Was Tommy Lasorda that great of a MLB coach? How/where does he rank?

Chi_archie · 11-05-09, 01:45 AM

known for his personality more than anything else

he was good, but so were alot of losers, managing in baseball is over-rated....

if you don't have winning talent, you don't win in MLB period

its a bit different in other sports where a few ballsy calls, schemes, plays, and halftime speeches put you over the top and take you from a 7-9 team to a 9-7 team and into the playoffs.

in Mlb managing won't take you from 80-82 to 92 and 70

Shortstop · 11-05-09, 01:53 AM

I've always been a Tommy Lasorda fan.

joeybagadonuts · 11-05-09, 01:55 AM

General Pyle,

I have always hated the guy being that I've been a SF Giant fan my entire life, that being said, guy is damn good. The players seem to like him enough to play hard. He also had a way about him that helped out his teams. He may be fat and eat too much pasta, but the man can coach.

reno cool · 11-05-09, 02:02 AM

never liked that lardass.

The General · 11-05-09, 02:04 AM

Thank all of you for your feedback

reno cool · 11-05-09, 02:08 AM

general, I like your signature. very well said.

malay76 · 11-05-09, 02:10 AM

The General · 11-05-09, 02:13 AM

Originally posted by reno cool

general, I like your signature. very well said.

Thanks, Sir. Appreciated. I copied it from Tony Dungy's book Quiet Strength.

Art Vandeleigh · 11-05-09, 02:57 AM

Stomach virus and 2 injured legs notwithstanding, Lasorda knew when it was time to insert Kirk Gibson as a pinch hitter.

ttwarrior1 · 11-05-09, 03:33 AM

lasorda was on a am talk show one night, show started at 3 pm central time, he was still talking at 12 am, . He blabbed on for hours,, it was actually good stuff, i thought it was a repeat at first but it wasn't. He really did talk that long about baseball.

Sometime he said struck me as wild. He said the most talented player he ever seen was dave parker.

ABEHONEST · 11-05-09, 11:28 AM

My impression of Lasorda was an ornery old man who cussed way to much to have any class !
Coaching ?

Willie Bee · 11-05-09, 11:38 AM

Lasorda was a great motivator, that's for sure, and has been a solid ambassador for the game. I never really liked the guy personally, but most of that was due to his Dodgers being NL West (at the time) rivals and constantly screwing my Astros.

I always get a chuckle out of those who like to imply a chimpanzee with five minutes of training could manage a baseball team, how there's no strategy involved for a manager. If and when someone like Lasorda or LaRussa or Cox tell me that, then I'll believe it to be true.

exstatman · 11-05-09, 01:12 PM

Tommy is/was one of the best examples of PR done well. I spent a season working the press room at Dodger Stadium when he was manager, and there are few bigger jerks on the planet. If most Tommy fans had seen him like I did, they would not likely be Tommy fans afterward.

ABEHONEST · 11-05-09, 01:15 PM

Originally posted by exstatman

Tommy is/was one of the best examples of PR done well. I spent a season working the press room at Dodger Stadium when he was manager, and there are few bigger jerks on the planet. If most Tommy fans had seen him like I did, they would not likely be Tommy fans afterward.

Thanks,that's how I had him pictured also !

DOMINATER · 12-18-09, 05:15 AM

Tom Lasorda was very charming , you would swear his comments were prepared by Johnnie Carson writers, he also mingled with alot of Hollywood back then,Sinatra would drop in on his show, and many others liked him.He certainly was a great coach, but his strength was in developing young players.

Enogsiwon · 12-18-09, 05:22 AM

Who cares about Lasorda...The Question we all have on our minds..

How much do you miss Fishhead??

iceminers26 · 12-18-09, 05:27 AM

I always liked Lasorda, I would put him in the top 10 of all-time.

smitch124 · 12-18-09, 07:13 AM

Candlestick park was so poorly designed the visiting team had to enter and exit the field through a door in right field, this gave the fans many opportunities to boo ole Tommy, especially when he was tossed from a game. As someone who booed him heartily many times I would have to say that he was a decent manager but was lucky to have very stable and talented teams. He had the same infield (Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey) for many years and always had a solid pitching staff. The Dodger-Giant rivalry has never been the same since he hung up the spikes and moved upstairs.

timbo46 · 12-22-09, 01:50 PM

An idiot that has been fortunate to have a horseshoe up is arse his entire life.

smitch124 · 12-26-09, 04:26 PM

Tommy Lasorda, the ultimate "dodger"

Mr KLC · 12-26-09, 04:30 PM

The man was very loyal to his organization. You always heard him talk about his blood being "Dodger Blue", and he demanded it from his players. He was a great motivator, and always stressed "team" over "individuals".

Sam Odom · 12-26-09, 04:43 PM

His godson was the beginning of the end for the Streetcar Dodgers

daggerkobe · 12-26-09, 05:29 PM

No other manager could have pulled off what Lasorda did in 1988, beating the heavily favored Mets and A's. He had to deal with injuries to his best players and the suspension of his closer. His decision to bring in Hershiser to close game 4 vs Mets, a day after he had started in game 3, was genius. His decision to bring in Gibson in game 1 vs A's was also brilliant.

He cemented his Hall of Fame career with a Gold Medal over the heavily favored Cubans in 2000 Olympics with bunch of minor leaguers.

But he did have some bumbling moments such as when he decided to pitch to Jack Clark in 1985 NLCS. Also when he traded Pedro Martinez and Paul Konerko.

robmpink · 12-26-09, 06:32 PM

Was Tommy Lasorda that great of a MLB coach?

Ask the HOF voters. They thought so. I'm sure their opinion weighs more vs yours. They thought he was a great coach. End of story.

taravat76 · 01-14-10, 03:54 AM

Lasorda was way overrated