As the city of Fullerton celebrated Tommy Lasorda Day on what would have been his 96th birthday, the Los Angeles Dodgers also paid tribute to the late Hall of Fame manager.
They did so during a pregame ceremony to present John Shoemaker with the second annual Tommy Lasorda I Bleed Dodger Blue Award. Laura Lasorda, Tommy’s daughter, joined Shoemaker on the field for the festivities.
The inaugural Tommy Lasorda I Bleed Dodger Blue Award went to Rosalind “Roz” Wyman, who was the key figure in bringing the Dodgers to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958.
Although the Dodgers then went on to lose their game against the San Francisco Giants, Lasorda’s memory was not far from manager Dave Roberts’ thoughts.
“It’s impact and legacy. Impact, I think his love for baseball and the Dodgers. Coining the term, Blue Heaven on Earth, and bleeding Dodger Blue and all the things he said and lived, I think it really made people take pride in being a Dodger and loving our game,” Roberts said.
“Legacy, we’re still talking about him and we’re going to for decades to come. He treated everyone well, he was always present, funny, very off-the-cuff comments, you knew what you were going to get. He loved baseball and loved the Dodgers.”
Lasorda was a member of the Dodgers organization for 71 seasons, which included spending his last 14 as a special advisor to the chairman.
Lasorda won eight National League West titles, four pennants and two World Series titles during his 20 seasons as Dodgers manager. Lasorda was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 and passed away in January 2021.
Dave Roberts remembers Tommy Lasorda World Series quote
When asked if there was an interaction that stood out above others, Roberts recalled Lasorda’s message following Game 6 of the 2017 World Series.
“I think he said, ‘Don’t F it up.’ I was talking to the press and he does a fly-by to give me a little confidence booster,” Roberts said with a laugh.
While Roberts had the setting correct, Lasorda’s quote to him was, “You haven’t done [expletive] until you win tomorrow.”
Unfortunately for Lasorda, Roberts and the Dodgers, they lost Game 7 to the Astros in a World Series that since has become tainted by a cheating scandal.
Lasorda did get to see the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field, which was the final game he attended in person.
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