Good day all!
Thought it'd be fun to create a "dedicated"
1977 manager card for Los Angeles Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda, in what
was the first season of his legendary run:
Though
he skippered the Dodgers for four games in 1976, the 1977 season was
the first full year at the helm of the team, and it would lead to an
incredible 21 year run that saw him win two championships (1981 and
1988), with two other pennants thrown in (1977 and 1978).
Between
1976 and 1996, Lasorda led the Dodgers to 1599 wins and a .526 winning
percentage, while becoming an icon in the baseball and cultural realm.
Funny
enough, Lasorda would guide the Dodgers to 98 wins in his first full
season as manager, and that would be the high-mark in a season for wins
during his tenure.
However, he would lead the team to seven
different seasons of 90+ wins, as well as seven first place finishes in
the National League West.
He grew to be a legend in Los
Angeles, and growing up as a kid loving baseball in the 70's and 80's
his legendary status made its way East to Brooklyn, New York with my
friends and I in our Italian neighborhood!