He spent 71 years in the Dodgers organization as a player, coach and manager.
When Walter Alston retired at the end of the 1976 season after 24 years as the manager of the Dodgers, the great Vin Scully interviewed Alston’s replacement. How much pressure, Scully asked, would the new manager be under, following a legend? To which Tommy Lasorda said, « I’m not worried about the guy I am following. I’m worried about the guy that is going to have to follow me. » It was vintage Lasorda, and as usual, he was right. Lasorda managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1977 to 1996 and compiled a winning percentage of.526, won four pennants, won the World Series in 1981 and 1988 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997. He used to say that he « bleeds Dodger blue, » and he meant it. He spent 71 years in the Dodgers organization as a player, a coach and then the most famous manager in club history. « The funny thing is, Bill Veeck was going to move his team from St. Louis to Baltimore in 1953 for $5 million, and he was going to take me with him, » Lasorda said. « I was going to pitch for Baltimore, but the Yankees wouldn’t give their approval for the move, so they didn’t move until the next year. The next year, I was with the Dodgers. But if that move had been made the previous year, my whole life would have [been] much, much different. » Lasorda brought Hollywood to the Dodgers. He loved the celebrity lifestyle; he loved that he became friends with movie stars, singers and other glitterati, greats such as Frank Sinatra. But mostly, he loved baseball and he loved the Dodgers. During spring training 2013 in Glendale, Arizona, Lasorda, then 85, came to the Dodgers’ camp virtually every day to help the organization in any way he could, and to be Tommy Lasorda. He loved being Tommy Lasorda. « Most people my age, » he said, « are dead or in a nursing home. I make speeches all over the country. But it’s not work. When you love what you’re doing, it never feels like work. » No one loved baseball more than Lasorda. Jo, his wife of more than 60 years, once told him that he loved baseball more than he loved her, and he agreed, then playfully added, « But I love you more than I love football or basketball. » Lasorda loved the game, and he loved to manage.
