Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Pegasus News interview with Tommy Lasorda

By Justin Smith

The Baseball As America exhibit at the Museum of Nature & Science (which closes this Sunday) has been hosting lectures from baseball's elite during its stay. I got a chance to catch up with Tuesday night's speaker, the legendary Los Angeles manager Tommy Lasorda. In the interview, the old school throwback waxes quixotic about his father, friends, and living the greatest life imaginable.

Pegasus News: How you are you doing? Have they been treating you OK?

Tommy Lasorda: Oh, I'm great. Wherever I go, I always get that good feeling. People treat me so great. I just can't tell ya.

Photo by Laura Seewoester

You know, I'm always in awe, and it's hard for me to believe that people all over the country and all over the world, the way they treat me. And I don't know why, but it's always there. No matter where I go, and I don't care where it is, I always meet people who know who I am, recognize me and do things for me that they wouldn't normally do for other people. I have been honored more than anybody in this country. Nobody's come close to being honored as many times as I have. I've got six honorary doctorates and never set foot in college. I signed my first contract when I was sixteen years old and now I am eighty. It's been a run that is hard to believe. I've dined with presidents, I have the Tommy Lasorda Heart Institute, and I managed four World Series. I was honored by Cal Tech. They named an asteroid after me. There are two asteroids up there that are named after people, two of 'em. One of them is Walter Cronkite, the other is Tommy Lasorda. I mean it's hard to believe.

You know, I always go back to when I was growing up. Times were tough. My father drove a truck in a stone quarry. Five boys. The guy worked hard. Never missed a day of work. One day we're sitting around the table, five boys, my mother and him. And he says, “You know, you guys are lucky. You're born in the greatest country in the world. You do everything to keep it that way. If you have to go fight for your country you must do it. Maybe you might even have to give up your life for your country.” This is my father talking to us five boys. We all served in uniform in the armed forces. And then he stood up and he said, “You know I am the luckiest guy in the world.” And I jumped outta my seat and said, “But, Pop, how can you say that to us? You work forty hours a week over there driving that truck in that stone quarry, you come home half frozen, and you stand up there and tell us that you are the luckiest guy in the world. You get paid on a Friday and it's not even your money; you owe it to somebody else.” And he said, “Sit down and shut up.” And I did. He said, “I came over from Italy and I had nothing. Now I've got a wife and five boys. And I got this house. It;s a little old house, but it's mine. You see that car out there? It's about ten years old but it's my car.” That was success to him. So he says he's the luckiest in the world. Now if he is to tell me that he's the luckiest guy in the world, what about me? I am playing professional baseball. I am getting paid to play baseball. You understand?"

PN:That's awesome.

Lasorda:So you would never hear me say, “I should be outta of the game or I should be in the game.” If he's the luckiest guy, what does that make me? That's the way of life. And I am in awe. I see it and I can't believe it. But it's there. Why? I don't know.

PN: You credit your father. Are there any others you credit in your life? Getting to manage under Walter Alsto? Getting to learn about the game from some of the greatest minds of baseball?

Photo by Laura Seewoester

Tommy Lasorda, workin' the crowd.

Lasorda:Oh, yeah. I learned so much. I learned from Bobby Bragan (Central League Fort Worth Cats) who is out here in Fort Worth. Bobby manged a Fort Worth team for years. He taught me a lot. I was in the army and he was my lieutenant in the army. Yeah Bobby Bragan, I love that guy. Al Campanas was my mentor. Theodore O'Malley, I love him. Buzzy B. All those guys made it possible for me to be playing. I'll never forget them. I am in the Hall of Fame. But I didn't hit the ball. Whatever success I achieved became a reality only because of the contributions of my players. My players put me in the Hall of Fame. It's amazing. The games been played for over a hundred years and there are only sixteen managers in the Hall of Fame. And only one of 'em was an ex-pitcher. And only one of 'em was an Italian. So it's hard for me to believe it. So time after time, I see this happening to me and I still don't believe it. It's amazing.

PN:That is amazing.

Lasorda:You know, when I was fifteen years old, I would sleep and dream that I was pitching for the New York Yankees. And I would look around and Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, you know, they were on that team. Then my mother would shake me and wake me up and say it was time to go to school. And I'd say, “Why don't you leave me alone?” Why would did she have to take me away from that dream? And then one day, years later, we were playing the Yankees and I was called in from the bullpen to pitch to Yogi Berra. As I walked in I looked around and I thought, “I have been here many times in my dreams.” So dreams do become realities. Dreams do become true.

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