B2 THE BULLETIN • SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2021
ON THE AIR
SCOREBOARD
SATURDAY
BASKETBALL
Men’s college, Ohio St. at Rutgers
Men’s college, Richmond at George Mason
Men’s college, Alabama at Auburn
Men’s college, Miami at NC State
Men’s college, St. John’s at Creighton
Men’s college,
George Washington at St. Bonaventure
Men’s college, Texas at West Virginia
Men’s college, Mississippi St. at Vanderbilt
Men’s college, Rhode Island at VCU
Men’s college, Tennessee at Texas A&M
Men’s college, Seton Hall at DePaul
Men’s college, Fordham at Duquesne
Men’s college, Baylor at TCU
Men’s college, Washington at California
Men’s college, Georgia at Arkansas
Men’s college, Connecticut at Butler
Men’s college, Texas Tech at Iowa St.
Men’s college, Tulane at Houston
Men’s college, UNLV at Colorado St.
Men’s college, La Salle at Massachusetts
Men’s college, Oklahoma at Kansas
Men’s college, Kentucky at Florida
Men’s college, Washington St. vs. Stanford
Men’s college, Oklahoma St. at Kansas St.
Men’s college, Santa Clara at Saint Mary’s (Calif.)
Women’s college, Iowa at Northwestern
Men’s college, USC at Arizona St.
Men’s college, Georgetown at Syracuse
High school, John Paul II vs. iSchool of Lewisville
Men’s college, Gonzaga at Portland
Men’s college, LSU at Ole Miss
Men’s college, Nevada at San Diego St.
Men’s college, UCLA at Arizona
High school, CBC vs. Bates Fundamentals
Men’s college, Oregon at Utah
NBA, Portland at Sacramento
FOOTBALL
NFL playoffs, Indianapolis at Buffalo
NFL playoffs, L.A. Rams at Seattle
NFL playoffs, Tampa Bay at Washington
HOCKEY
College, Michigan at Michigan St.
GOLF
PGA Tour, Sentry Tournament of Champions
Time
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
TV
Big Ten
CBSSN
ESPN2
Root
FS1
9 a.m.
10 a.m.
10 a.m.
11 a.m.
11 a.m.
11 a.m.
11 a.m.
noon
noon
12:30 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
1:30 p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
3 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m.
5 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
6 p.m.
6 p.m.
6 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
7 p.m.
NBCSN
ESPN
SEC
CBSSN
ESPN2
FS1
NBCSN
ESPN
Pac-12
SEC
CBSSN
ESPN2
ESPNU
FS1
NBCSN
CBS
ESPN
Pac-12
ESPN2
CBSSN
Big Ten
Pac-12
ESPN
FS1
Root
SEC
CBSSN
ESPN
FS1
Pac-12
NBCSNW
10:05 a.m.
1:40 p.m.
5:15 p.m.
CBS
FOX
NBC
1:30 p.m.
3 p.m.
Big Ten
Golf
SUNDAY
SOCCER
Italian Serie A, Parma vs. Lazio
Mexico Primera, Santos Laguna vs. Cruz Azul
BASKETBALL
Men’s college, Providence at Xavier
Women’s college, Davidson at Rhode Island
Women’s college, Florida at Georgia
Women’s college, Dayton at George Washington
Women’s college, Miami at North Carolina
Women’s college, Saint Joseph’s at La Salle
Women’s college, Alabama at Vanderbilt
Men’s college, Minnesota at Iowa
Women’s college, Oregon at California
Women’s college, Texas A&M at Arkansas
Women’s college, Iowa St. at Texas Tech
Men’s college, Cincinnati at Wichita St.
Women’s college, South Carolina at Kentucky
Men’s college, Indiana at Nebraska
Men’s college, Colgate at Boston University
Women’s college, Ole Miss at Mississippi St.
Men’s college, Loyola-Chicago at Drake
Men’s college, Maryland at Illinois
FOOTBALL
NFL, Baltimore at Tennessee
NFL, Chicago at New Orleans
NFL, Cleveland at Pittsburgh
GOLF
PGA Tour, Sentry Tournament of Champions
PGA Tour, Sentry Tournament of Champions
5:55 a.m.
5 p.m.
ESPN2
FS1
8 a.m.
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
10 a.m.
11 a.m.
11 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
1:30 p.m.
2 p.m.
3 p.m.
3 p.m.
3 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
5 p.m.
