Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda
Thomas Charles "Tommy" Lasordais a former Major League baseball player who has had a lengthy career in sports management. In 2009, he marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuoustenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully by a single season. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth22 September 1927
CityNorristown, PA
CountryUnited States of America
I motivate players through communication, being honest with them, having them respect and appreciate your ability and your help.
About the only problem with success is that it does not teach you how to deal with failure.
It is a great honor to be inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame. When you honor me with this distinction, you really honor the players who put me there. All of the honors I receive became a reality only through the contributions of my players. In addition to myself, you also honor my family and the Dodger organization. I accept this recognition with pride and gratitude.
The best possible thing in baseball is winning The World Series. The second best thing is losing The World Series.
One time I was doing a speech to a group of kids, and just before I get there, I see this little kid crying. I found out they just lost a game, and he was the losing pitcher. I went over there, put my arm around him, and said, 'What are you crying for? When major league players lose, they don't cry.'
Managing is like holding a dove in your hand. Squeeze too hard and you kill it; not hard enough and it flies away.
I love doubleheaders. That way I get to keep my uniform on longer.
My theory of hitting was just to watch the ball as it came in and hit it.
The only Angels in Los Angeles are in Heaven, and they're looking down on the Dodgers.
Talking about your troubles is no good. Eighty percent of your friends don't care and the rest are glad.
I don't like the pitch count! How are you gonna develop your arm? If you're a track man you say, "Hey, you can't run too much." Or if you're a boxer you say, "Hey, you can only box three rounds." It's not right!
When you say you're a padre, people ask when did you become a parent. When you say you're a cardinal, they tell you to work hard because the next step is pope. But when you say you're a Dodger, everybody knows you're in the Major Leagues.
When you're not playing up to your capability, you gotta try everything, to motivate, to get them going. All of them have to be on the same end of the rope to pull together. It's playing for the name on the front of the shirt, not the back. Individualism gets you trophies and plaques. Play for the front, that wins championships. I try to remind them of that.
No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference.