01-08-2021, 10:07 AM
Outside Topic Tommy Lasorda passes away
01-08-2021, 11:26 AM
Tommy would regularly tell audiences that he knew God was a baseball fan. He would say, "It's right there in the first book and chapter of Genesis - 'In the big inning . . .'"
"We have an unwritten rule around here not to do anything stupid."
-Casey Jacobsen, Feb 3, 2000
Tommy would regularly tell audiences that he knew God was a baseball fan. He would say, "It's right there in the first book and chapter of Genesis - 'In the big inning . . .'"
"We have an unwritten rule around here not to do anything stupid."
-Casey Jacobsen, Feb 3, 2000
01-08-2021, 12:03 PM
Spoke to Tommy briefly at a Stanford baseball game. I started with go Giants he commented on how beautiful the stadium is and ended with go Stanford
01-08-2021, 02:45 PM
His "big Dodger in the sky" shtick drove me crazy back in the day, but man was he great for baseball and America in general. RIP, Tommy Lasorda.
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)
His "big Dodger in the sky" shtick drove me crazy back in the day, but man was he great for baseball and America in general. RIP, Tommy Lasorda.
If there's one thing people have learned in Berkeley, it's that you can't put "Cal football" and "Rose Bowl" in the same sentence. The words just don't fit. You'd be better off linking "covered wagons" with "Mars travel." (Bruce Jenkins, Cal '70, SF Chronicle, Nov. 11, 2017)
01-08-2021, 03:12 PM
There was no tunnel from the visiting dugout at Candlestick forcing the opponents to walk along the first base line to the tunnel leading to their clubhouse. The Dodgers in general and Lasorda in particular would get earfuls from fans as they trudged out. One day a very drunk young man in the upper deck went thermonuclear on Tommy and then toppled over the rail to fall to his death. I can't remember if Tommy responded after the game. Maybe Bobbbbbb remembers.
There was no tunnel from the visiting dugout at Candlestick forcing the opponents to walk along the first base line to the tunnel leading to their clubhouse. The Dodgers in general and Lasorda in particular would get earfuls from fans as they trudged out. One day a very drunk young man in the upper deck went thermonuclear on Tommy and then toppled over the rail to fall to his death. I can't remember if Tommy responded after the game. Maybe Bobbbbbb remembers.
01-08-2021, 04:14 PM
A legend. In fact, he was already a legend when I was in high-school. RIP, coach!
A legend. In fact, he was already a legend when I was in high-school. RIP, coach!
01-08-2021, 05:01 PM
(01-08-2021, 04:14 PM)Austroturf Wrote: A legend. In fact, he was already a legend when I was in high-school. RIP, coach!
A former colleague of mine heard Steve Sax speak on a sports radio show today regarding Lasorda. Here is what my colleague e-mailed:
Steve Sax was just reminiscing on the radio about Tommy. One time he was walking with Tommy in the outfield before a game while he was going through his hideous throwing problems in 1983, right after he won ROY in 1982.
Tommy: There's going to be 50,000 people here today. How many of them can hit .300 in the major leagues?
Steve: None of them.
Tommy: How many of them can steal 50 bases.
Steve: None of them.
Tommy: How many of them can go from first to third on a base hit to left field?
Steve: Very few of them.
Tommy: How many of them can throw a f@#king baseball from second to first? Every single one of them. So why the f*@k can't you??
Classic Tommy Lasorda. RIP, coach.
(01-08-2021, 04:14 PM)Austroturf Wrote: A legend. In fact, he was already a legend when I was in high-school. RIP, coach!
A former colleague of mine heard Steve Sax speak on a sports radio show today regarding Lasorda. Here is what my colleague e-mailed:
Steve Sax was just reminiscing on the radio about Tommy. One time he was walking with Tommy in the outfield before a game while he was going through his hideous throwing problems in 1983, right after he won ROY in 1982.
Tommy: There's going to be 50,000 people here today. How many of them can hit .300 in the major leagues?
Steve: None of them.
