Tommy Lasorda
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Honorary Member Tommy Lasorda died from a heart attack at age 93. Lasorda, led the Dodgers to two World Series Championships and four National League pennants during his 20-year career as manager.
Former Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser said that Lasorda hoped to live to 100. Lasorda suffered a cardio-pulmonary arrest on January 8th at his home in Fullerton. He died at the hospital.
Jayne Kamin Oncea, one of the pioneering women covering the Dodgers, took a fair amount of ribbing from Lasorda. It also got her access. Oncea had these remembrances:
While covering spring training, Oncea was photographing pitcher Bert Hooton swimming to rehab his shoulder. Lasorda drives up in a golf cart, goes to the pool, strips down to his boxers and starts swimming. Oneca’s photo the next day in the Los Angeles Times shows Lasorda squirting water out of his mouth. The clipping of the photo made it to the Dodger bulletin board. Attached to the clipping was a Western Union telegram from Don Rickles. It said something like, “Hey Lasorda, I opened the sports section of the LA Times and thought I was looking at a photo of Shamu”.
Keith Birmingham had these memories:
“Tommy was real character. He had, well let's just say a real colorful way of talking, most of which you could never quote, but he loved the Dodgers and the fans. I don't think I ever saw him blow off a fan or refuse to sign an autograph and I can't tell you how many times I saw him at spring training ask to hold a baby and pose for a picture.”
“Lasorda would yell at you one day for shooting pictures into the dugout (which he hated) and then the next spend time around the dugout talking baseball, the old days, old timers.”
“Away from the ballpark he would occasionally join Dodger photographer, Jon SooHoo, myself and a few others for lunch (of course we paid), but it was so worth it just to hear the stories about a few players, baseball and Italian food. In his later years I would always see young players wanting to spend time talking to him, learning about baseball about what it was like managing Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Fernando Valenzuela and to be part of a World Championship team. I hope he gets his wish of being buried under the pitcher’s mound. For the past 70 plus years he has truly bled Dodger Blue. He will be missed. I hope he is up there with PeeWee Reese, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Bill Delury and others sitting around talking baseball and enjoying good food.”
Lasorda was also known for running afoul around microphones. His love of food earned him the nickname Tommy Lasagna.
Lasorda was quoted as saying “If you don’t love the Dodgers, there is a good chance you may not get into heaven.”
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jo.