Famous Republicans and Conservatives

Thomas Charles Lasorda (born September 22, 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League baseball player and manager. 2009 marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous (he played one season with the Kansas City Athletics) tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully by a single season. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997.

He was played by actor Arthur J. Nascarella in the ESPN mini-series The Bronx is Burning.

Tommy Lasorda signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent in 1945 and began his professional career with the Concord Weavers in 1945. He then missed the 1946 & 1947 seasons because of a stint in the United States Army. He served on active duty from October 1945 until spring 1947.

He returned to baseball in 1948 with the Schenectady Blue Jays of the Canadian-American League. On May 31, 1948, he struck out 25 Amsterdam Rugmakers in a 15-inning game setting a professional record (since broken), and drove in the winning run with a single. In his next two starts, he struck out 15 and 13, gaining the attention of the Dodgers, who drafted him from the Phillies chain and sent him to the Greenville Spinners in 1949. Lasorda also pitched for the Cristobal Mottas in the Canal Zone Baseball League in Panama from 1948 through 1950. Lasorda played for Almendares (Cuba) from 1950–52 and 1958–60, compiling a 16-13 record in four seasons, including 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 1958-59. The Mottas won the championship in ’48 and Lasorda made his major league debut on August 5, 1954 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Though he did not play, he won a World Series ring as a member of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. He pitched for the Dodgers for two seasons, and then for the Kansas City Athletics for one season, after the Athletics purchased him from the Dodgers. He was later traded by Kansas City to the New York Yankees in 1956 and then sold back to the Dodgers in 1957.

He was sent to the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1950. Lasorda played for Almendares (Cuba) from 1950–52 and 1958–60, compiling a 16-13 record in four seasons, including 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 1958-59. He pitched for Montreal from 1950–54 and 1958–1960 and is the winningest pitcher in the history of the team (107–57).^[2] He led Montreal to four straight Governors’ Cups from 1951 to 1954, and a fifth one in 1958.^[2] On June 24, 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. He played only in the minors for the Yankees and the Dodgers returned him to the Montreal team where he was voted the International League’s Most Valuable Pitcher Award in 1958, when he won his fifth minor league championship. The Dodgers finally released him on July 9, 1960. To quote him, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.

Lasorda is the godfather to Thomas Piazza, the younger brother of Major League All-Star catcher Mike Piazza, both of whom are from Norristown. Thomas was named after Lasorda and it has been widely misstated that Lasorda is Mike’s godfather. Lasorda is also the godfather to Alex Avila, a catcher with the Detroit Tigers. Alex’s grandfather, Ralph Avila, is a former scout with the Dodgers and friend to Lasorda of over 50 years. Alex’s middle name of Thomas was named for Lasorda.

In 2006, Lasorda appeared in a series of commercials promoting the MLB Playoffs for ESPN and Fox. The campaign, entitled “Tommy’s Tough Love”, featured Lasorda in a tuxedo motivating fans to watch baseball.

In 2008, the government of Japan conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, which represents the fourth highest of eight classes associated with the award. The decoration was presented in acknowledgment of his contributions to Japanese baseball.

Lasorda became a local celebrity in the Dominican Republic due to his many visits in search of young baseball talents in this land of many famous players in the major leagues, especially after becoming a devoted fan of the “chicharrones” (deep fried pork skins) commonly sold on the streets of the Villa Mella neighborhood of Santo Domingo.

On July 23, 2009, Lasorda made a cameo appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. During his brief cameo Lasorda plugged his upcoming music album of great American standards, one of which is a duet with Rod Stewart.

Wiki/ Florida Latin Connection