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I Live for This! Baseball's Last True Believer
An award-winning sportswriter shows us one of baseball's most famous and enduring legends as we've never seen him before, revealing the secrets of his amazing, unlikely success and his unvarnished opinions on the state of the game.
Tommy Lasorda is perhaps baseball's most famous and popular figure. At seventy-nine, after twenty years of managing and fifty-seven years with one franchise, this Hall of Famer still suits up in Dodger Blue every day. He also keeps a travel schedule that would dizzy the most frequent of frequent fliers. The embodiment of the American dream, Lasorda went from a scrawny, overlooked Italian kid of average ability to become one of the world's most recognizable baseball faces. And he fought for it every step of the way.
In I Live for This Bill Plaschke strips the veneer from one of baseball's last living legends to show how grit and determination really can transform a life. We think we know this jovial manager from the rah-rah style that has always raised eyebrows in the world of baseball. Some view him as an anachronism. Some love him like Santa Claus. But there's one thing they all agree Lasorda is a success.
With gleaming insight and remarkable candor, Plaschke takes us inside the day-to-day world of this baseball great to reveal a side of Lasorda that few people really know. And along the way, we're treated to some of the most outrageous stories in sports. We also discover Lasorda's unshakable opinions about what plagues baseball today.
Bravely and brilliantly, I Live for This dissects the personality to give us the person. In the end we're left with an indelible portrait of a legend that, if Lasorda has anything to say about it, we won't ever forget.
Tommy Lasorda is perhaps baseball's most famous and popular figure. At seventy-nine, after twenty years of managing and fifty-seven years with one franchise, this Hall of Famer still suits up in Dodger Blue every day. He also keeps a travel schedule that would dizzy the most frequent of frequent fliers. The embodiment of the American dream, Lasorda went from a scrawny, overlooked Italian kid of average ability to become one of the world's most recognizable baseball faces. And he fought for it every step of the way.
In I Live for This Bill Plaschke strips the veneer from one of baseball's last living legends to show how grit and determination really can transform a life. We think we know this jovial manager from the rah-rah style that has always raised eyebrows in the world of baseball. Some view him as an anachronism. Some love him like Santa Claus. But there's one thing they all agree Lasorda is a success.
With gleaming insight and remarkable candor, Plaschke takes us inside the day-to-day world of this baseball great to reveal a side of Lasorda that few people really know. And along the way, we're treated to some of the most outrageous stories in sports. We also discover Lasorda's unshakable opinions about what plagues baseball today.
Bravely and brilliantly, I Live for This dissects the personality to give us the person. In the end we're left with an indelible portrait of a legend that, if Lasorda has anything to say about it, we won't ever forget.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2007
14 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 15, 2008
Okay, if you're looking for a biography of Tommy Lasorda, just know that this isn't really that kind of book. This book is about Tommy Lasorda, yes, but it's not a typical baseball biography where they tell you all about growing up poor and making it to the Bigs and living the Baseball Life. Well, that stuff is in there, but not much. Mostly this books talked about what Tommy Lasorda does now and they've mixed in a few stories of when he was the manager of the Dodgers. Personally I was looking forward to reading about some late '70s early '80s baseball, you know, his heyday as a Dodger manager. There was just not a lot of that in here.
What is in here is the motivational speech circuit that Lasorda does today. This book tells you all about how he gives great speeches to ANY organization (some he does for free), and how he donates tons of money to charity. That is awesome. It really is. But also? For MOST of a book? It's meh. So, he's a great motivational speaker... he inspires ALL kinds of people, baseball players, firemen, people with heart problems, olympic athletes, fantastic. Personally, I want to hear more about his Championships and Fernandomania and junk like that. Maybe there's already too many books on those things and they wanted to write kind of a "where are they now?" kinda book, and that's cool. It's just, I wish I had been warned. So now, baseball book fans, I'm warning you. This book completely paints Lasorda as a saint and it gets redundant.