FOX
CBSSN
SEC
ESPNU
Root
CBSSN
SEC
Big Ten
Pac-12
SEC
ESPNU
ESPN2
ESPN
Big Ten
CBSSN
SEC
ESPN2
Big Ten
10:05 a.m. ABC, ESPN
1:40 p.m.
CBS
5:15 p.m.
NBC
1 p.m.
3 p.m.
NBC
Golf
Listings are the most accurate available. The Bulletin
is not responsible for late changes made by TV stations.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Ducks fall to No. 1 Stanford
BY JANIE MCCAULEY
Associated Press
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —
Down three key players who
are quarantined, road weary
No. 1 Stanford needed ev-
ery defensive stop down the
stretch.
Haley Jones had 18 points
and six rebounds, and the
Cardinal beat No. 11 Oregon
70-63 on Friday. Stanford was
playing in Northern Califor-
nia for the first time in nearly
a month.
Francesca Belibi’s three-
point play with 17 seconds
remaining in the third capped
a second decisive 9-0 run that
period by the short-handed
Cardinal (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12).
The game was played at
Kaiser Permanente Arena,
home of the Golden State
Warriors’ G League affiliate.
Stanford played in Northern
California for the first time
since Dec. 13, and the Cardi-
nal haven’t been able to play
or practice on campus since
Santa Clara County’s restric-
tions on sports came down
Nov. 28 and the team left town
Dec. 2.
Oregon (8-2, 6-2) lost again
after it fell out of the top-10
with a home defeat to UCLA
that ended the Ducks’ na-
tion’s best 27-game winning
streak. The Ducks had won
the past three against Stanford
but have never beaten a top-
ranked team.
“I’m disappointed, quite
frankly,” Oregon coach Kelly
Graves said. “I’m proud of the
players for how we continued
to battle. But I’m disappointed
we lost the game. We’ve won
this conference three times in
a row. We expect to win.”
Up next
Stanford: Sunday’s game
with Oregon State was post-
poned because of COVID-19
protocols within the Beavers
program. The Cardinal will
play next Friday at Utah.
Oregon: At Cal on Sunday.
MEGA MILLIONS
The numbers drawn Friday night are:
3 6 16 18 58 11 x 2
Oregon
Lottery
results
The estimated jackpot is now $520 million.
As listed at www.oregonlottery.org and individual lottery websites
FOOTBALL
NFL playoffs
WILD CARD
Saturday’s Games
Indianapolis at Buffalo, 10:05 a.m.
L.A. Rams at Seattle, 1:40 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Washington, 5:15 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
Baltimore at Tennessee, 10:05 a.m.
Chicago at New Orleans, 1:40 p.m.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 5:15 p.m.
College
Monday’s Game
College Football Championship
Miami Gardens, Fla.
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio St., 5 p.m. (ESPN)
America’s Line
Favorite
BILLS
SEAHAWKS
Bucs
Ravens
SAINTS
STEELERS
(Home team in CAPS)
———
NFL
Open Current O/U
Underdog
Saturday
Wild-card playoffs
6½ 6
51½
Colts
4½ 3
42½
Rams
7
8½ 44½ WASHINGTON
Sunday
Wild-card playoffs
3½ 3
55
TITANS
9½ 10
47½
Bears
3½ 6
47½
Browns
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
Monday
Favorite
Open Current O/U
Underdog
Alabama
7
8
75½
Ohio State
GOLF
PGA Tour
Sentry Tournament of Champions Scores
Friday at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Yardage: 7,596; Par: 73
Second Round
Harris English
65-67—132
Daniel Berger
69-65—134
Collin Morikawa
69-65—134
Ryan Palmer
67-67—134
Justin Thomas
65-69—134
Xander Schauffele
69-66—135
Brendon Todd
68-67—135
Sungjae Im
67-68—135
Patrick Reed
67-68—135
Dustin Johnson
71-65—136
Jon Rahm
70-66—136
Scottie Scheffler
70-66—136
Bryson DeChambeau
69-67—136
Joaquin Niemann
69-67—136
Carlos Ortiz
69-67—136
Patrick Cantlay
68-68—136
Jason Kokrak, 71-66—137. Billy Horschel, 71-66—137.
Webb Simpson, 70-67—137. Brian Gay, 70-67—137. Viktor
Hovland, 69-68—137. Marc Leishman, 69-69—138. Richy
Werenski, 69-69—138. Martin Laird, 69-69—138. Nick Tay-
lor, 67-71—138. Sergio Garcia, 67-71—138.
