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Tommy Lasorda

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(Number retired August 15, 1997)
Tommy Lasorda
Position Manager
(1976-1996)
(Pitcher: Dodgers 1954-1955; Kansas City A's 1956)
MLB Seasons 21 (managing)
Teams Los Angeles Dodgers
Debut September 29 1976
Final Game June 23 1996 (officially retires July 29)
Total Games 3,040
LCS Appearances 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988
World Series Teams 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988
Allstar Teams Manager (1978, 1979, 1982, 1989)
Coach (1977, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1993)
Manager 2000 U.S. Olympic Team
Awards NL Manager of the Year (1983, 1988 Co-manager w/Pirates Jim Leyland)
Hall of Fame (1997)
Nickname
"Tommy Lasagna"

Thomas Charles Lasorda (born September 22 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) was a Major League baseball pitcher and manager. In 1999 he marked his 50th year in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest tenure anyone has had with the team (Vin Scully joined a year later).

Contents

Playing career

Lasorda broke into the major leagues in 1954 as a left-handed pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After two seasons in Brooklyn, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics (1956). Playing in abbreviated stints, however, Lasorda never established himself as a major league-caliber player and did not see major league player time after the 1956 season.

Managing career

Lasorda became Los Angeles's manager September 29, 1976 after Walter Alston's retirement and led the team to consecutive National League championships in 1977 and 1978. Over 20 years at the helm of the Dodgers, he also led the team to two World Series championships (1981 and 1988). Although most do not regard Lasorda as a great strategist, no doubt he was able to inspire teams with his rah-rah style. He was not always the best judge of talent either. In 1993, Lasorda questioned whether then-Dodger Pedro Martinez, because of his slight build, had the size and stamina to be a starting pitcher in the major leagues. Lasorda's views led the Dodgers to trade Martinez to the Montreal Expos where Pedro began to build his Hall of Fame numbers. Many also blame Lasorda for over-working pitchers (especially Fernando Valenzuela and to a lesser extent, Orel Hershiser) and eventually shortening their careers.

His final game was a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros, at Dodger Stadium (att. 35,467), on June 23, 1996. The following day (June 24) he drove himself to the hospital complaining of abdominal pains, in fact he was having a heart attack. He officially retired on July 29, having compiled a 1599-1439 record as a manager. His 1599 career wins ranks 15th all-time in MLB history.

Stats

Life outside of baseball

Lasorda was equally famous for his colorful personality and outspoken opinions regarding players and other personnel associated with baseball. He had a number of obscenity filled tirades, a number of which were taped and became underground classics. The most famous of these is his "Dave Kingman" tirade (see below). He also had an altercation with Doug Rau on the pitching mound in the 1977 World Series which was recorded since he was wearing a microphone. Many considered Lasorda a boorish figure who was simply out to promote just one person -- himself. A classic name-dropper, he befriended Frank Sinatra (a well-known baseball fan) and other entertainment personalities during his career.

For years, Lasorda appeared in TV ads for Slim Fast diet shakes, and Tums antacids. He briefly owned a restaurant chain bearing his name.

After retiring, Lasorda became an executive with the Dodgers. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 as a manager. He was the manager of the gold medal heavy underdog United States Olympic team in 2000. Lasorda is the godfather to the brother of major league All-Star catcher Mike Piazza (also from Norristown).

Tommy Lasorda and his wife presently live in Fullerton, California.

Lasorda's only son, Tommy Lasorda Jr., died on June 3, 1991. The cause of death is publicly rumoured to have stemmed from AIDS, something which Lasorda still refuses to openly acknowledge. According to former Dodger Glenn Burke, the first major league player to declare his homosexuality, Lasorda could not accept his son's sexual orientation. [link] [link] [link] [link] [link]

Quotes

Trivia

Lasorda managed eight players who won the National League Rookie of the Year award at the end of the season, with the winners coming in two strings of four consecutive players. From 1979 to 1982, he managed Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela and Steve Sax. From 1992 to 1995, he managed Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raúl Mondesí and Hideo Nomo. Before retiring during the 1996 season, he had also managed that year's rookie of the year, Todd Hollandsworth.

Lasorda's command of Italian made it easier for him to also learn Spanish, which he used while a player in Puerto Rico's Winter League in the early 1950s and which he uses to communicate with Latino players.

External links

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