What is in here is the motivational speech circuit that Lasorda does today. This book tells you all about how he gives great speeches to ANY organization (some he does for free), and how he donates tons of money to charity. That is awesome. It really is. But also? For MOST of a book? It's meh. So, he's a great motivational speaker... he inspires ALL kinds of people, baseball players, firemen, people with heart problems, olympic athletes, fantastic. Personally, I want to hear more about his Championships and Fernandomania and junk like that. Maybe there's already too many books on those things and they wanted to write kind of a "where are they now?" kinda book, and that's cool. It's just, I wish I had been warned. So now, baseball book fans, I'm warning you. This book completely paints Lasorda as a saint and it gets redundant.
May 17, 2012
This is a tough book to review. I like Tommy Lasorda. He is the face of the Dodgers to me, as I began following the team about 1974, just before he become their manager. And regarding baseball, the Dodgers, America, God and (sometimes) being a nice guy, he is a shining example. But in several parts of this book, he comes across as annoying, argumentative, self-absorbed and kind of a jerk. I liked Lasorda more before I read I Live For This.
The book doesn’t follow a straight chronological path, which makes for a more interesting read than the traditional biography route. Because Lasorda is, well, Lasorda, there is no shortage of anecdotes and vignettes to insert. And many of them are certainly entertaining. Tommy Lasorda bleeds Dodger blue: anybody who knows about him knows this, and the book reflects it. No surprise. But we get a look at what makes Lasorda tick: he is fighting the world all the time.
Lasorda refused to admit defeat. As a kid, he needed a baseball glove, so he stole one. A pitcher of marginal talent, he pitched a total of 26 games over three major league seasons (he lost a roster spot to Sandy Koufax in 1955: Lasorda says it took the greatest lefthander ever to keep him out of the majors), though he was a successful minor league pitcher. But as a player, a scout, a coach and a manager, life is a war to Lasorda. One he refuses to lose. It made him the Hall of Famer he is. But it also made him someone you don’t necessarily like, or always admire.
Don’t get me wrong: Lasorda did a lot of good things and certainly helped a lot of baseball players succeed. And he truly is an ambassador for the sport that we’re unlikely to ever see again. And much of the good about Lasorda comes out of this book. Like how he treats low level staffers and efforts to help inner city kids learn baseball. But it’s hard to come away from this book without some negative vibrations.
We do get some inside looks at situations within the Dodgers franchise, like the rift between Lasorda and his successor and former player, Bill Russell. And the exchange between Lasorda and Doug Rau during the first inning of a World Series game is amusing. Sort of. Plus, you’ll learn how Tommy became the national face, or waistline, for a then-unknown product called Slim Fast.
I was intrigued by the book’s ending. The Fox/Murdoch team had effectively banished Lasorda to Siberia. He had no real role with the Dodgers, nor, according to the book, was he respected or valued at all. But then Frank McCourt and his wife bought the team and Lasorda was established as McCourt’s right hand man. Essentially, he was reinstated as Chief Advisor to the new King, if you will.
Lasorda says, “You know what the MCourts gave me? They gave me back my prestige, my honor, my dignity. They gave me back my life.” I’d guess this was said somewhere around 2006. Now, in 2012, after the long, dark tea-time of the Dodger’s soul that was the McCourt Era has passed, I wonder how Lasorda feels about the man now?
I think Tommy Lasorda is a great boon to major league baseball, and he is certainly an important part of Dodgers history. I’m a fan. And you’ll enjoy learning how he got Mike Piazza signed and coached the US Olympians to a gold medal, but if you read I Live For This, be warned, your perception of him may change a bit. Tommy is a complex man.
The book doesn’t follow a straight chronological path, which makes for a more interesting read than the traditional biography route. Because Lasorda is, well, Lasorda, there is no shortage of anecdotes and vignettes to insert. And many of them are certainly entertaining. Tommy Lasorda bleeds Dodger blue: anybody who knows about him knows this, and the book reflects it. No surprise. But we get a look at what makes Lasorda tick: he is fighting the world all the time.