Lanto Griffin, 71-68—139. Kevin Na, 71-68—139. Cam-
eron Champ, 71-68—139. Adam Scott, 68-71—139. Robert
Streb, 67-72—139. Stewart Cink, 71-69—140. Cameron
Smith, 70-70—140.
Sebastian Munoz, 75-66—141. Michael Thompson,
73-68—141. Abraham Ancer, 70-71—141. Andrew Landry,
70-71—141. Kevin Kisner, 70-71—141. Tony Finau, 74-68—
142. Hudson Swafford, 73-70—143. Mackenzie Hughes,
73-71—144. Hideki Matsuyama, 73-75—148.
BASKETBALL
Men’s college
PAC-12 CONFERENCE
Conference
All Games
W L
Pct W L Pct
UCLA
4 0 1.000 8 2 .800
Oregon
3 1
.750 8 2 .800
Stanford
3 1
.750 7 3 .700
Washington St. 2 1
.667 9 1 .900
Southern Cal
2 1
.667 7 2 .778
Arizona
3 2
.600 9 2 .818
Colorado
2 2
.500 8 3 .727
Arizona St.
1 1
.500 4 4 .500
Utah
1 2
.333 4 3 .571
Oregon St.
1 2
.333 5 4 .556
Washington
0 4
.000 1 8 .111
California
0 5
.000 5 7 .417
Thursday’s Late Games
Washington St. 71, California 60
UCLA 81, Arizona St. 75, OT
Saturday’s Games
Washington at California, noon
Washington St. vs. Stanford, 2 p.m.
Southern Cal at Arizona St., 4 p.m.
UCLA at Arizona, 6 p.m.
No. 17 Oregon at Utah, 6:30 p.m.
Oregon St. at Colorado, ppd.
TOP 25 SCORES
Friday’s Games
No. 3 Villanova vs. Marquette, ppd.
Purdue 55, No. 23 Michigan St. 54
Women’s college
PAC-12 CONFERENCE
Conference
All Games
W L
Pct W L Pct
Stanford
7 0 1.000 10 0 1.000
Arizona
6 1
.857 8 1 .889
Washington St. 4 1
.800 6 1 .857
Oregon
6 2
.750 8 2 .800
UCLA
4 2
.667 6 2 .750
Arizona St.
3 3
.500 7 3 .700
Colorado
2 4
.333 4 5 .444
Southern Cal
2 5
.286 4 5 .444
Utah
2 6
.250 3 6 .333
Oregon St.
1 3
.250 3 3 .500
Washington
1 5
.167 4 5 .444
California
0 6
.000 0 9 .000
Friday’s Games
No. 1 Stanford 70, No. 11 Oregon 63
Southern Cal 60, Utah 59
Oregon St. at California, ppd.
Arizona St. at Washington St., ppd.
Colorado at No. 9 UCLA, ppd.
No. 7 Arizona at Washington, ppd.
Friday’s Boxscore
No. 1 Stanford 70, No. 11 Oregon 63
OREGON (8-2)
Boley 5-8 0-0 10, Sabally 5-13 0-2 10, Mikesell 3-12 0-0
6, Paopao 5-9 0-0 12, Shelley 0-3 0-0 0, Giomi 0-0 0-0 0,
Chavez 1-3 3-4 6, Dugalic 1-3 0-0 2, Parrish 5-11 1-1 14,
Scherr 1-4 0-0 3, Watson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-66 4-7 63.
STANFORD (10-0)
Belibi 3-9 1-1 7, Hull 1-4 0-0 2, Jones 8-18 2-2 18, Williams
3-13 8-9 14, Wilson 3-4 2-4 11, Prechtel 3-5 0-0 6, Brink 2-4
0-0 4, Van Gytenbeek 3-3 0-0 8. Totals 26-60 13-16 70.
Oregon
20
13
14
16
—
63
Stanford
14
18
28
10
—
70
3-Point Goals—Oregon 7-19 (Mikesell 0-3, Paopao
2-3, Shelley 0-1, Chavez 1-2, Dugalic 0-1, Parrish 3-7,
Scherr 1-2), Stanford 5-16 (Hull 0-2, Williams 0-6, Wil-
son 3-4, Prechtel 0-1, Brink 0-1, Van Gytenbeek 2-2).
