Erstad sticking at NU after Dodgers interview

A few weeks ago a report surfaced from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal that Darin Erstad would be interviewing for the Los Angeles Dodgers' open managerial position. The news was so surprising and out-of-the-blue that it hardly seemed real, even to Erstad himself.

Nebraska's coach was in Florida for a recruiting trip when he took a call from his agent, who informed him the Dodgers were interested.

Erstad's response? "Come on."

But as he communicated with the Dodgers and president of operations Andrew Friedman it became apparent the interest was very real. Erstad flew out and interviewed with the team for three and a half hours on Nov. 5. But when he returned home and discussed the matter with his family, he realized he couldn't leave. He informed the Dodgers last Friday that he was withdrawing his name from consideration, which he said was "one of the most difficult phone calls I've had to make."

"When I got back home and sat with my family and you start really going over the priorities in your life and what's most important for the family moving forward… I just looked into my kids' eyes and that's all I needed to do," Erstad, a former No. 1 overall pick and MLB veteran of 14 years, said.

"For me it's the power of the N. It's the community. I was asked to come here and establish a culture and get back to going to the College World Series. It's got to mean something to me and Nebraska means a lot to me. To be able to affect kids' lives in a positive way at a very young age when they're still green and hungry for developing, and not just as players but as people… I think that's pretty powerful stuff."

That doesn't mean turning the job down was easy. Erstad has long said he doesn't have much interest in coaching in the major leagues and confirmed Tuesday that he'd previously turned down a number of MLB coaching opportunities.

But the Dodgers are one of baseball's most historic franchises, have the highest payroll in the majors and are one of the favorites to win the World Series. Erstad also spent most of his career with the Anaheim Angels and still has a number of friends in the Los Angeles area. He said he would have kicked himself if he hadn't at least explored the possibility.

"It's tempting," Erstad said. "You want to compete at the highest level and have a chance to win a World Series. That was my goal as a kid growing up and I got to live that dream. When the grim reaper comes and taps you on the shoulder and says you can't play anymore, you kind of think it's over. To have that opportunity to possibly be at that level again was pretty exciting."

Last Thursday the Dodgers told Erstad he was a finalist and it "became real." The Dodgers liked Erstad's ability to deal with players and manage a clubhouse, as well as his ability to mentor young players, as he did in Houston late in his career with Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn.

Erstad sought advice with Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon and Angels skipper Mike Scioscia, and though he turned the opportunity down, he believes the experience was a very valuable one.

"I've probably eliminated my name from ever doing it again, but it was one of those things that you have to go through it a little bit so you don't have the 'What if?'" he said. "What if I would have said no to the interview? It was just something that I needed to do. I learned that I must have been doing something right just with the way I go about my business and the way I've tried to create a culture, not just here but as a player. Something along the way stuck with somebody that lets you know that you're doing things right."

Now Erstad returns to trying to get the Nebraska program fully turned around. The Huskers have certainly made strides under his tutelage but took a step back last season. Erstad is focused on making sure the setback was temporary and believes the team is working toward big things.

"Would I have gotten the job? Who knows?" Erstad said. "It would have been a long shot, but it was definitely an experience I needed to go through. In the end, it just made my love for this university and this community and getting to work with these student athletes even stronger than it was before."