Tom LaSorda (1973)

[Applause] back Jimmy Zone Zone hey back back Ian you got him Ian honey shot body Tony you got to do it now let's go let's go [Music] that a boy God Almighty [Applause] Jee now when we left spring training I told you guys if you work together you pull together you played like one ball Club should you'd be number one in this league and that's exactly where you are right now Tom Lort 23 years in the Dodger organization first as a pitcher then as a scout now one of the most successful managers in minor league baseball in six years of managing lorta has won four penants late in August his Albuquerque Dukes lead the Pacific coast League's East Division but the only team with a chance to catch them the second place Salt Lake Angels is in Albuquerque for a crucial series and if you think you got this penet made just let me tell you a little story of guy that was out in the boat and he was a th000 yards offshore and the boat capsized and this guy swam and swam and swam with all the heart and drive that he had and he got four yards offshore and he drowned you guys are not on Shore yet until you win the penny some of you guys get a base hit and you get to first base and you stop you got as far as a one-legged man could get when you leave the Batters box you got to want two and on a double you got to want a triple so let's go out there today gang and let's go get them come on the r now all right come on come on guys come on Peggy got to come on come on stay up stay up come on py where H it is not until the sixth inning that the Dukes come to life now they Trail 3 to2 and Joe Ferguson is at the plate with a runner on third got a good pitch keep us going now come on come on big guy let's go ground ball you go Li drives and fly balls come back and tag up okay be Al for a wild petch come on Jo how of I do I way to go moments later Paul Ray Powell is up with two on and two out how going a St crack up P how you good hit it come on big guy three run shot come on Baby Joey I don't want PR I don't want to come back PR hey hey way it go babe Howell's home run gives Albuquerque a 6 to3 lead but in the next half inning the Dukes can do nothing right with two runs already in to make it 6 to5 the Angels foot Runners on first and second she never broke on a ball a single up the middle and the game is TI moments later Duke pitcher Stan wall yields yet another hit a drive to deep Right Center where the hell was he playing him and The Angels Take the Lead where was he playing him oh that never looked wall walks the next batter and Lort runs out of patience I tell you one you ought to have your head examined pitch like this I'm a to walk that guy that couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag there's your left hand [Music] I just don't think you got [Applause] enough my fult for leaving you there reliever Bruce Ellingson goes on to retire the Angels but the damage has already been done going into the bottom of the seventh the Duke's Trail 8 to6 they had Von Joshua at first with Ron the batter that's run it baby [Applause] r a boy Peggy where to go hey say's home run ties the game at 8 all the way it stood after nine innings of play in the top of the 10th the Angels put a runner on with one out Duke shortstop Steve hunts picks off a line drive and throws to First for a double play the tension that had been building throughout the game explodes as the Angel Players protest the call to protect his players Angel manager Les Moss rushes from his third base coaching box to take up the [Applause] argument umpire Bill Robinson throws Moss out of the game but the argument is far from over [Applause] and then it [Applause] happens after Moss commits the unpardonable sin of hitting an Umpire lorta joins the melee but only as a peacemaker apparently Moss's attack on Robinson was not entirely unprovoked was suspended for 7 days but the Umpire was also fined sling it out I don't want anything to happen to last oh God a buff order is finally restored and with the game still tied the Duke's bat in the bottom of the temp with one out Albuquerque catcher Joe Ferguson walks and that brings Steve hunts to the plate get your strikes now that's the want to be [Applause] tough what a shot hey all over yeah hey Hunt's home run in the 10th is wanted for the Dukes to add a full game to their lead over the angels that a boy Hy great nice what a shot wow here we go what a blast the penguin you just can't beat the skipper penguin you just can't do it son because when you get down to the eight ball a little perspiration begins to form on the palms of your hand and you just can't do it after the big win over Salt Lake City Lort enjoys the company of his friends and some less serious competition with his third baseman Ron the penguin say I threw a curve ball the other day was one of the best curves I have ever thrown in all the years I've been in