Sunday, July 15, 2012

THE DAY I MET TOMMY LASORDA (AND HE MET ME)

by Dave Wesley

I had the privilege of attending Spring Training for the first time in 2011.  My wife had gifted the trip on Christmas much to my surprise and we figured out all the logistics and actually went much to my surprise.  The Giants had come off an unlikely yet exciting World Series win (finally) and Arizona was abuzz as they say with Giants fever.  Heaven for a Giants fan.  Heaven for a baseball fan.  

We had tickets for six games and saw some wonderful baseball facilities, including the one that quickly became my favorite: Camelback Ranch, home of the White Sox and the Dodgers.   The training facilities are state of the art: baseball diamonds everywhere, neatly split by a walkway, Dodgers on the left, Sox on the right.  Why, they even have exact dimensional replicas of both Dodger Stadium and U.S. Cellular Field to make the practices that much more realistic.  Looks like they thought of everything.

Anyway, we were attending a White Sox game and got to Camelback early, which is always a good idea for Spring Training.  I wandered down the public path drinking in the sights and sounds of rookies, veterans, coaches - baseball.  At the very end of the path I became intrigued with an intra-squad practice game on the White Sox half of the facility.  I stood by the right field foul line.  As the players came in I noticed the right fielder had ended up with a ball.  Seeing no kids in my vicinity I made the universal sign for "throw me the ball if you don't mind and won't get in trouble for it" and much to my surprise, I had my first Spring Training ball.  It turned out to be my only Spring Training ball.  I'm double proud of the fact that, according to the label, it's a very rare (I'm sure) "Minor League Practice Ball".  

Which brings me to Lasorda.  Tommy Lasorda.  Baseball icon.  Baseball legend.  Walking back to the actual ballpark where the game was to be played I saw a sea of blue.  Youngsters mostly, playing catch, hefting equipment bags, doing what I took to be Spring Training Baseball training drills.  And there, in his golf cart (complete with driver) sat Tommy.  Tommy Lasorda.  Giant fan or not you can't pass up a chance to meet the great Tommy Lasorda, and there he was, busy at the moment, busy with something, but busy.  

Sights and sounds of Spring Training are mostly predictable.  But occasionally one gets that unexpected candid insight into the game that only an overheard conversation between two rookies can provide.  Rookie one: "I just saw Tommy Lasorda.  I wonder if he would talk to me; I don't know what I would say."  Rookie two: "I used to feel the same way.  But then one day he did talk to me, and thirty minutes later he was still talking."  I settled for a long-shot photo of Tommy and went my way.

But after regaling my wife with my Minor League Practice Ball and my description of 80 or 90 Dodgers all practicing together I somehow convinced her to accompany me to see for herself, and that's where we saw Tommy again.  Driving right past us in his golf cart.  (Well, being driven, technically, but you get the drift.)  She has the better camera and I asked if she could get a better picture.  We edged closer, and that's when the driver came out to the crowd (which consisted of my wife and I) and said, to no one in particular "Tommy Lasorda is here.  He loves meeting fans if anyone wants to talk to him."  I saw my chance, and sauntered up to baseball legend Mr. Lasorda.  Summoning up my best baseball line I said something like, "Hi Tommy".  Nothing.  "How's the team look this year?"  Grunt.  Grasping at straws now for anything, I came up with, "Sure is hot today."  Tommy (looking somewhat disdainfully in my direction:  "It's Spring Training, it's supposed to be hot!"  

Figuring the conversation at an end, I ended with, "Mind posing for a picture with me, Mr. Lasorda?"  Tommy:  "Sure."  The proof of his photo acquiescence is above., a thrilling moment for a baseball fan at his very first Spring Training.

Postscript:  I notice I had an orange shirt on that day.  Almost looks like Giants orange.  Unintentional, I assure you, Tommy, if you're reading this. 

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