Lasorda Remains the Happiest of Campers

The Dodgers first set up camp here in 1948. Tom Lasorda set foot at Dodgertown one year later.

He’s 77 now, and still the most visible person.

“I love to be here,” he said. “I have so many great memories of being here. And I love putting the uniform on.”

To him, retirement is not an option. He dresses in the coaches’ clubhouse every morning, then goes to work. The Dodgers provide him with a personal assistant who can barely keep up with him.

In one week alone, he led the pitchers through bunting practice, coached first base in an extra-inning game, tossed high-decibel motivational gems at minor leaguers as he walked around the clubhouse, hit ground balls to infielders during batting practice and chased foul balls during a simulated game.

He mingled with fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures. He entertained the 14-month-old son of General Manager Paul DePodesta, granted numerous interviews and appeared via satellite on Fox News and CNN to discuss steroids in baseball.

The Dodgers appointed their Hall of Fame manager senior vice president in 1998, after he served as interim general manager. The ill-defined position sometimes left Lasorda wondering what to do, and vulnerable to charges of forcing himself on a baseball operations department that did not seek his advice.

But new owner Frank McCourt has embraced him, and Lasorda has returned the embrace. McCourt last month asked Lasorda to serve as a senior advisor, reporting directly to the owner, and to represent the Dodgers whenever needed.

“There are so many things he can do for us,” McCourt said. “Nobody loves the Dodgers more. There is so much knowledge Tommy has. He knows everybody. I can learn a lot from him.”

Once the season starts, Lasorda will take off the uniform and become more of an ambassador, with a schedule heavy with ceremonies and speaking engagements. He insists, however, that he still loves traveling to a minor league town to evaluate prospects and preach the Dodger gospel to them.

“I still want to stay connected to the baseball end of it,” he said.