Lasorda refused to admit defeat. As a kid, he needed a baseball glove, so he stole one. A pitcher of marginal talent, he pitched a total of 26 games over three major league seasons (he lost a roster spot to Sandy Koufax in 1955: Lasorda says it took the greatest lefthander ever to keep him out of the majors), though he was a successful minor league pitcher. But as a player, a scout, a coach and a manager, life is a war to Lasorda. One he refuses to lose. It made him the Hall of Famer he is. But it also made him someone you don’t necessarily like, or always admire.
Don’t get me wrong: Lasorda did a lot of good things and certainly helped a lot of baseball players succeed. And he truly is an ambassador for the sport that we’re unlikely to ever see again. And much of the good about Lasorda comes out of this book. Like how he treats low level staffers and efforts to help inner city kids learn baseball. But it’s hard to come away from this book without some negative vibrations.
We do get some inside looks at situations within the Dodgers franchise, like the rift between Lasorda and his successor and former player, Bill Russell. And the exchange between Lasorda and Doug Rau during the first inning of a World Series game is amusing. Sort of. Plus, you’ll learn how Tommy became the national face, or waistline, for a then-unknown product called Slim Fast.
I was intrigued by the book’s ending. The Fox/Murdoch team had effectively banished Lasorda to Siberia. He had no real role with the Dodgers, nor, according to the book, was he respected or valued at all. But then Frank McCourt and his wife bought the team and Lasorda was established as McCourt’s right hand man. Essentially, he was reinstated as Chief Advisor to the new King, if you will.
Lasorda says, “You know what the MCourts gave me? They gave me back my prestige, my honor, my dignity. They gave me back my life.” I’d guess this was said somewhere around 2006. Now, in 2012, after the long, dark tea-time of the Dodger’s soul that was the McCourt Era has passed, I wonder how Lasorda feels about the man now?
I think Tommy Lasorda is a great boon to major league baseball, and he is certainly an important part of Dodgers history. I’m a fan. And you’ll enjoy learning how he got Mike Piazza signed and coached the US Olympians to a gold medal, but if you read I Live For This, be warned, your perception of him may change a bit. Tommy is a complex man.
June 14, 2008
An incomplete biography of Lasorda, but a fantastic story about life and management. Tommy Lasorda was the manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning two World Series Titles. Lasorda's story is one of hope and inspiration.
I liked this book from the management perspective. He was a manager by inspiration and charisma. He inspired mediocre players to be great. He had more faith in them then they did in themselves. This is what lead to both World Championships, plus winning Gold for the first time in the 2002 Olympics. Some great passages show insight to his style:
"Lasorda saw how Bryant's coldness affected his Greenville team. He saw how fear of the manager turned to passive at-bats, resulting in strikeouts. He saw how anxiety over bryant's moods prevented players from stealing bases or trying out a new pitch. He realized that a baseball team needed light to grow. He would go home to the tiny room he rented and sit on his bed and vow that one day he would do things differently. One day he would be that light."
A manager that inspired rather than one who controlled.
"Lasorda had again showed that the secret to his managing success was simple. He knew his people. He knew who would react to a swift kick and who needs a long hug. He knew that often those people were used to just the opposite. Russell told reporters that he couldn't believe he was writing on his wall. Smith told reporters that nobody had ever said that be was needed. "
Knowing the individual players and treating them differently and asking them for help. Two key parts of management. This demonstrates that Lasorda was not a man just of charism, he knew how to manage his players based on how they would react. A great book for those interested in Lasorda or management.
I liked this book from the management perspective. He was a manager by inspiration and charisma. He inspired mediocre players to be great. He had more faith in them then they did in themselves. This is what lead to both World Championships, plus winning Gold for the first time in the 2002 Olympics. Some great passages show insight to his style:
"Lasorda saw how Bryant's coldness affected his Greenville team. He saw how fear of the manager turned to passive at-bats, resulting in strikeouts. He saw how anxiety over bryant's moods prevented players from stealing bases or trying out a new pitch. He realized that a baseball team needed light to grow. He would go home to the tiny room he rented and sit on his bed and vow that one day he would do things differently. One day he would be that light."
