Lasorda Adds Title of Olympic Coach

He’s had many titles throughout his career: World Series-winning manager, general manager, vice president, Hall of Famer, Slim-Fast spokesman, even Baseball Wizard on the campy early 1980s show “The Baseball Bunch.” But Friday, Tom Lasorda added another job description to his resume--Olympian.

What had been rumored since spring training became official Friday as Lasorda, 72, was named manager of the U.S. Olympic baseball team that will play in Australia Sept. 17-27.

“As manager of the Dodgers for 20 years, I think a lot of the Dodger fans really love me,” Lasorda said, matter-of-factly. “But now, the whole country’s supposed to love me, because I’m representing the country.”

Bob Watson and Bill Bavasi served as co-chairmen of the 19-member panel, comprised of members from Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, that selected Lasorda, who managed the Dodgers from 1977-96 and is one of four men to manage the same team for at least 20 years (Connie Mack, John McGraw and Walter Alston).

Lasorda, who said that lobbying from Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Ted Williams may have helped his cause, is not sure about his coaching staff or the 24 players that will make up the team.

Dodger CEO Bob Daly has no problem with Lasorda leaving his post as Dodger senior vice president during the stretch run to chase Olympic gold in Sydney.

“It’s an honor that, really, he deserves,” Daly said. “He’s a Hall of Fame manager, a wonderful person with young people and he represents the country so well and he represents baseball so well.”

Lasorda, who won two World Series, four National League pennants and eight division titles with a 1,599-1,439 record in Los Angeles, will next attend the Olympic Media Summit May 13 in Houston. He will join Watson and Paul Seiler, executive director and CEO of USA Baseball.

Rod Dedeaux, who managed American exhibition teams in 1964 and 1984, presented Lasorda with his Team USA hat from the L.A. Olympics.

“I’ve been the most luckiest guy that you could ever imagine, all the good things that have happened to me in my lifetime,” Lasorda said. “But something like this really is something special to me.

“I’ve stood here in front of this dugout many, many, many, many times, listening to the national anthem and seeing the American flag up there and always saying at that time, ‘Thank God I was born in the greatest country in the world.’

“I am really inspired by this.”