RIP Tommy Lasorda

Yeah, they've added seats closer to the field. I thinking the simplicity of the field, the soft blue walls, the lazy hazy L.A. background.

 

Yeah, he definitely had a Hollywood flair for the dramatic.

I've not ever been a huge baseball fan or follower. Just not my favorite sport. But my two most indelible Dodger memories, as for many others, are from 1988:

Game 4 of the NLCS vs. the N.Y. Mets, 12th inning, 5-4 Dodgers, bases loaded, two out, in N.Y. Orel Hershiser, just off his record-setting streak of 59 scoreless innings pitched, strolls in from the bullpen. Gets Kevin McReynolds, who had homered and doubled earlier in the game, to line out for the save. I had never seen Hershiser come in in relief, and it was as if Lasorda (or yes, some coach) must have just walked up to him and went, "Go get that guy out, please."

Game 1 of the World Series: Kirk Gibson being called on to win the game with his two-out, ninth-inning, two-run walk-off home run off Oakland ace Dennis Eckersley. Dodgers won that game, 5-4, as well.

Two truly incredible sports moments, even for people who aren't baseball afficianados.

 

Or as the late Hank Greenwald said after the earthquake, "Unfortunately, this was our best chance to get rid of this place."

 

I was in a scrum one time when the Dodgers were in Clearwater when Lasorda, all of a sudden, started pointing at a reporter and berating him. Really nasty stuff
Later on I found out the reporter (wish I could remember the name) was the one who outed Lasorda’s son
Lasorda never admitted his son, who died of AIDS in 1991, was gay

 

You do the honors since I’ll bet you remember it better.

 

Another part of Tommy's success is that he came up through the minors with the core of the team. They knew his moods and dealt with the rah-rah stuff, probably often with an eye roll.

 

I think he was good at managing star egos in a mega baseball market. Far easier said than done

 

R.I.P.
But I never cared for the guy.

 

One time I went to Lakeland because I wanted to get Lasorda when there wasn’t a big crowd
Big mistake
Lasorda kept avoiding me and running away from me, finally giving me a perfunctory five minutes
Later on I found out Lasorda big timed a lot of guys from small papers