Sad tidings from the sports world today, as the Los Angeles Dodgers organization announces it lost one of its own, with the passing of legendary, longtime manager Tommy Lasorda Thursday night. He was 93.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 8, 2021
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 8, 2021
Tommy Lasorda, the colorful and cantankerous longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers who led the team to four National League pennants and two World Series championships in the 1970s and ’80s, has died. He was 93.
Lasorda, who spent more than 70 years in the Dodgers organization, suffered a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at home Thursday night and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, the team said in a statement on Friday.
“In a franchise that has celebrated such great legends of the game, no one who wore the uniform embodied the Dodger spirit as much as Tommy Lasorda,” Dodgers chief executive Stan Kasten said in a news release.
It continued:
“A tireless spokesman for baseball, his dedication to the sport and the team he loved was unmatched. He was a champion who at critical moments seemingly willed his teams to victory.
“The Dodgers and their fans will miss him terribly. Tommy is quite simply irreplaceable and unforgettable.”
Baseball commissioner Robert Mandred also weighed in on the news:
“Tommy Lasorda was one of the finest managers our game has ever known. He loved life as a Dodger,” MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred said in a statement. “His passion, success, charisma and sense of humor turned him into an international celebrity, a stature that he used to grow our sport.”
In response, the Major League Baseball world poured out love and remembrances of the legendary skipper, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame as Dodgers manager:
We mourn the passing of Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. He was 93. pic.twitter.com/fkPf67iH7h
— MLB (@MLB) January 8, 2021
Baseball has lost one of its best. Our hearts are with the Lasordas and all in the Dodgers organization right now. ❤️
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) January 8, 2021
And fans left their condolences on Twitter, too.
My colleague Jennifer Van Laar’s contribution includes a video tribute from LA sports writer Bill Plaschke:
Thank you for this, @BillPlaschke. The tears flowed as I watched your video. Rest in peace; you're in Blue Heaven now #TommyLasorda. https://t.co/BFMTaXYPLn
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) January 8, 2021
And she passed along this fan’s touching tribute, too:
"I bleed Dodger blue and when I die, I'm going to the big Dodger in the sky." -Tommy Lasorda
— Dodgers-LowDown (@DodgersLowDown) January 8, 2021
There was also this from St. Louis Cardinals country, thanks to Susie Moore:
RIP legend pic.twitter.com/ko6SyWXhr1
— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) January 8, 2021
As I reported last fall, the love from Dodgers nation for its team and anyone who’s a part of the tradition are much beloved, including longtime announcer Vin Scully, who “missed the fans” so much after hanging up the microphone, he hopped on social media to continue the conversation.
So, it seems fitting to end with this message by a fan, on Tommy’s own “message to us: “to win, to live, to play with joy”:
Tommy Lasorda, this wonderful man, Hall of Famer in baseball and in life, this is him, so much joy. So much love he had for baseball, for the @Dodgers . To win, to love this game, to live and play with joy was his message to us. Rest in peace in Blue Heaven, sir and thank you. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/45iXnAurYU
— Kenley Jansen (@kenleyjansen74) January 8, 2021
RIP, Tommy.
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