A manager that inspired rather than one who controlled.
"Lasorda had again showed that the secret to his managing success was simple. He knew his people. He knew who would react to a swift kick and who needs a long hug. He knew that often those people were used to just the opposite. Russell told reporters that he couldn't believe he was writing on his wall. Smith told reporters that nobody had ever said that be was needed. "
Knowing the individual players and treating them differently and asking them for help. Two key parts of management. This demonstrates that Lasorda was not a man just of charism, he knew how to manage his players based on how they would react. A great book for those interested in Lasorda or management.
June 16, 2010
I learned that Tommy Lasorda is kind of a jerk and a hypocrit. He's lovable like your mildly racist grandma is lovable. For some reason you just look past the flaws, attributing them to their age and their environment growing up. Those same flaws in anyone else and you'd hate them but wrapped up in an old package behind an innocent smile and an old timey story and you just accept it.
I didn't really learn anything new or very interesting about the Dodgers or Tommy and it's not like I am a Dodger historian either so I would have assumed that I'd learn more.
This is only the second biography and third sports related book I've picked up. The Clemente story by Maraniss was MUCH better but had flaws of its own.
I didn't really learn anything new or very interesting about the Dodgers or Tommy and it's not like I am a Dodger historian either so I would have assumed that I'd learn more.
This is only the second biography and third sports related book I've picked up. The Clemente story by Maraniss was MUCH better but had flaws of its own.
January 12, 2021
Read this again and on second read I gave it an extra star. I think the first time I read it I felt Lasorda was a little full of himself. On second read, well, he kind of still is but with the best intentions. He really did care for people and was a great motivator. I guess I wish there was a little more about his days as a manager. This book has all kind of stories of him off the baseball field motivating people, but not enough about his baseball career in my humble opinion. That being said, Plaschke is a great writer and Lasorda will be sorely missed. A great human being as well as a manager.
January 1, 2018
Not a Lasorda fan & this confirmed that, while he does some good for others, he is mostly an arrogant, self-important jerk.
April 23, 2023
RICK ““SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “TOMMY BASEBALL” - FROM NORRISTOWN TO THE HALL OF FAME TO OLYMPIC GOLD!”
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This is the biography of Hall Of Fame Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. Unlike most biographies which are chronological; birth to youth to aged, this story starts with a “Foreword” in 1990, then to the present, and then the entire book consists of “flash-backs” from the present to the past, and then back to the present again. It’s very much like some of today’s annoying movies where the story continually flashes back and forth and you’re never sure what dimension you’re in. But once you get used to that, the story takes off like a speedster running out an inside the park home run!
Tommy who came from an Italian immigrant family in Norristown Pennsylvania never forgets where he came from. The story allows you to follow Tommy from having to steal his first baseball glove, to him sitting on the top of the world when he wins two world championships for the Dodgers. Combining an immeasurable desire to be a Major League ballplayer, with a “baseball wit” that would make a vaudeville comedian envious, and the willingness to throw more haymakers than the last five heavyweight champions combined, Tommy was not to be denied.
Lasorda throughout the book is giving speeches to anyone willing to listen, and even to people who don’t. He gives speeches for large sums of money, and gives speeches for free to churches, firemen, the military, and other worthy causes. The honesty in this book is powerful! Tommy pledges undying allegiance and thanks to the people who helped him and always stood by him. People such as the O’Malley family, Al Campanis, his best friend and USC baseball legend Rod Dedeaux. He just as vehemently curses the ground that his enemies walked on, such as former Dodger manager Walt Alston. Tommy pulls absolutely no punch when it comes to someone whom he took in his heart and treated like a son, and then knifed him in the back, Bill Russell, former Dodger shortstop and short lived manager. I absolutely admire Tommy for his honesty and passion regarding Russell and the Dodgers, who turned their back on him after they were bought by Fox.
