Tommy Lasorda, manager of the Dodgers for 21 years, and winner of the World Series in 1981 and 1988, died of a heart attack today. He was 93.
Another Hall of Famer gone.
Godspeed, Tommy. More proof that early January, 2021, seems to just be an extension of 2020.
Fuck.
I bleed Dodger Blue, and that is the color of my mood now. We lost another Great.
Incredibly, Lasorda managed NINE Rookies of the Year; Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Sax, Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Hideo Nomo, and Todd Hollandsworth.
His win at the 2000 Olympics was my favorite achievement. He took amateur players, I believe many who were not pro-bound, and won the whole thing. I believe other countries had some pros in and Cuba had literally won every gold since it became a medal sport, but they won it.
I remember him in tears saying it was his favorite moment.
Man this one really hits. First Kobe and now Tommy. RIP legend.
Damn. I can still name the 1977 Dodgers roster by heart. Some great memories of Dodger Stadium back in the good old days.
Also sad, Vin Scully’s wife passed away a few days ago.
Giants fan here, but I’ll still raise a glass to Tommy. Excellent manager, entertaining guy. I loved to hate him.
So much of my life spent following the Dodgers with him at the helm. Many a game in the nose bleed seats. I miss those days. Godspeed sir.
Hate the Dodgers but loved Lasorda. He made the world a happier place. He was foul mouthed but in a hilarious way. NSFW^3
And of course this
I met Lasorda once as a kid near the end of his managing career. Got an autograph. That’s pretty much all I got.
At long last, Youppi! has his revenge.
Rest in Power, skip.
He pitched several seasons with the IL Montreal Royals. Here’s a scorecard from 1954 - the Royals lineup also included a young Roberto Clemente. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=4094377350573846&set=pcb.3956763034347657
I actually can’t see that. Can you screenshot and show us the screenshot?
i don’t think I can post a screenshot here - I’ll try to find another copy of the original image.
I remember being 10yrs old buying packs of 1987 Topps Baseball Cards and it seemed I got a Tommy Lasorda card in every other pack and I swear I remember getting multiple in a single pack on more than 1 occasion. God I hated seeing his face wrapped in that faux wood border. What kid wants 100 extra coach cards?
Actually I need to go dig those 87 Topps cards out. They are probably worth a fortune 30yrs later /s
Haha! I remember collecting boxes of Donruss and Topps cards thinking they were my future retirement plans. Little did I understand the nature of supply and demand. Damn you Beckett!