Tommy: How many of them can steal 50 bases.
Steve: None of them.
Tommy: How many of them can go from first to third on a base hit to left field?
Steve: Very few of them.
Tommy: How many of them can throw a f@#king baseball from second to first? Every single one of them. So why the f*@k can't you??
Classic Tommy Lasorda. RIP, coach.
01-10-2021, 09:15 AM
Lasorda was an interesting breed of cat. He fired his 1979 hitting coach, former Rookie of the Year and lifelong Dodger (until then) Jim Lefebvre after Lefebvre sought to install cameras in centerfield for the purpose of improving the hitters. After Lasorda turned him down, Lefebvre went over Lasorda's head and installed the cameras anyway, so Lasorda fired him. The Giants then hired Lefebvre, who was a good hitting coach -- the Dodgers finished 2nd in the NL in OPS in 1979. He coached Giants hitters from 1980 to 1982, and the Giants went from 12th (last) to 7th to 5th in the NL in OPS those three years.
In the off season between 1979 and 1980, Jim Lefebvre decked Lasorda with one punch. Afterwards, Lefebvre said to the media, "I'll tell you one thing. He didn't bleed Dodger blue."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDP_2cyz5Rk
In the off season between 1979 and 1980, Jim Lefebvre decked Lasorda with one punch. Afterwards, Lefebvre said to the media, "I'll tell you one thing. He didn't bleed Dodger blue."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDP_2cyz5Rk
Audaces fortuna iuvat
Lasorda was an interesting breed of cat. He fired his 1979 hitting coach, former Rookie of the Year and lifelong Dodger (until then) Jim Lefebvre after Lefebvre sought to install cameras in centerfield for the purpose of improving the hitters. After Lasorda turned him down, Lefebvre went over Lasorda's head and installed the cameras anyway, so Lasorda fired him. The Giants then hired Lefebvre, who was a good hitting coach -- the Dodgers finished 2nd in the NL in OPS in 1979. He coached Giants hitters from 1980 to 1982, and the Giants went from 12th (last) to 7th to 5th in the NL in OPS those three years.
In the off season between 1979 and 1980, Jim Lefebvre decked Lasorda with one punch. Afterwards, Lefebvre said to the media, "I'll tell you one thing. He didn't bleed Dodger blue."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDP_2cyz5Rk
In the off season between 1979 and 1980, Jim Lefebvre decked Lasorda with one punch. Afterwards, Lefebvre said to the media, "I'll tell you one thing. He didn't bleed Dodger blue."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDP_2cyz5Rk
Audaces fortuna iuvat
01-10-2021, 01:29 PM
BTW, Lefebvre is 1/4th of the answer to an interesting trivia question, along with Jim Gilliam, Wes Parker and Maury Wills. the four of them constituted the only all-switch-hitting infield in MLB history until this year's Indians infield of Carlos Santana, Cesar Hernandez, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.
1988 Cardinals probably had the most switch hitters with Ozzie Smith, Terry Pendleton, Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, Luis Alicea and Jose Oquendo all having more than 500 plate appearances (except Alicea).
1988 Cardinals probably had the most switch hitters with Ozzie Smith, Terry Pendleton, Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, Luis Alicea and Jose Oquendo all having more than 500 plate appearances (except Alicea).
Audaces fortuna iuvat
BTW, Lefebvre is 1/4th of the answer to an interesting trivia question, along with Jim Gilliam, Wes Parker and Maury Wills. the four of them constituted the only all-switch-hitting infield in MLB history until this year's Indians infield of Carlos Santana, Cesar Hernandez, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.
1988 Cardinals probably had the most switch hitters with Ozzie Smith, Terry Pendleton, Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, Luis Alicea and Jose Oquendo all having more than 500 plate appearances (except Alicea).
1988 Cardinals probably had the most switch hitters with Ozzie Smith, Terry Pendleton, Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, Luis Alicea and Jose Oquendo all having more than 500 plate appearances (except Alicea).
Audaces fortuna iuvat
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