I was going to rate this a “4 star” until the book got near the home stretch. When the story rounds third heading for home, we come to the 2000 Olympic Baseball team with Tommy as the manager. The team was made up of nobodies, has beens, and never were’s! Lasorda, waving the American Flag from the deepest reaches of his heart, not only made this band of unknowns believe, he led them to the Olympic Gold Medal, and along the way, beat the team that had never, ever, been beaten, the Cuban National Team! As tears streamed down Tommy’s face, there was not one member of current Dodger management in attendance. But! Peter O’Malley the former Dodger owner had flown to Australia unannounced to support Tommy! And that’s what Tommy was always all about! Loyalties, “I’ve got your back!! Baseball, America, and the Dodger’s.
I’m happy to say that when the McCourt’s bought the Dodgers in 2004, they called Tommy and said they couldn’t imagine buying the Dodgers without Tommy as Frank McCourt’s right hand man, his special assistant. Now everything is right with the world! The greatest country America, And America’s pastime, has it’s greatest goodwill ambassador back where he should be, with the Dodger’s! A “FIVE-STAR-FINISH!”
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This is the biography of Hall Of Fame Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. Unlike most biographies which are chronological; birth to youth to aged, this story starts with a “Foreword” in 1990, then to the present, and then the entire book consists of “flash-backs” from the present to the past, and then back to the present again. It’s very much like some of today’s annoying movies where the story continually flashes back and forth and you’re never sure what dimension you’re in. But once you get used to that, the story takes off like a speedster running out an inside the park home run!
Tommy who came from an Italian immigrant family in Norristown Pennsylvania never forgets where he came from. The story allows you to follow Tommy from having to steal his first baseball glove, to him sitting on the top of the world when he wins two world championships for the Dodgers. Combining an immeasurable desire to be a Major League ballplayer, with a “baseball wit” that would make a vaudeville comedian envious, and the willingness to throw more haymakers than the last five heavyweight champions combined, Tommy was not to be denied.
Lasorda throughout the book is giving speeches to anyone willing to listen, and even to people who don’t. He gives speeches for large sums of money, and gives speeches for free to churches, firemen, the military, and other worthy causes. The honesty in this book is powerful! Tommy pledges undying allegiance and thanks to the people who helped him and always stood by him. People such as the O’Malley family, Al Campanis, his best friend and USC baseball legend Rod Dedeaux. He just as vehemently curses the ground that his enemies walked on, such as former Dodger manager Walt Alston. Tommy pulls absolutely no punch when it comes to someone whom he took in his heart and treated like a son, and then knifed him in the back, Bill Russell, former Dodger shortstop and short lived manager. I absolutely admire Tommy for his honesty and passion regarding Russell and the Dodgers, who turned their back on him after they were bought by Fox.
I was going to rate this a “4 star” until the book got near the home stretch. When the story rounds third heading for home, we come to the 2000 Olympic Baseball team with Tommy as the manager. The team was made up of nobodies, has beens, and never were’s! Lasorda, waving the American Flag from the deepest reaches of his heart, not only made this band of unknowns believe, he led them to the Olympic Gold Medal, and along the way, beat the team that had never, ever, been beaten, the Cuban National Team! As tears streamed down Tommy’s face, there was not one member of current Dodger management in attendance. But! Peter O’Malley the former Dodger owner had flown to Australia unannounced to support Tommy! And that’s what Tommy was always all about! Loyalties, “I’ve got your back!! Baseball, America, and the Dodger’s.
I’m happy to say that when the McCourt’s bought the Dodgers in 2004, they called Tommy and said they couldn’t imagine buying the Dodgers without Tommy as Frank McCourt’s right hand man, his special assistant. Now everything is right with the world! The greatest country America, And America’s pastime, has it’s greatest goodwill ambassador back where he should be, with the Dodger’s! A “FIVE-STAR-FINISH!”
