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Dodgers manager Lasorda retires
Ready for "beginning of a new era"
July 29, 1996
Web posted at: 6:10 p.m. EDT
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who underwent an angioplasty last month to clear a blockage in a coronary artery, announced his retirement Monday.
At a Dodgers Stadium press conference, Lasorda tearfully thanked those he had worked with during his 47 years with the organization. A warm ovation followed his brief yet emotional statement.
He said doctors gave him a clean bill of health after the surgery, but he decided it was time to retire as the team's manager for his family's sake.
"For me to get into a uniform again, as excitable as I am ... I could not continue," Lasorda said as his voice shook. "I decided it's best for me and the organization to step down. ... That's quite a decision."
He will become a Dodgers vice president.
"It's not the end for me, it's the beginning of a new era," he said.
Dodgers president Peter O'Malley and executive vice president Fred Claire joined Lasorda for his announcement. They insisted Lasorda was not forced out and added that they told him his "uniform was waiting," if he wanted it. However, Lasorda said his family was the influence, he wanted to enjoy them.
When asked what he wanted people to remember about him, he recalled a question someone had asked him a long time ago about what his tombstone should say.
"Dodgers Stadium was his address, but every ballpark was his home," Lasorda said.
At the press conference, O'Malley said he wanted to think of the day's emotion as happy, not sad. He said he was thankful Lasorda was healthy and would remain with them.
"Tommy's enthusiasm for his team, for his fans, for the city
of Los Angeles, for the coaches, for the game of baseball,
and for this organization, is extraordinary," O'Malley said.
"And, we will always benefit by the enthusiasm that Tommy has
had and will continue to have helping the Dodgers." (445K AIFF or WAV sound)
Claire added he's "one of the great figures in baseball."
"You cannot say Dodgers without thinking of Tommy," Claire said.
Lasorda, one of the most well-known figures in American baseball, has been with the Dodgers' organization for 47 seasons. He spent his last 20 year as the Dodgers' manager, making him the senior manager in major league baseball.
In his words:
- Making the decision (323K AIFF or WAV sound)
- Leaving the Dodgers (408K AIFF or WAV sound)
- New era for the Dodgers (400K AIFF or WAV sound)
- On his tombstone (272K AIFF or WAV sound)
- His friendship with O'Malley (298K AIFF or WAV sound)
- His feelings about Los Angeles (391K AIFF or WAV sound)
- What he will miss most (306K AIFF or WAV sound)
Cleared for comeback
On June 24, Lasorda drove himself to the hospital and was admitted with abdominal pains that initially were diagnosed as an ulcer. But further tests indicated he had suffered a mild heart attack at some point. The angioplasty -- the surgical repair of a blood vessel -- was performed June 26.
The 68-year-old Lasorda, who returned to Dodger Stadium to meet with players and watch a game on July 16, said then he thought he would be ready to return to his job by the time the Dodgers opened a homestand on Tuesday.
Last Friday he said his doctors had cleared him to return to work.
He's the 13th-winningest manager in major league history and was hired to succeed Walter Alston as the Dodgers manager at the end of the 1976 season.
Under interim manager Bill Russell, the Dodgers have had a 14-16 record. Los Angeles is 55-51, one game behind of first- place San Diego in the National League Western Division.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related sites:
- The ACME Dodger Page
- AudioNet - Los Angeles Dodgers - Live broadcasts of major league games
- Dodgerwatch
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