Reaction to the death of Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. He died Thursday at the age of 93:
”Tommy Lasorda was one of the finest managers our game has ever known. He loved life as a Dodger. His passion, success, charisma and sense of humor turned him into an international celebrity, a stature that he used to grow our sport. Tommy welcomed Dodger players from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere – making baseball a stronger, more diverse and better game. Tommy loved family, the United States, the National Pastime and the Dodgers, and he made them all proud during a memorable baseball life.” – Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner
”My wife, Sue, and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our wonderful friend, Tommy Lasorda. Besides being a great manager and Hall of Famer, Tommy was a devoted supporter of the game of baseball. He and I were both proud and often talked about his role as manager of the gold medal winning United States team at the 2000 Olympics. Tommy was one of the sport’s primary spokespersons on a daily basis throughout his adult life. All of baseball will miss him.” – Bud Selig, former MLB commissioner
”Laura and I are saddened by the death of Tommy Lasorda. The baseball great was full of life throughout his 93 remarkable years. He was a good player, a smart manager, and a fine ambassador for our national pastime. I’ll never forget his energy leading his beloved Dodgers – or stepping in as third base coach for a tee ball game on the South Lawn of the White House. I believe he loved only his country, his wife Jo, and his family more than baseball.” – former President George W. Bush
”It is not his love of life, his love of a good pasta dinner, his love of friends, his love of baseball. It is the support and encouragement he gave our young players. And that was constant throughout his life. … He was committed to players. He was committed to the organization. He was committed to the city. He was committed to the fans. His commitment – he was all in, and everything he did, he did nothing at all 90%.” – former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley.
”You have to know who to pat on the back, when to pat him on the back, when you have to kick them in the butt and when you have to stroke them a little bit. And Tommy had that gift, to know what players needed what. The timing was always on the money with Tommy.” – former Dodgers catcher and major league manager Mike Scioscia
”He was he was bigger than life. He was the most amazing person I’ve ever been around. He knew everyone’s name. He knew every story. He knew every pitch that was ever thrown and every at-bat that he ever saw. He could captivate an audience, whether it was the girls’ softball team in the Olympics or the world press corps at the White House. He was an amazing person in that he did more of everything. He stayed up later than everybody else. He ate more food than everybody else. He told more stories than everybody else. He gave more signs than anyone else. In a World Series that he won in 1988, they had 18 hit-and runs on to beat the Oakland Athletics. There are teams now that don’t have 18 hit-and-runs in an entire season. So he did more. And the bite that he took out of the apple was the apple of life and he took a big bite.” – Bobby Valentine, a major league player for Lasorda and later a major league manager
”Tommy Lasorda enjoyed a remarkable life in baseball. His legacy will be one of determination, leadership, and perseverance. Those wonderful characteristics that he carried, not only through his career, but throughout his life, and his passion for the game and for the Hall of Fame, will be greatly missed in Cooperstown.” – Jane Forbes Clark, Baseball Hall of Fame chairman
”His achievements on the baseball field are legendary but his legacy will forever exceed his baseball accomplishments. His patriotism was inspiring and the people who were fortunate enough to meet and learn from him will forever carry on his passion and goodwill for international baseball and our country. He is the epitome of a titan in our game and USA Baseball will forever honor his memory.”- Paul Seiler, USA Baseball executive director and CEO
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