Joe's Question #1: In 1983 you pitching two scoreless innings in the All-Star game. What was that experience like for you?

Mr. Dravecky's Answer: First of all, just being selected to the All-Star team was a privilege and an honor. For me impractical, coming from Youngstown Ohio, small town, midwest, and playing at Youngstown State University which was not a baseball powerhouse, but it was an opportunity for me to play. Then to think that all of a sudden in 1983 I'm wearing a major league baseball uniform in an All-Star game for the Padres it was really overwhelming for me. You have those kinds of dreams but you never know as a young kid if it's going to become a reality.
So that experience was obviously one that I'll always remember. You know, being able to go out and play, and I pitched two innings, being able to strike out Fred Lynn and George Brett those are some of the highlights of my career. I consider them two great baseball players. So overall it was an amazing experience for me and, one that I felt very privileged and honored to be a part of.

Joe's Question #2: In 1984 you pitched in the NLCS and the World Series for the San Diego Padres. In the four games that you pitched in you had only one earned run in 19 and 2/3 innings combined. What was pitching in the post season like for you?

Mr. Dravecky's Answer: When I think about post season play, that's something that every team works towards in spring training. The goal is sat that you want to be one of those team that's going to be in post season, then hopefully one of the last two teams standing. And then realizing that it's a very difficult task to achieve, and a goal to accomplish.
That year in 1984 in particular for me being my first year having the experience of being in post season play was again an incredible experience and a privilege and an honor.
And what made it even more special because the Kroc family, who at the time owned the Padres, Mr. Kroc the winter before that season had passed away. So we played that season in memory and honor of him. So to be able to accomplish that goal of being able to getting into the playoffs was just real special. The Padres weren't one of those teams that were picked to do that, so it made it even more special.
Pitching during that period of time, I don't know why I was able to take it up a noch in realization to my performance. But one of the things that I look back on, now having time to actually think about it since being retired, is that I've always thrived on those kinds of situations. And I think that what those situations did for me is that it allowed me to have a greater focus on what my role was while I was out there.
You know one of the neat things about the playoffs in 1984, when we went up against the Cubs, was that no one expected us to win that series. We started off going down two games to zero to the Cubs that year. (Back then the League Championship was a best of five game series) Everybody said that the Cubs are going to get to the World Series.
I remember Goose Gossage, and it was the most amazing thing, because we had just lost those two games to Chicago in Wrigley Field. So we were on the airplane flying home and Goose made the comment he said "Guys (and he was talking to most of us who were the young players), look don't sweet this, it's one day at a time. Yeah we've lost two but we can't change that but what we can do is that we can take the next game. So let's just think about that. Don't think about the fact that we might lose this because our backs are against the wall. Let's just think about winning one game at a time. As we do that let's focus as pitchers, especially out of the bullpen, with one pitch at a time. Let's just keep our ballclub close enough to have an opportunity."
Man, that encouragement just motivated us to no end. Then when we landed in San Diego that night at about 2:00 in the morning. You ride over to the ballpark and you get you car and head home, there were about 4000 people who showed up at 2:30, 3:00 in the morning and they were just cheering for us. Just encouraging us to hang in there. That was just so cool.
It was just one of those experiences where you look back on it and you go, Man that was Great!
It was just such a positive thing for us going into the next three games that we would play there in San Diego. We did just what Goose said, at least from the bullpen standpoint. It was bullpen by committee, which meant that we were all playing a part in the successes of the rest of this playoff.
There was just some added motivation with all of that. Some greater focus and greater intensity to go out there, and every pitch being the best pitch that you could throw. As if it were the last pitch that you would ever throw. By creating that kind of focus, we were able as a committee, as a bullpen, to do our job. To keep our club close enough so that we could win. Because we had the offensive punch to get it done. It was just a matter of time before that would happen. Sure enough, those things did happen like Garvey's Home Run. Then to go the World Series was just a tremendous thrill for me personally.
I'll never forget one of the things that Dick Williams (the Padre Manager) did was help everybody realize the importance of their role, no matter how big or small, especially with the pitchers. He told us, "I'm not looking for guys to complete games. I mean if you complete a game, that's great but you need to know that I'm going to have a quick hook. And the reason I'm going to have a quick hook is because I'm going to use everybody on this pitching staff. I expect everybody to play their part. We're playing to win every game."
So I think he set the stage for, not only the starters to realize, that you go out and you give your best effort. Weather it's one inning or seven innings or nine innings. And the bullpen realized that we're going to have to give our best effort weather we're asked to pitch to one hitter or three innings, it makes no difference.