Assists—Oregon 9 (Shelley 2), Stanford 8 (Hull 3).
Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oregon 37 (Sabally
4-11), Stanford 39 (Brink 3-6). Total Fouls—Oregon 18,
Stanford 7. Technical Fouls—None. A—0.
Sunday’s Games
No. 7 Arizona at Washington St., 11 a.m.
No. 11 Oregon at California, 1 p.m.
Utah at No. 9 UCLA, 1 p.m.
Oregon St. at No. 1 Stanford, ppd.
Arizona St. at Washington, ppd.
Monday’s Game
Colorado at Southern Cal, noon
NBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W
L
Pct
Phila.
7
2
.778
Indiana
6
2
.750
Boston
7
3
.700
Orlando
6
3
.667
Milwaukee
5
3
.625
New York
5
4
.556
Brooklyn
5
4
.556
Cleveland
5
4
.556
Atlanta
4
4
.500
Charlotte
4
5
.444
Chicago
4
5
.444
Miami
3
4
.429
Detroit
2
7
.222
Washington
2
7
.222
Toronto
1
6
.143
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W
L
Pct
L.A. Clippers
6
3
.667
Phoenix
6
3
.667
L.A. Lakers
6
3
.667
Dallas
4
4
.500
Utah
4
4
.500
Golden State
4
4
.500
Portland
4
4
.500
San Antonio
4
4
.500
Sacramento
4
4
.500
Oklahoma City
4
4
.500
New Orleans
4
5
.444
Houston
3
4
.429
Denver
3
5
.375
Minnesota
2
6
.250
Memphis
2
6
.250
Thursday’s Late Games
Portland 135, Minnesota 117
San Antonio 118, L.A. Lakers 109
Dallas 124, Denver 117, OT
Friday’s Games
Detroit 110, Phoenix 105, OT
Oklahoma City 101, New York 89
Boston 116, Washington 107
Charlotte 118, New Orleans 110
Houston 132, Orlando 90
Brooklyn at Memphis, late
Utah at Milwaukee, late
Chicago at L.A. Lakers, late
L.A. Clippers at Golden State, late
Toronto at Sacramento, late
GB
—
½
½
1
1½
2
2
2
2½
3
3
3
5
5
5
GB
—
—
—
1½
1½
1½
1½
1½
1½
1½
2
2
2½
3½
3½
Seahawks
Getting better
Whether or not Goff plays,
Lasorda
Continued from B1
“When people are in the
cemetery visiting their loved
ones, they’ll say, ‘Let’s go to
Lasorda’s grave and see if the
Dodgers are playing today.’”
Fans will have to wait a few
months to do that, but Lasor-
da’s tombstone figures to be a
popular gathering place before
games. He was true Dodger
royalty and, along with Vin
Scully, one of the last remaining
bridges between Ebbets Field
and Dodger Stadium.
Now he’s gone, even as Vinny
mourns the passing of his wife
earlier in the week.
“There will never be any-
body like Tommy Lasorda,’’
said Steve Brener, the public re-
lations director for the Dodgers
during Lasorda’s reign. ”He was
like a second father to me.’’
If, in the end, the measure of
a man’s life may be found in the
number of stories told about
him, Lasorda lived a life way
beyond his 93 years.
He fought the Phillie Phan-
atic on the field after the mas-
cot dared to disparage his be-
loved Dodgers, and traded
punches with the hated Giants
Thursday’s Late Boxscore
Trail Blazers 135, Timberwolves 117
MINNESOTA (117)
Culver 3-6 0-0 7, Hernangomez 3-8 4-4 12, Davis 0-1 0-0
0, Beasley 3-13 3-4 12, Russell 9-16 5-6 26, Layman 2-4
0-0 4, McDaniels 1-3 0-0 3, Reid 4-7 4-7 13, Vanderbilt
4-7 2-3 10, Edwards 9-21 5-7 26, Nowell 1-3 0-0 2, Rubio
0-4 2-2 2. Totals 39-93 25-33 117.
PORTLAND (135)
Covington 1-4 0-0 3, Jones Jr. 3-4 2-2 9, Nurkic 8-10 1-2 17,
Lillard 13-21 6-7 39, McCollum 6-14 4-4 20, Anthony 4-9
0-0 9, Giles III 1-3 0-0 3, Elleby 1-1 2-2 4, Hood 1-6 0-0 2,
Little 1-1 0-0 2, Trent Jr. 2-7 3-4 9, Kanter 5-5 0-0 10, Blevins
0-0 0-0 0, Simons 3-5 1-2 8. Totals 49-90 19-23 135.
