Tommy Lasorda along with wife, Jo Lasorda, lived in Fullerton, California for over 70 years so it is no surprise that the Fullerton Museum Center is including “Lasorda Legacy: A Tribute to Baseball and Dodgers Legend Tommy Lasorda” in the “Picturing America’s Pastime: Historic Photography from the Baseball Hall of Fame Archives” exhibition in honor of Tommy Lasorda and his parents, Sabatino and Carmella Lasorda. Lasorda’s father, Sabatino Lasorda was an Italian immigrant hailing from Tollo (Chieti) in Abruzzo. He came to the United States and raised Tommy Lasorda along with his four brothers.
Roberto Angotti, Tollo, Italy-Fullerton, California Sister City International Ambassador, Laura Lasorda, daughter of Tommy and Jo Lasorda, and Felipe Ruiz, longtime personal assistant to Tommy Lasorda, moderate the Lasorda Legacy Baseball Author Roundtable featuring an all-star cast of panelists including Steve Sax, Zack Minasian, Jason Turbow and Chris Epting at the Fullerton Museum Center Auditorium on September 22, 2022 from 7:30-8:30 pm.
Steve Sax, known for his accomplished 14-year-career as a major league baseball player during which time he became Rookie of the Year, a two-time World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers as well as a five-time MLB All-Star, is host of the popular Sax in the Morning podcast and author of Shift: Change Your Mindset and You Change Your World. Playing under inspirational Italian American managers Tommy Lasorda and Tony La Russa, Steve Sax gained invaluable life lessons through sports. After his playing career, he found success not only as a coach and broadcaster but also as a financial consultant, author, motivational speaker and executive/life coach.
Lasorda
University: A Recollection of My Summer of ’68 with Tommy Lasorda and the Ogden
Dodgers by Zack Minasian is a fun look at a young Tommy Lasorda and his band of
Dodger rookies in 1968 in Ogden Utah. The stories and laughs are nonstop as you
learn the fate of the Ogden team that summer that included several future big
league players. The book features Interviews with many of the former players
who describe their Ogden experience and what is was like playing for Tommy
Lasorda.
Jason Turbow is the author of They Bled Blue, a chronicle about the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers, Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic, the unbelievable saga on Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley
and The Baseball Codes, a book about the unwritten rules of baseball. In addition,
he is the founder of the Pandemic Baseball Book Club.
Chris Epting is the author of over 40 travel/history
books, including James Dean Died Here, Roadside Baseball, Hello It’s Me, and Dispatches From a Pop Culture
Junkie. He is also an award-winning travel writer and
has contributed articles for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Westways and Travel + Leisure magazine. In addition, Chris Epting is
a memoirist and has co-written Def Leppard’s Phil Collen’s memoir, Adrenalized, the John Oates Memoir Change of Seasons, and Long Train Runnin’ with the
Doobie Brothers.
“Picturing America’s Pastime: Historic
Photography from the Baseball Hall of Fame Archives” celebrates baseball through a unique selection of
photographs from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s unmatched
archive of baseball photos. Drawing on the Hall of Fame’s archive of more than
300,000 unique images, the Museum’s curatorial team highlights baseball history
in this curated collection of rarely seen photos. The photographs reveal the
rich relationship between the camera and the game. The Fullerton Museum Center
is the first stop on this exciting traveling show For more information, visit
the Fullerton Museum Center website or call (714) 738-6545.
Baseball fans are invited to come out early on Thursday afternoon, September 22, 2022 beginning at 4 pm for the free Tommy Lasorda Street Fair with the world-famous beer garden, food trucks, local vendors and live entertainment until 9 pm. After a Dodger dog and sampling a glass of Lasorda Family Wines, visit the Fullerton Museum Center and check out the “Picturing America’s Pastime: Historic Photography from the Baseball Hall of Fame Archives” and the “Lasorda Legacy” exhibits. Admission to the exhibitions is included in the ticket price to attend the Lasorda Legacy Baseball Author Roundtable inside the Fullerton Museum Center Auditorium at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available by clicking HERE.
Forza #Italia!
by Roberto Angotti
(Photo of Roberto Angotti and Bobby Valentine at the Lasorda Legacy Opening in Fullerton, California on September 10, 2022)
