The Los Angeles Dodgers are still one of the premier teams in Major League Baseball. Whether it's the Brooklyn days or the West Coast since the late 50s, they have put their mark on success. For the longest period, there was stability in part of having a 40 year period of not hiring manager after manager. The second of which is the late Tommy Lasorda. Even with bad seasons, they stuck through from 1977 through the mid part of 1996.
As I write this, by the time I could understand baseball in the late 90s, he was no longer manager. I have to look at stuff that other generations saw. Lasorda was a hard nosed manager. After the Red Machine of the Cincinnati Reds stopped being that dominant, the Dodgers became the big team to follow in the National League. Some World Series stops, but not able to win it until 1981. One more in 88, a couple handfuls of playoff appearances. Leading the way for an organization. He kind of reminds me of Bill Parcells and not taking any crap, not letting the media swoop in at times. But Lasorda has the credit of getting a mascot ejected from a game in Montreal back in 1989.
Lasorda seemed like the type of guy with pride. A big face for the Dodgers, Some charitable moments. Being the first big sports face for Sega when the Genesis launched in 1989. You don't see managers stay with a team for 20 years. The closest guy I can think is Bobby Cox, one of the biggest managers when he took over for the Atlanta Braves from 1991 through 2010. Very fitting for Vin Scully, legendary Dodger broadcaster, to do Lasorda's obituary. I don't have too much else to say. Baseball lost some legends legends last year. Tom Seaver, Charley Pride, Bob Gibson. There's a few more, but these were guys from an earlier era. The best anyone can do is remember the legacies they carried. Lasorda is no different. Los Angeles and the Dodgers will be wearing pride on their sleeves when the 2021 baseball season comes this spring.
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