RIP Tommy Lasorda

21 years as Dodgers manager. Always good for a NSFW quote. Especially when he was talking about Kurt Bevaqua! "He couldn't hit water if he fell out of a f*****g boat"!

 

When I was 16 years old my parents neighbor moved from LA to Louisville Kentucky for her employer. So one Friday afternoon she knocked on our door and said I have 4 tickets to a Dodgers Reds game tomorrow grab one of your friends and meet me at my house in the morning. So on the way up there she said her Nephew was the equipment manager for the Dodgers and he secured our tickets behind home plate. So after the game we went to the Dodgers hotel so she could see him. We met him in the lobby and Tommy came over to meet us. He whipped out his wallet which was stuffed with cash and gave her nephew 500.00 to take us out to eat. And said now you have to be a Dodgers fan since I bought you dinner. Dude took us to White Castle and pocketed the rest lol. But I held up my end of the deal and have been a Dodgers fan for 40 years now. True story he was a really nice man. I can’t say the same for her nephew though.

 

More than 30 years ago now, Lasorda was signing autographs at a mens clothing store behind the Monroeville Mall. At the time, my son was an infant and after having to wait for a while to get to Lasorda's table, he started fussing (my son not Lasorda). I would think most celebrities would upon seeing that, want to sign whatever it is to be signed and take a fast picture to get rid of the fussy infant which I can understand.

Lasorda said, "Let me hold him." I was shocked and I think my son was too because his eyes got big like who is this guy holding me but he settled down while Lasorda held him. Of course, he signed a picture and wrote, "To a future Dodger."