October 5, 2024
Not sure I can separate the subject from the presentation, but both the book and Lasorda are at times intriguing - you want to root for them - and at other times frustrating, uninteresting, and completely lacking in self-awareness.
- The book is in nine chapters, like a baseball game, but it's only partially chronological, and includes way too much of Lasorda's life in the year the book was written
- Hard to like Lasorda post-MLB, as he would. not. leave. His time with the Dodgers had passed; they tried to embarrass him into leaving with an office move like the guy with the red stapler in Office Space, and his brief entry as GM was a disaster - win now BS trades that failed, giving up a good player in 400 HR Paul Konerko for pretty much nothing. Did he think he was the Godfather? He came off as someone who felt utterly entitled to be involved in Dodgers decision-making after his time as a manger came to an end, pairing up with the dirtball McCourt family and always hanging around like a company founder who was put out to pasture years ago.
- Lasorda plays up the tough guy image, growing up rather poor in an immigrant Italian family in PA, but he wimps out in his brief career as a pitcher, trying to balk so he wouldn't have to pitch to the Cardinals' 2nd best hitter
- His success was hardly instant, spending 6 or 7 years in the minors in Montreal and then managing in the minors, mostly Spokane, for about the same length of time
- Didn't remember he was fluent in Spanish and that he hit it big with slim-fast
- Lasorda's obsession with food became repetitive
- I get the idea that Lasorda was more a great motivator than a great manager, though how he handled Steve Sax's yips was smart, and his handling of the 2000 Olympic team that upset Cuba was quite strong
- Hiding Kirk Gibson to dupe the A's into walking a guy to bring him up to face an at-that-time predictable Eckersley was truly a smart move, props to him for that
- 20 years as a manager, with 4 WS appearances and 2 victories, is HOF worthy, but with zero post-season wins post-88 he was deservedly handed his hat after his heart attack
- No idea how he remained so popular on the speaker tour long after his heyday
- He seemed a bit insecure, always wanting an audience and afraid to be alone for even a few minutes
- If he hadn't made bad calls pulling Valenzuela for a pinch hitter in 1980 and pitching to Jack Clark in the 1985 NLCS he may have had more WS appearances and wins
- Like the book, Lasorda was too good to dismiss but not good enough to justify a ton of attention
- The book is in nine chapters, like a baseball game, but it's only partially chronological, and includes way too much of Lasorda's life in the year the book was written
- Hard to like Lasorda post-MLB, as he would. not. leave. His time with the Dodgers had passed; they tried to embarrass him into leaving with an office move like the guy with the red stapler in Office Space, and his brief entry as GM was a disaster - win now BS trades that failed, giving up a good player in 400 HR Paul Konerko for pretty much nothing. Did he think he was the Godfather? He came off as someone who felt utterly entitled to be involved in Dodgers decision-making after his time as a manger came to an end, pairing up with the dirtball McCourt family and always hanging around like a company founder who was put out to pasture years ago.
- Lasorda plays up the tough guy image, growing up rather poor in an immigrant Italian family in PA, but he wimps out in his brief career as a pitcher, trying to balk so he wouldn't have to pitch to the Cardinals' 2nd best hitter
- His success was hardly instant, spending 6 or 7 years in the minors in Montreal and then managing in the minors, mostly Spokane, for about the same length of time
- Didn't remember he was fluent in Spanish and that he hit it big with slim-fast
- Lasorda's obsession with food became repetitive
- I get the idea that Lasorda was more a great motivator than a great manager, though how he handled Steve Sax's yips was smart, and his handling of the 2000 Olympic team that upset Cuba was quite strong
- Hiding Kirk Gibson to dupe the A's into walking a guy to bring him up to face an at-that-time predictable Eckersley was truly a smart move, props to him for that
- 20 years as a manager, with 4 WS appearances and 2 victories, is HOF worthy, but with zero post-season wins post-88 he was deservedly handed his hat after his heart attack
- No idea how he remained so popular on the speaker tour long after his heyday
- He seemed a bit insecure, always wanting an audience and afraid to be alone for even a few minutes
- If he hadn't made bad calls pulling Valenzuela for a pinch hitter in 1980 and pitching to Jack Clark in the 1985 NLCS he may have had more WS appearances and wins
- Like the book, Lasorda was too good to dismiss but not good enough to justify a ton of attention
July 28, 2020
What? Two stars? But you love the Dodgers. You love Tommy. Your earliest memories of the Dodgers involve Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers. Why are you rating this two stars?
