At 81, Lasorda still has nothing but love for game

[February 24, 2009]  MIAMI (AP) -- Tommy Lasorda is sitting on a leather couch in his hotel suite, with the unique combination of a remote control in one hand and a Japanese medal of honor in the other.

Something on the television catches his eye.

"Ciudad de Mexico," he says, excitedly pointing to someone on the TV reporting from Mexico City, which he identifies in Spanish. "Ciudad de Mexico! We were just there."

Of course he's been there.

He's been everywhere, preaching the gospel of baseball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers legend made 22 appearances in November alone, then picked up a little thing called The Order of the Rising Sun -- one of the most prestigious awards given by the Japanese, which came in recognition of his four decades of involvement with the game in that country -- back in December.

He talked to youth swimmers in California, at a community college in Washington and alongside Bill Buckner in Denver in January. So far this month there's been a bus trip from Los Angeles to Arizona, a speech in Nevada, a quick jaunt to Miami ... it never ends.

Now 81 years old, Lasorda wouldn't have it any other way.

"The life that I have had, it's unbelievable," he said. "It's my 60th year with the Dodgers. I was a player, then I was a scout, then a minor league manager, then a major league coach, then a major league manager, then a general manager. I covered everything in the game. I've received, what, seven honorary doctorate degrees. I'm in 13 Hall of Fames. And I've had nine National League rookies of the year. Who else has done that?"

Oh, his memory is sharp as ever, too.

Retire? Not an option.

Lasorda has paid the game back for everything it gave him many times over, and here he still is, stopping by Miami for two days to hype the upcoming World Baseball Classic, which begins March 5. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig made him the global ambassador for the event, and it's not an honorary title.

Lasorda has already been to Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Denver and Mexico City to promote the tournament. On Tuesday, the day the final rosters for the WBC are announced, he'll be at an exhibition game between the Baltimore Orioles and Italy's national team -- a natural lure for the proud son of an Italian immigrant.

From Miami, he'll head to San Juan on Wednesday, then get to Washington and Toronto in the coming weeks.

The man does have a home, by the way. He's just rarely there.

"If I didn't love to do this, I wouldn't be doing it," Lasorda said.

He likes to say he'll be the answer to a trivia question someday: Who was the guy who managed teams to both Olympic gold medals (which he did with the Americans in Sydney in 2000) and World Series titles (with the Dodgers in 1981 and 1988)?

Not bad for a guy who, as a pitcher in the majors, was 0-4 with an ERA of 6.48.

He was the ambassador for the inaugural WBC in 2006, and it's assumed that if he wants the job again after this year, it's his.

"Tommy has played a key role in the globalization of baseball throughout his career, promoting the game in 22 countries as well as playing or managing in 14 of the 16 participating countries," Selig said in December when Lasorda's involvement in this year's WBC was announced. "His presence will provide tremendous support for the tournament and I am delighted that he will once again be a part of it."

These days, he gets asked all the time about steroids; Lasorda was particularly stung by the news that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez used performance-enhancing drugs for three years earlier this decade while playing with the Texas Rangers. They have a relationship that goes back to the early 1990s, and Lasorda said he was "shocked" by that revelation.

If it's not steroids, someone is asking about the economy, and how that will hurt the game.

He shrugs it all off. History, he says, has proven that no matter what, the game will be fine.

"There's so many obstacles that we've had to overcome and still people want to go out and see a baseball game," Lasorda said. "Times are tough and they still want to go out and see a game. That's relaxation, time to put the family together. Going out to dinner costs more than a baseball game. And nobody is bigger than baseball. Nobody."

That's his sermon, and he's sticking to it.

He has no plans to slow down, either.

He'd like to write another book, maybe one built around pictures of his life in baseball. He wants to see as many WBC games as his schedule can allow. He'll work as long as he can, just to make sure his family will continue to be taken care of.

"I've been honored more than anyone in this country. Ain't no one comes close," Lasorda said. "And you know, that's an honor. If I could have asked God, this is what I want for a wife and this is what I want for a life, he couldn't have given me anything better."

[Associated Press; By TIM REYNOLDS]

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