BATON ROUGE — Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda concludes his stay at LSU Wednesday with a visit to the Tigers’ practice, which begins at 2:30 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium.
Lasorda, a longtime friend of LSU coach Paul Mainieri, served Tuesday night as the keynote speaker for the “First Pitch” Banquet at the Maravich Center. He also met with the Tigers prior to the banquet in Alex Box Stadium.
Lasorda and Mainieri met over 25 years ago when Mainieri was the head coach at St. Thomas University in Miami, and the two have remained close friends since.
“With the exception of my father and mother, Tommy Lasorda has been the most influential person in my life,” Mainieri said. “Tommy has advised me in so many areas, it’s hard to specify any areas of emphasis. I think from him I realized how important it is to bring joy to the ballpark every day. The players definitely follow your lead as the coach and the enthusiasm you show for your job make an impact on them.
“It’s such an honor to have him speak to our players and bring his tremendous energy to our program.”
“I told the players that they must concentrate on getting their education while playing baseball at this great university,” Lasorda said. “There is no limit to what they can accomplish with an education; it opens up the world to them.
“When they’re on the field, they must practice hard at all times, because if they practice hard, they play well, and if they play well, they’ll win championships.”
Lasorda managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976-96, leading the club to four National League pennants and World Series titles in 1981 and 1988. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 in his first year of eligibility. The Dodgers retired his uniform number (2) on August 15, 1997.
Lasorda later managed the 2000 United States Olympic team — featuring former LSU pitcher Kurt Ainsworth ? to the gold medal in Sydney, Australia, defeating heavily-favored Cuba.
He now works for the Dodgers as Special Advisor to the Chairman, serving as an advisor on all areas of the organization for Owner & Chairman Frank McCourt and Vice Chairman and President Jamie McCourt.
Lasorda’s current responsibilities include scouting, evaluating and teaching Minor League players, acting as an advisor and ambassador for the Dodgers’ international affiliations, and representing the franchise each year at more than 100 speaking engagements and appearances to various charities, private groups and military personnel. He estimates that he will speak to over one million people this year.
“I came to Baton Rouge this week to help Paul, who is like a son to me,” Lasorda said. “If I had a son right now that had the opportunity to go to college and play baseball, I would send him to LSU to play for Paul Mainieri.”