Minnesota
29 27 24 37 — 117
Portland
28 47 36 24 — 135
3-Point Goals—Minnesota 14-41 (Beasley 3-6, Rus-
sell 3-7, Edwards 3-10, Hernangomez 2-5, Culver 1-3,
McDaniels 1-3, Reid 1-3, Layman 0-2), Portland 18-41
(Lillard 7-12, McCollum 4-9, Trent Jr. 2-5, Jones Jr. 1-2,
Simons 1-2, Covington 1-3, Anthony 1-4, Hood 0-3).
Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Minnesota 48 (Van-
derbilt 10), Portland 44 (Kanter, Lillard, Nurkic 7). As-
sists—Minnesota 24 (Rubio 10), Portland 25 (Lillard 7).
Total Fouls—Minnesota 19, Portland 23.
DEALS
Transactions
BASEBALL
Major League Baseball
American League
SEATTLE MARINERS — Agreed to terms with LHP
Roenis Elias, 3B Jantzen Witte and RHP Paul Sewald to
minor league contracts.
FOOTBALL
National Football League
BUFFALO BILLS — Promoted WR Duke Williams and OL
Jordan Devey to the active roster.
CLEVELAND BROWNS — Placed S Jovante Moffatt on
the reserve/COVID-19 list. Activated C Javon Patterson from
the practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list.
DENVER BRONCOS — Claimed LB Natrez Patrick off
waivers from LA Rams.
GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed WR Chris Blair, S Innis
Gaines and LB Ray Wilborn to reserve/future contracts for
the 2021 season.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Promoted OT Jared Veldheer
and RB Darius Anderson to the active roster.
LOS ANGELES RAMS — Activated DL Michael Brockers
from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Placed RB Raymond Calais
on injured reserve.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Announced the contract of
senior defensive assistant Dom Capers will not be renewed.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Activated S C.J. Gard-
ner-Johnson from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Signed CB Kevon Seymour to
a reserve/futures contract for the 2021 season.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Promoted RB Alex Collins to
the active roster.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Promoted CB Herb Miller,
DL Benning Potoa’e, LB Deone Bucannon and OL Ted Larson
to the active roster. Waived LB Chapelle Russell.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM — Promoted WR Don-
trelle Inman to the active roster.
“I miss the stadium shaking
literally on the field while you’re
standing there,” Wilson said.
Continued from B1
Seattle (12-4) will be hosting
a playoff game for the first time
since January 2017, the last time
the Seahawks claimed the NFC
West title. They were carried to
the division title this season not
by an otherworldly season from
Russell Wilson, although he was
very good. But it was Seattle’s
defense making a 180-degree
flip from the beginning of the
season that led the Seahawks’
late charge.
Seattle allowed just 16 points
per game over the final eight
games, the best in the league.
The Seahawks had 37 of their
46 sacks for the season over the
final 10 games.
If Seattle is going to make a
run in the postseason, Wilson
will play his role. But how long
the Seahawks stay around will
be determined by Jamal Adams,
Bobby Wagner and others.
“We’ve got to make it our
mission to do the same thing,”
Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright
said. “We had a great game
against them two weeks ago and
so we’ve got to make it our mis-
sion to repeat that and have an-
other successful game.”
Saturday’s Games
Denver at Phila., noon
Atlanta at Charlotte, 4 p.m.
Miami at Washington, 4 p.m.
Phoenix at Indiana, 4 p.m.
Cleveland at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
San Antonio at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
Orlando at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Portland at Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright (50) and defensive end L.J. Col-
lier (91) celebrate a stop against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in
Glendale, Arizona.
Getting defensive
The Rams’ defense was the
best in the NFL by most statisti-
cal measures this season, finish-
ing tops in both total yards al-
lowed and points allowed while
boasting the No. 1 pass defense
as well. Those numbers aren’t
tremendous comfort against
the Seahawks, who have already
seen this defense twice. The Se-
ahawks are averaging 27 points
per game in the Rams’ last three
visits to Seattle.
the Rams should be getting
even more help for their flag-
ging offense, which hasn’t
scored a touchdown in two
games. Left tackle Andrew
Whitworth plans to return af-
ter being out since he tore lig-
aments in his knee during the
Seahawks’ visit two months
ago. Cooper Kupp, the Rams’
leader in receptions and yards
receiving, also should be back
in the lineup after missing last
week’s game on the reserve/
COVID-19 list. Whitworth
could provide a boost to an of-
fensive line that struggled in the
run game last week.
