Story Photos
 Photo by Greg Ebersole During a press conference at Kalama High on Wednesday, Tommy Lasorda makes a point about steroid use. Watching are, from left, Kalama pitcher Spenser Gwynne, coach Dave Orzel and former pitcher Bo Stordahl. |
Live your dreams, Lasorda says
Thursday, February 3, 2005 7:21 AM PST
By Rick McCorkle
Printable version
E-mail this articleKALAMA ---- The message was simple ---- be whatever you want to be and make your dreams into reality.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager and current team vice president Tommy Lasorda told more than 200 students, parents and teachers at Kalama High School Wednesday night that success comes from hard work.
"Be whatever you want to be, but be willing to pay the price to achieve it," Lasorda told the dinner audience in the school's auditorium. "All of the youngsters here are fortunate to be born in the greatest country in the world."
Lasorda's appearance headlined a fund-raiser for the Kalama High baseball team, the school's World War II History Club and the RSG LumberKings Kelso Babe Ruth baseball team.
Besides eating a chicken dinner, guests bid on auction items that included baseballs, gift baskets, bobble head dolls, team yearbooks autographed by Lasorda from 1977 and 1981. In addition, Dodgers' baseball cards, bumper stickers, license plate holders and T-shirts were on sale.
Kalama baseball coach Dave Orzel and Kalama superintendent Jim Sutton organized the event. They declined to say how much Lasorda was paid, but they said the appearance fee went to the Tom Lasorda Youth Foundation in Yorba Linda, Calif.
Prior to his speech, Lasorda, 77, gave a mini-clinic at the podium to nearly a dozen players and coaches, tossing out pointers about hitting and throwing.
Lasorda was a minor league player in the Dodgers organization when the team still was based in Brooklyn in the 1950s, and he has 56 years with the team. Two of his Dodger teams won the World Series.
Lasorda opened his speech with stories from his many years in the Los Angeles dugout, including dealing with notorious bone-headed players Steve Sax and Ken Landreaux.
"I remember one time telling Steve to use the whole field when he approached hitting," Lasorda recalled. "A couple days later he came to me and said 'I'm hitting 80 percent of the balls to center field, another 20 percent to left field and another 20 percent to right field.'"
Bewildered by Sax's comment, Lasorda turned to Landreaux for his opinion.
"I've been in the Major Leagues for 13 years," Landreaux said. "That's the best hitting theory I've heard yet."
The Dodgers' manager also shared the time he was sitting in his Spring Training office in Vero Beach and saw Landreaux filling a plate off the buffet line.
"What kind of soup is in the kettle?" Lasorda asked.
"Of the Day" was the outfielder's response.
After he warmed up the crowd with his stories, Lasorda turned serious by directing his message at the athletes and parents in the gym.
"Being here with your child is the best thing you can do because they need you," he told the parents. "Love is the strongest thing when times get tough. So you need to put your arms around them and tell them you love them. When you give love you get a lot more back."
He also told parents not to pressure kids to be successful in sports and let them have fun.
"If they strike out in a game, tell them the Babe (Ruth) struck out thousands of times," Lasorda said. "I've heard parents hollering at their kids when they have an off-game, and that's not right."
Lasorda also advised the youth to listen to their parents, teachers and coaches, and to respect them.
"Wear your uniform with pride, dignity and character, and do nothing to embarrass yourself, your school or your family," he said. "Stay in school to get a good education. You are here to learn and then move on to college.
"Education is one thing no one can take away from you, and something you will take to the grave."
Coming Friday in Daily News sports: Lasorda talks about steroid use in the bigs, Pete Rose and winning the Olympic gold medal in baseball.
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