Joe's Question #3: In 1986 you hit a Home Run as a member of the Padres. What was it like to hit a home run in a major league baseball game as a pitcher?

Mr. Dravecky's Answer: I think Joe, that every good pitcher would tell you that probably, in some respects more exciting than actually standing on the mound and pitching is being able to get to hit.
So it was a great thrill for me. The sad part about it was that I had messed up that night against the Dodgers because I didn't throw a shut out. We ended up losing that ballgame two to one and I was the only offence. Usually they'll tell you if you want to win a ballgame as pitcher in the National League, just go out there hit a Home Run and throw a shut out.
But yet at the same time, it was an incredible thrill. I'll never forget because when I hit the ball I took off and I was running real hard because I had no idea it was going to go to the fence. I got around second base and I'm almost in full stride and I'll never forget Jack Kroll, who was the third base coach at the time, and he's got his arms up in the air trying to stop me. As I got close to him he said "You hit a Home Run son, slow it down and enjoy it". So that was a pretty special moment for me.

Joe's Question #4: You're a cancer survivor and an inspirational speaker. Tell me a bit about the Dave Dravecky Outreach of Hope Program.

Mr. Dravecky's Answer: Well, the Outreach of Hope really was established as a result of our journey. When I say our journey I'm talking about my wife Jan and I and the experiences we had as it related to our battle with cancer. And the things that come along with battling cancer: depression, fear, the worry, and the doubt. All those things that enter the picture as it relates to your own mortality. One of the things that we discoved, we didn't real discover this but we experienced this on the journey though pain and suffering, was that first of all our faith in Jesus Christ was really the foundation of being able to endure that journey. We relied heavily on reading the Bible and finding comfort and strength through the scriptures. And then we recognized that one of the ways that God was faithful to us on that journey was by using very special people in our life to encourage us on that journey. And as a result of those experiences, one we wanted to be very honest with people through telling our story and sharing our struggles so that they knew that they weren't alone on that journey. That there were others out there who had experienced similar things to what they were going through. And then to really come along side and comfort people.
And I guess the Outreach of Hope really came into existence as a result of experiencing the comfort of others. Having the desire to reach out and comfort people in the way that we were comforted and most importantly as we were comforted by God himself.
So, I guess the key thing that we do here is through the books that Jan and I have written, and other resources that we have discovered as it relates to the spiritual journey through pain and suffering. We now send those resources to families that are referred to the Out reach of Hope. We average somewhere in the neighborhood 700 to 750 families a year that we send out encouragement kits to.
Those kits contain an encouragement Bible that my wife and I were a part helping to develop. Were we wrapped tolls of encouragement around the scriptures for people as they go on their journey. And then the books that we've written about our own personal story. We send those out as a source of encouragement to those families. And along with that Joe we pray for those people. Because we found that prayer can be a very powerful thing.
It's rather interesting that over the past several years there's been a lot of studies on the power of prayer. Those studies have been extremely positive as it relates to the question of whether or not prayer real works. We have been doing this now for ten years through the Outreach of Hope. It's been a real privilege and an honor to be a part of something like that. My wife and I are full time volunteers here. We don't take an income from the ministry. As a matter of fact, we earn our living through traveling and speaking and sharing our story with people.
But that is our focus here. To really reach out and provide comfort, encouragement and hope through the experiences that we have had. As it relates to our relationship with Jesus Christ providing the greatest comfort and hope that we could have. And that's real the focus of our ministry.