Home-field advantage?
Seattle has won 10 straight
home playoff games. Its last
home postseason loss came in
2004 when the Seahawks fell to
the Rams 27-20 in a wild-card
game.
But this will be a playoff
game unlike any of the rest,
with Seattle’s notorious home
fans absent due to COVID-19
restrictions. The Seahawks
have played the entire home
slate without fans and went
7-1, their best home record
since 2016. Seattle was a com-
bined 14-10 at home between
2017-19.
Catching on
While DK Metcalf and Ty-
ler Lockett had a record-setting
season for Seattle, neither has
found much success against
the Rams. The pair each had a
combined eight catches over the
two games against LA this sea-
son. Going back to last season
after cornerback Jalen Ramsey
was acquired, neither receiver
has found the end zone in three
games.
Wilson’s only TD pass against
the Rams since Ramsey’s arrival
came in the fourth quarter two
weeks ago when he hit tight end
Jacob Hollister, a graduate of
Bend’s Mountain View High,
for the clinching score.
at Candlestick Park. He won
one World Series with a ragtag
team that probably didn’t even
deserve to be in it, then sum-
moned Gibson out of the club-
house to help him win a second.
In between he engaged in
clubhouse rants, feasted on la-
sagna in his office with Frank
Sinatra and gave his opinion to
anyone who asked — and even
those who didn’t. The tapes of
his postgame rants about Kurt
Bevacqua and Dave Kingman
are underground classics that
will live in baseball lore forever.
So, Tommy, what did you
think about Kingman hitting
three home runs against the
Dodgers?
“What’s my opinion of King-
man’s performance? What
the (expletive) do you think
my opinion is of it? I think it
was (expletive). Put that in I
don’t (expletive) care,’’ he said.
“What’s my opinion of his per-
formance? (expletive). He beat
us with three (expletive) home
runs. What the (expletive) do
you mean? What is my opin-
ion of his performance? How
can you ask me a question like
that?”
Lasorda spent 71 seasons
with the Dodgers, earning his
first World Series ring in 1955
as a pitcher in Brooklyn. He
was a better manager than a
pitcher, leading the Dodgers
to four World Series and win-
ning two of them. For the last
14 years of his life he was a spe-
cial adviser to the team, sitting
in his seat next to the Dodger
dugout at every home game, of-
ten with Don Newcombe and
others beside him.
Brener, who talked on the
phone to Lasorda’s wife, Jo, on
Thursday before he suffered his
fatal heart attack, remembered
him as both a master motiva-
tor and a masterful promoter
who reveled in the celebrity
scene around him. The Hol-
lywood elite loved him back,
making a path toward Lasorda’s
clubhouse office at Dodger Sta-
dium, where there was always
plenty of food to go along with
the laughs.
Sinatra was a pal and prom-
ised Lasorda he would sing the
national anthem at opening
day if he got the Dodger mana-
gerial job. Sure enough, Sinatra
was at home plate delivering
the tune when the Dodgers
opened in 1977.
“Nobody has to tell Frank
Sinatra he is a good singer and
nobody has to tell me that I am
a good manager,’’ Lasorda said.
But it wasn’t all about win-
ning games and hanging out
with Sinatra, Dean Martin and
Don Rickles after the games.
Lasorda had time for everyone.
Brener recalled going to a
hospital in San Francisco once
with Lasorda, who had gotten a
letter from a family whose son
was in a coma.
“The parents are there and
Tommy goes in and starts mo-
tivating the kid, telling him to
wake up and that he was going
to be the bat boy for the Dodg-
ers,’’ Brener said. ”Well, this kid
came out of the coma and the
next year Tommy introduces
me to the kid at Candlestick
Park and says this is the kid I
talked to in the hospital. The
kid rebounded and was our
batboy. It was the most incredi-
ble thing I had ever seen.’’
If the stories are legendary, so
was the manager. He was faith-
ful to his team, and always true
to himself even if he didn’t suf-
fer fools easily.
Still, even those who didn’t
see things so Blue will agree on
this: For 71 years baseball was
a better game because Tommy
Lasorda was in it.