Tommy Lasorda Quotes

Baseball Almanac is pleased to present an unprecedented collection of baseball related quotations spoken by Tommy Lasorda and about Tommy Lasorda.

"I bleed Dodger blue and when I die, I'm going to the big Dodger in the sky." - Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda Quotes

Quotes From & About Tommy Lasorda

Quotes From Tommy Lasorda

"About the only problem with success is that it does not teach you how to deal with failure." Source: The Artful Dodger (Tommy Lasorda)

"All last year we tried to teach him (Fernando Valenzuela) English, and the only word he learned was million."

"ALWAYS give an autograph when somebody asks you." Source: Five Seasons (Roger Angell)

"Baseball is like driving, it's the one who gets home safely that counts."

"Eighty percent of the people who hear them (your troubles) don't care and the other twenty percent are glad you're having them"

"Guys ask me, don't I get burned out? How can you get burned out doing something you love? I ask you, have you ever got tired of kissing a pretty girl?"

"He (Darryl Strawberry) is not a dog; a dog is loyal and runs after balls."

"He (Fernando Valenzuela) wants Texas back (in respect to his contract demands)." Source: Sports Illustrated (December 28, 1981)

"I believe managing is like holding a dove in your hand. If you hold it too tightly you kill it, but if you hold it too loosely, you lose it." Source: The Artful Dodger (Tommy Lasorda)

"I bleed Dodger blue and when I die, I'm going to the big Dodger in the sky."

"I love doubleheaders. That way I get to keep my uniform on longer."

"I motivate players through communication, being honest with them, having them respect and appreciate your ability and your help." Source: New York Times (May 17, 1982)

"I walk into the clubhouse and it's like walking into the Mayo Clinic. We have four doctors, three therapists and five trainers. Back when I broke in, we had one trainer who carried a bottle of rubbing alcohol and by the seventh inning he had drunk it all." Source: Sports Illustrated (May 29, 1989)

"In a race with a pregnant woman, he'd (Bruce Benedict) finish third." Source: Wilmington Morning Star (06/10/1983, Jim Murry, 'Lasorda still may eat words', Page 4D)

"Listen, if you start worrying about the people in the stands, before too long you're up in the stands with them."

"My theory of hitting was just to watch the ball as it came in and hit it." Source: The Artful Dodger (Tommy Lasorda)

"No, we don't cheat. And even if we did, I'd never tell you." Source: Parade Magazine (January 1, 1989)

"People say you can't go out and eat with your players. I say why not."

"Say 'Dodgers' and people know you're talking about baseball. Say 'Braves' and they ask, 'What reservation?' Say 'Reds' and they think of communism. Say 'Padres' and they look around for a priest." Source: 1001 Greatest Things Ever Said About California (Steven D. Price, Lyons Press Publishing, 06/01/2007, Page 360)

"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." Source: Wilmington Morning Star (06/10/1983, Jim Murry, 'Lasorda still may eat words', Page 4D)

"There are three types of baseball players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens." Sourc

"When we win, I'm so happy I eat a lot. When we lose, I'm so depressed, I eat a lot. When we're rained out, I'm so disappointed I eat a lot." Source: Forbes Magazine (Volume 174, Issue 9, 2004, Page ix)

Quotes About Tommy Lasorda

"I never thought you could win a Pulitzer just for quoting Tommy Lasorda correctly." - Los Angeles Times Hall of Fame Writer Jim Murray

"Tommy (Lasorda) will eat anything, as long as you pay for it." - Joe Torre

"Wait until Tommy (Lasorda) meets the Lord and finds out that He's wearing pinstripes." - Gaylord Perry

Quotes From & About Tommy Lasorda


Tommy Lasorda was at the helm of the Los Angeles Dodgers for twenty years and won 1,599 games.

Did you know that Tommy Lasorda also won eight National League West championships, four National League pennants and two World Series Championships?

Tommy Lasorda was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 for his skill as a manager and his off-field enthusiasm for the game of baseball.

     

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