Because this is a fluff piece written by a hack writer blowing smoke up an old mans ass.
Look, Tommy is great. You can’t ask for a bigger cheerleader. But at the end he’s talking up the McCourt regime which makes me think he can be bought by a rich swindler. This book must have come out before we realized that the McCourts were milking the organization into bankruptcy and leveraging the business to fund their extravagant lifestyle. It’s so easy to be generous to someone when you’re not actually using your own money.
There’s some decent stories to be found but it’s like Ned Colletti says — Sinatra was actually a Giants fan.
Plaschke doesn’t even throw Tommy anything hard to hit. No mention of Junior. I can’t imagine the tragedy of your son dying so young. But hey, maybe it’s better to avoid talking about the difficult things.
I didn’t read this book to hear about Don Rickles. I wanted to read about Tommy the character, the guy who fought with the Phanatic and got Youpi ejected from a game. Instead I get Tommy the racist, yelling at the Cubans to go home and work the sugar cane.
Because this is a fluff piece written by a hack writer blowing smoke up an old mans ass.
Look, Tommy is great. You can’t ask for a bigger cheerleader. But at the end he’s talking up the McCourt regime which makes me think he can be bought by a rich swindler. This book must have come out before we realized that the McCourts were milking the organization into bankruptcy and leveraging the business to fund their extravagant lifestyle. It’s so easy to be generous to someone when you’re not actually using your own money.
There’s some decent stories to be found but it’s like Ned Colletti says — Sinatra was actually a Giants fan.
Plaschke doesn’t even throw Tommy anything hard to hit. No mention of Junior. I can’t imagine the tragedy of your son dying so young. But hey, maybe it’s better to avoid talking about the difficult things.
I didn’t read this book to hear about Don Rickles. I wanted to read about Tommy the character, the guy who fought with the Phanatic and got Youpi ejected from a game. Instead I get Tommy the racist, yelling at the Cubans to go home and work the sugar cane.
December 31, 2021
Tommy Lasorda was a fascinating, larger-than-life human being, but this is completely surface-level hagiography that doesn't dare to go anywhere near any part of his life that would make him even slightly uncomfortable. For instance, it would have been nice for the book to acknowledge the fact that Tommy had a son, but I suppose then the author would have had to explain how he died of AIDS and how Tommy refused to admit his son was gay.
October 19, 2018
This is a book about Tommy Lasorda, the long time manager of the LA Dodgers Baseball Team. I love Lasorda. I love Bill Plaschke, the long time write for the LA times. Mix them together and you get a fun book, with a lot of life lessons mixed in!
December 14, 2020
Not really a biography as I was expecting it to be. This is more aptly described as "a day in the life" of Tommy Lasorda, with each chapter representing various episodes of Lasorda's modern-day experiences, written newspaper article style.
July 9, 2018
Comical, Sad, Inspirational
Great baseball book. A look at the most complex manager that ever lived. He forever will be the face of the Dodgers.
Great baseball book. A look at the most complex manager that ever lived. He forever will be the face of the Dodgers.
April 27, 2023
I absolutely loved reading this book about the baseball career of Tommy Lasorda!!!
May 21, 2014
I think that most people will agree that the first thing you think of when somebody mentions the LA Dodgers is Tommy Lasorda -- he is literally the face of Dodger baseball!
This was a spectacular book and I learned more about this manager dressed in Dodger Blue than I ever knew before!
I learned a lot about his relationships with family, friends (I loved the sentimental gesture by Bobby Valentine for Lasorda's 79th birthday), players, executives in the Dodger organization (both past and present), as well as people from other baseball organizations.
