Comments on: Walkie-Talkie Lasorda

By: elie oren

elie oren — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:06:16 +0000

This sad tale was told to me by Ben Vogel, a well known Montreal cabbie, and a celebrity in his own right. Several year back Ben picked up Tommy Lasorda in the downtown section of Montreal and drove him to a T.V. network location. Lasorda paid the fare but failed to include a tip. As Ben put it, that does not happen very often. In view of the fact that Lasorda earned millions as the manager of L.A. Dodgers as well as considerable cash from his Sherman Oaks real estate investments, is it too much to ask if he spared the hard-working Vogel a single loonie.

As compensation, should you be in Montreal and by chance hail Ben Vogel, please try to be extra generous with your tip.

By: Hyman Peskin

Hyman Peskin — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 17:38:07 +0000

It should be noted that Tommy Lasorda had an explosive temper during his days in Montreal.
As the story goes, a legendery character at Delormier downs was a an individual known as Manush -now deceased – (father of Elliot Price- sportcaster) with his booming voice would heckel Lasorda mercilessly. On one occasion , Lasorda hurled a baseball at Manush in retaliation. He missed but nevertheless the police were called. But Manush declined laying charges. End of story

By: Les Gelfand

Les Gelfand — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:03:16 +0000

Growing up in Montreal,I was an avid Royals fan.One of the best matchups was Lasorda against Duke Markel of the Chiefs.A little known fact is that Tommy was a good hitter too.
Thanks for the great memories Tommy.

By: marjorie spawn

marjorie spawn — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:14:20 +0000

i have in my possession 2 baseballs with signatures of all the 1958 baseball team plus a 8×10 photo of the team. do u no anyone interested in buying same??

By: Ritesh Patel

Ritesh Patel — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 01:10:32 +0000

Was there any doubt this was going to happen, it was just a matter of time. Tommy Lasorda is one of the best coaches in history and it’s great that he speaks about montreal so fondly. Can you believe he was here so long ago? That was when Montreal was good and thriving. This is really good see and I’m happy for Tommy.

By: Pedro Eggers

Pedro Eggers — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 22:01:35 +0000

Do I like baseball? No, not really, if ever there was a time that I felt anything positive for this sport it has to be in that era before the monstrous multimillion dollar contracts, primadonna attitudes and rabid steroid use. Sports today is not what sports was when I was young pup. If there are any people in baseball that I still feel deserve the accolades it isn’t amongst today’s stars. There’s something humble about the older generation of players and managers, an innocence if you will, an appreciation for what they are allowed to do. Tommy Lasorda perfectly captures that generation of sports figure and deserves whatever acclaim and honor he has coming towards him.

By: Stephen Talko

Stephen Talko — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 12:37:54 +0000

Tommy Lasorda could have helped the Montreal Expos out a lot and even prevented the baseball club from leaving the city. Lasorda may have been a great local baseball player and baseball coach elsewhere but he abandoned Montreal when we needed him most. We do not even have a Triple-A franchise any more unlike the Lynx in Ottawa. Over the years baseball fields in Montreal have been turned into soccer fields at an astonishing rate. This is a sad legacy indeed!

By: Jacqueline Ettedgui

Jacqueline Ettedgui — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 22:39:26 +0000

Talk about the best pitcher of the world Lasorda was. He was not only the best pitcher ; he was the most determined player!His determination payed off with a 107 wins in nine seasons
He is a legend. A one of a kind player. If every player had his will power and determination;we would have far more incredible baseball heroes! He is an example of what a real sport player should all be about! Way to go Mr .LASORDA!

By: Mark St Pierre

Mark St Pierre — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 22:37:45 +0000

Well, Tommy Lasorda is definitely one of the pre-eminent coaches of his or any other generation – old-school and amazingly intuitive in his approach to the game but, truth to be told, known as much for his penchant for spaghetti dinners as his unassailable baseball acumen. That he has such a staggeringly rich back-story though is as entertaining as it is enlightening – I never realised just how colourful and larger than life Mr. Lasorda was or how seminal and valuable a figure he was in the storied history of the Royals franchise. Thanks Bugs for contributing big-time to my baseball edification!

By: Ronny Pangia

Ronny Pangia — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:19:52 +0000

It’s no surprise Tommy Lasorda is inducted in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Lasorda has always been one of the most well-known and beloved figures in baseball. It’s also nice to see him talk about Montreal and his love for the city. He was there when baseball was in its prime in Montreal with open-air baseball at Jarry park and the huge crowds. Corporate obligations forced us to move to the Big Owe and remove our beloved Expos from the city but the memories still remain.
Thank You Lasorda for being a class act and for truly loving hte sport. Thanks to the Royals and Expos for all the great baseball during the years.