baseball to him and he hit it over the left field fence and I said to him there's only three guys that could hit that curve ball out with was God St Peter and the penguin penguin to taste the fruits of Victory against you is my greatest ambition in life the fruits of Victory son the fruits of Victory it's all right I'm toying with him believe me I'm toying with him make him go ahead and make him Pang I uhhuh uh-huh you're shooting natural [Laughter] now just can't seem to miss no hit just measuring it up what's happening what is happening here I can't hit that ball I cannot hit that eight ball can you believe that can you believe that the penguin the lost again get the olive penguin you just can't beat the skip penguin Peggy during the season Lort lives alone in a hotel room in Albuquerque for this series his 14-year-old son spunky has joined him to cheer for the Dukes hello yeah yeah hold on a minute for the call is from Lor's Ace left-hander Doug Ral who has just pitched three scoreless innings for the Dodgers in an exhibition game at Cooperstown hey Doug how are you I tell you with that kind of stuff son it's not going to be too long before you'll be getting your mail in Dodger Stadium and looking up and looking up at the big Dodger in the sky and saying thank you for allowing me to play here in Dodger [Music] Stadium even when I die I probably work for the the Dodgers Mr Ali 3 years ago presented me with a marble Tombstone and on the tombstone it's got on the top in big letters Tom lorta then it's got a heart then it's got underneath a Dodger and then there's a drop of blood coming down from the heart and the drop of blood is blue for the color of the Dodgers and underneath it it says Dodger Stadium was his address but every ballpark was his home I told my wife that when I die I want this Tombstone put in there and I want the Dodger schedule put on it because when the people are in a cemetery visiting somebody else they might say well look let's check and see where the Dodgers are home or away today Lort and his trainer herb vik check into the ballpark early L sorta's first baseman Tom pic who went on to become the League's most valuable player has been having trouble hitting curveballs I just like a guy you know the story I tell all the time about this fell that had a dog and every day this dog would do something on the floor the guy would take the dog's nose he'd put it there and he throw the dog out the window after 30 days of this on the 31st day the dog did something on the floor he stuck his own nose in and he jumped out the window he learned after 30 days and this is what you must do it takes every day practice practice practice and practice now I'm going to throw you some curve balls and I want you to keep your hands back and anything that's out over the plate I want you to hit that ball the right field all right let's go keep your eye on the ball Tommy is probably the most dynamic person I've ever met he has such an interest in his ball players you sometimes you feel like you're uh you're playing for your father out there and you know how you hate to mess up in front of your father because he really sticks up for you and he'll do anything he can to help you well all the other members of the Dodger organization are out on the golf course Tommy is out there trying to put ball players in the big league and another thing you got to believe when you walk up into that batters box you got to believe that there's nobody alive who could get you out that's the first thing that you got to convince yourself there's nobody who can get you out and you got to want to be up at that plate curve ball good stroke see where your head and eyes were on that ball way to go keep that front shoulder in there that was perfect wimpy very good that's a double right there with your speed that's the eye there no way you can hit that pitch you see hitting is the toughest thing in sports to do if you make an out seven out of 10 times you are a successful man in your field you take a doctor he operates on 10 people seven of them die is he a good doctor you take a cab driver he makes 10 trips he gets lost seven out of 10 times is he a good cab driver you take a guy shooting foul shots if he misses seven out of 10 times is he a good foul shooter you take a quarterback in football he throws 10 passes and he only completes three of them is he a good quarterback but in baseball it's the toughest thing in sports is to hit a baseball and this is what it takes for you to learn how to hit that baseball is endless hours of work and work and work and here's today's baseball question the first person to call KOB at 24 4 2 8052 with a correct answer will win two tickets to an Albuquerque Duke's future home game and the question is who is leading the Pacific coast league in hitting this is Tom lorta manager of the Albuquerque Dukes with game time just minutes away