to win the MVP awards in the NLCS and World Series, and captured the Cy Young Award for the National League.
Hershiser had his BGSU celebrity cemented during a three-year stretch with the Indians from 1995-97, winning the MVP of the 1995 ALCS.
But there is another BGSU baseball alum who has made a pretty good living for himself in the major leagues. As a reliever, Roger McDowell was a key cog in the Mets' 1986 championship team, setting up closer Jess Orosco. He bounced around the majors, making 727 big league appearances, going 70-70 with a 3.30 ERA.
He was also known for pranks, shagging batting practice in the buff and making a cameo on "Seinfeld."
It's safe to say McDowell didn't take the most direct route through his big-league career. You might chalk him up to being a typical screw-loose reliever like Tug McGraw. But like McGraw, his loopy persona belied a sponge of a brain, absorbing knowledge about pitching and the mental games-within-the-game of baseball.
Now, all those years of sitting, watching and learning have paid off. McDowell is taking over the most celebrated pitching staff in all of baseball. He is the new pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves.
The position was made available when pitching guru Leo Mazzone took his old-school coaching act to Baltimore in the off-season.
As ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says, the Braves are headed for an adjustment. Atlanta is transitioning from Mazzone, a sometimes-gruff coach who spends less time watching film than Pat Robertson at a porno festival, to McDowell, a far more laid-back coach who embraces the technology at his disposal.
Mazzone's religious adherance to throwing programs is great for a veteran staff, or for veterans trying to reclaim their careers. It's a big reason why Mazzone was able to coax good seasons out of the likes of Jaret Wright and John Burkett, Crasnick points out. It's why veterans like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz flourished under Mazzone's eye.
But Mazzone's sometimes-abrasive demeanor could be intimidating for young pitchers, Atlanta ace Tim Hudson told Crasnick. With the Braves staff facing an imminent youth movement, GM John Schuerholz and his staff sought out a younger pitching coach who might mesh better with a younger staff.
McDowell was chosen out of more than 20 candidates, and now has a chance to rocket up the coaching ladder. It's like a newspaper reporter getting their first editor's job with the Washington Post.
If McDowell makes his mark in Atlanta, he might be interviewing for a manager's job in the next few years.
It's a long way from freezing-cold, sparsely-attended Falcon games at Warren Steller Field.