Tommy Lasorda, 1927–2021 (split from BP21)

[kcmets]

Tommy Lasorda passes, 93

[stevejrogers]

https://www.mlb.com/news/tommy-lasorda-dodgers-legend-dies-at-93https://www.mlb.com/news/tommy-lasorda-dodgers-legend-dies-at-93

[MFS62]

Not impressive as a left handed pitcher for two major league teams.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

He's my hero simply for going after the Phillie Phanatic with murderous intent.

[Frayed Knot]

I remember how much my MFY friends (back when I had such things) hated Lasorda during those late '70s & 1981 WS thy played, and I was more of the mind that Tommy was just this harmless dude who talked too much but certainly not worth hating.

Then came the '88 NLCS and I started thinking, y'know, he kind of is a fat, annoying, loudmouth, isn't he?

[Edgy MD]

TL is a Holla Famer, and deserves his own thread.

[Edgy MD]

Always entertaining and always irritating. Fully plugged into the entertainment value of baseball. Perfect for LA.



I enjoyed when the Angels and the Dodgers both had very good teams, but the Angels had baseball's worst smart manager in Gene Mauch, and the Dodgers had baseball's best dumb manager in Lasorda. How maddening for Angel fans that must've been.

[Chad ochoseis]

I remember reading long ago in Sports Illustrated that he'd arranged to have the Dodgers schedule on his tombstone. Whether it's going to be updated annually or whether it's going to be the 2021 schedule for eternity is something I don't know.



And, of course, he was famously responsible for giving Mike Piazza a chance as a favor to his buddy, Mike Sr., and was therefore indirectly partially responsible for getting the Mets to the 2000 World Series.

Edited January 8, 2021 by Guest

[Chad ochoseis]

And that should be 1927-2021, correct?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Lefty Specialist wrote: He's my hero simply for going after the Phillie Phanatic with murderous intent.

This and the Dave Kingman rant are the stand out memories. Also made Mike Piazza's career possible. Without Lasorda's influence, there'd be no major leaguer named Mike Piazza who was inducted into the HOF. I was actually thinking about Lasorda's advanced age a month ago. Ghoulish me. But I have a thing for keeping track of the surviving 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, now down to three -- Sandy Koufax, Carl Erskine and original Met Roger Craig. Craig, Koufax and Lasorda were all rookies in 1955.

[G-Fafif]

Lasorda made a huge impression on me in Spring Training 1975 as part of an NBC season preview wherein he preached to L.A. minor leaguers about the Big Dodger in the Sky and all that Bleed Dodger Blue stuff. As grating as the act became (because, you know, 1988), I always did appreciate his stated desire to have a Dodgers schedule taped to his tombstone so when people visited, they could check to see if the club was in town and decide to catch a ballgame.

[G-Fafif]

https://youtu.be/mn8EbgzYFw0https://youtu.be/mn8EbgzYFw0

[G-Fafif]

Lefty Specialist wrote: He's my hero simply for going after the Phillie Phanatic with murderous intent. This and the Dave Kingman rant are the stand out memories. Also made Mike Piazza's career possible. Without Lasorda's influence, there'd be no major leaguer named Mike Piazza who was inducted into the HOF. I was actually thinking about Lasorda's advanced age a month ago. Ghoulish me. But I have a thing for keeping track of the surviving 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, now down to three -- Sandy Koufax, Carl Erskine and original Met Roger Craig. Craig, Koufax and Lasorda were all rookies in 1955.

Thank him for Sid Fernandez, too. Tommy didn't like the large cut of his jib and made him very available to us.

[Willets Point]

The

Phillie Phanatic (@philliephanatic) • Instagram photo

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM

---

11K likes, 122 comments - philliephanatic on January 8, 2021: "💙".

Phanatic shows no ill feelings.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[FIMG=555]https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/01/09/sports/08kepner-lasorda2-print/merlin_182128875_a3ba1912-0805-4f1c-af71-a75bb847c2c7-threeByTwoMediumAt2X.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1100[/FIMG]

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

He lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks with NutriSlim, and so can you!

[Edgy MD]

He shouldn't have given up Tommy John.



[YOUTUBE]QS6ViQtNfQo[/YOUTUBE]

[stevejrogers]

Buzzkill floating on the interwebs about his refusal to acknowledge his son's gayness, as well as refusing to state the fact that AIDS did take his son's life.



Also seen reminders of his “old guy” racist side in defending Donald Sterling



https://www.dailynews.com/2014/05/08/dodgers-should-sever-all-ties-with-lasorda-opinion/?fbclid=IwAR1WcCy347HIS8RxIlL3vzK7OdDw3W2Mmzby_8668gBdIBvSXojwFVsLg_4https://www.dailynews.com/2014/05/08/dodgers-should-sever-all-ties-with-lasorda-opinion/?fbclid=IwAR1WcCy347HIS8RxIlL3vzK7OdDw3W2Mmzby_8668gBdIBvSXojwFVsLg_4

[Edgy MD]

=stevejrogers post_id=53658 time=1610197220 user_id=57]Buzzkill floating on the interwebs about his refusal to acknowledge his son's gayness, as well as refusing to state the fact that AIDS did take his son's life.