lorta finishes his daily radio show for his players there's nothing to do but wait another victory over Salt Lake City this afternoon should give them the penet [Music] [Applause] [Music] Sunday afternoon in Albuquerque and a sellout crowd shows up for the Duke's final game with Salt Lake the fans like the players have caught something known in Albuquerque as duke [Music] fever oh [Applause] oh but Salt Lake is not about to concede the penet to the Dukes the Angels take an early lead [Applause] after two innings the score is Sal Lake 2 alberquerque [Applause] nothing then in the Duke's third with one run already end Von Joshua singles to left Center and Dave Lopes tries to make it from first to home with the tying run it was now two to2 and then the Duke power hitters go to work Tom pic hits one to the opposite field and out of the [Applause] park boy got where to go yeah the pitch pic hit was a curveball on the outside corner the extra batting practice had paid off next David Lopes with a man [Applause] on I a want it Go David you go to center field and the duk's lead 5 to2 at the end of [Applause] four in the Albuquerque fifth after Salt Lake had narrowed it to 54 Joe Ferguson powered one to dead center with a man on that home run gave the Dukes a 7 to4 lead and took some of the pressure off lorta but for a minor league manager there's more to the game than winning L sorta's primary concern is to supply the Dodgers with ball players get behind him what B and that thought is never far from his mind I always tell my players the story about the young man who is performing in carnegi Hall and he's given a great performance and at the end all the people are standing up applauding him when up in the balcony there's a man with a tear in his eye it's his father the man who made him sacrifice many other things to reach this goal and that's what I tell my players when you go to the major leagues and you're in Dodger Stadium and you get a base hit to win a ball game and they're shaking your hand just look over your shoulder cuz there's old Tom somewhere with a tear in his eye hey nice shot baby but in a tight pennant race there are seldom any easy games in the ninth inning the Angels rally they put two men on to bring the tying run to the plate with one out Lort makes it trip to the mound his objective is to stall while his relief pitches warm up going far enough Jeff going to take you out son doing a good job but I got to bring in a fresh horse a little warm you know what I mean huh why is this the second time out no you don't think that guy there for who take him out leave wait did you give me any time to come out here yeah as soon as I walked out you come out here Robbie why what that guy be doing over there with that buy what guy I didn't say the Buggy's got nothing to do with it Robbie but you came well I don't know why the guy went out with the buggy all right because sure they do that every time in case we're going to take the man out JZ oh my you came right out here right away Robbie you got to give me enough time well he came right out as soon as I come out on the mound well you were out here quite a bit you was out here AIT right who was out here when he come out here yeah you going to change pictures yes I'm going to change pictures you want the left hand or the right which one would you bring in Dutch if you were the manager of the ball Club rightand well I'm bringing in the left-hander that's why you're not the manager dud got him about 11 extra pitches didn't I the left-hander is Bruce pod Ellingson one of the best relievers in the Pacific coast League one out pod come on go hard [Applause] kid Ellingson falls behind the first hitter three and one one more ball and the bases will be loaded out P come on hey Che him up let have some life now the next pitch finds the plate and the count is now three and two come on P get this guy Ellingson gets the strike out and the Dukes are just one out from [Applause] Victory the angel hitter sends a ground ball to Short Stop Steve hunt bubbles but recovers and gets his men by a step and the game is over hey great job P way to go that's a great job KB got him ready great job that a way to go Billy two weeks later the Dukes clenched the pennant in the Eastern Division boy David hey way to go kid nice game way to go out boy Joey great game kid out way to hit that ball Let's Go part then on September 6th they defeated Eugene in a playoff for the Pacific Coast League Championship Tom lorta had won his fifth pennant in seven years as a manager How Sweet It Is the fruits of Victory I'm R baby T I love you for getting me off the hook out baby why it take me off the hook steevie I don't way to go I don't want to take me off the hook nice gone hey nice gone lry way to go I have to get a take it off the hook thank you God hey thank you God oh jeez let's go Mar took me right off the hook that's it