I got keen insight about Lasorda as a speaker -- one of my favorite passages relates to when Lasorda was asked to speak to some firefighters out in California. The gentleman asking Lasorda to speak says "you believe in "free speech" don't you" and when Lasorda responds in the affirmative, the guy says "good, cause you're doing one". What a riot!
This was a spectacular book and I learned more about this manager dressed in Dodger Blue than I ever knew before!
I learned a lot about his relationships with family, friends (I loved the sentimental gesture by Bobby Valentine for Lasorda's 79th birthday), players, executives in the Dodger organization (both past and present), as well as people from other baseball organizations.
I got keen insight about Lasorda as a speaker -- one of my favorite passages relates to when Lasorda was asked to speak to some firefighters out in California. The gentleman asking Lasorda to speak says "you believe in "free speech" don't you" and when Lasorda responds in the affirmative, the guy says "good, cause you're doing one". What a riot!
March 11, 2011
Okay, I'm a life long Dodger Girl, but I love baseball in general too. If you think fondly of Tommy, you gotta read I Live For This. If you're a baseball lover you will love the stories, no matter who you root for. And if you like stories of celebrities giving back & using their name for the good of humanity, read this. I'm of course biased, but I really do think Tommy's insights to the game (past, present & future) can be appreciated by anyone who enjoys the sport/sports in general. I'm not a big fan of Bill Plaschke, but he did a great job here. The writing is smooth & he took the care to write the stories right. Great book, check it out.
September 23, 2011
I bought this book in 2008, hoping to get Tommy's autograph. I was lucky enough to to get that autograph and while he was signing, he asked if I had read and enjoyed the book. I told him, "No Skip, I've not had a chance yet..." He told me it was wonderful story and I promised him that I would read it. Now admittedly, I've got to be one of the worlds biggest Dodger fans and to someone else, this book may not be the most interesting. But at times I was moved to tears, especially reading about the 2000 Olympic experience. If you're a baseball fan, this book is for you...
October 5, 2010
Tommy Lasorda is a 'real character'. I really enjoyed reading this book and there are many times I laughed out loud at some of his antics. He was honored at a Spring Training game I went to in Florida several years ago and he projected a bigger than life showman and after reading this book I know that's true.
April 12, 2014
Bill Plaschke has always been one of my favorite sports columnists. He doesn't disappoint in this highly entertaining and well-written biography. Lasorda is a man who, with tremendous belief, incredible people insight, a gift of gab and a big appetite, led my favorite team to victory and pride. I admit, I bleed Dodger blue but Lasorda gushes it. Well done Mr. Plaschke and well-done Mr. Lasorda.
March 29, 2008
My father and I are huge Dodger fans and we loved this book! Great stories about the Dodgers, baseball and baseball's greatest ambassador. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the greatest game ever played.
May 10, 2010
probably closer to 3.5 stars as it is an entertaining book about lasorda's rise from poverty to being the face of the dodgers. he was a self-preservationist and a bit egotistical, but he was also a master motivator. there are definitely some good leadership points to take away from this read.
December 1, 2011
Lasorda is larger than life, but not larger than baseball itself. This book was a good read and a nice behind the scenes look at the life of Tommy Lasorda, from his childhood throughout his years as Dodgers manager. Although I don't buy that he is the last true believer...
July 14, 2008
I love this man...
February 17, 2024
Plaschke is one of my favorite sports writers! So far, this book delivers: it's moving, real and eye-opening as I learn about the life of this baseball legend.
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December 24, 2008A hilarious biography of one of baseballs greatest managers. A must read for any baseball fan like me.
February 22, 2011
Finally... This book dragged for a while, and was filled with lots of details. I can't decide if I actually enjoyed the book or was just glad to be done with it.
August 5, 2011
This is exactly what you would expect from Tommy. It is fun to read about someone who loves what he does so much.
March 21, 2016
Fun book. Great story. Nice to relive baseball stories
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