The Veterans Committee inducted Lasorda into the Hall of Fame in 1997. He died of pneumonia.. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team to which he dedicated more than seven decades of his life, tweeted the announcement following day, stating how the man who had "Dodger blue running through his veins" was able to see his beloved team win the World Series one last time in October 2020, when the Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in a six-game series. "My son wasn't gay," he said. Photos: Tommy Lasorda through the years, 1927-2021 Tommy Lasorda and his wife, Jo, during introductions at Family Night at Dodger Stadium in 1987. Lia Thomas ignited a debate over trans inclusion in college sports. Lasorda won four pennants in that time and two World Series championships. Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MA/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. The bronze medalist has made it his mission to challenge gender norms. Leanza Cornett, Miss America 93 and Trailblazing AIDS Activist, Red Hot Reissues of AIDS Benefit Albums From the 1990s and The HIV Story Behind Beauty and the Beast and Other Disney Classics or click #AIDS History. The Dodgers need one more victory to win the National League Western Division title. He made Glenn Burkes life miserable during the outfielders time with the Dodgers and was consistently hostile to any LGBTQ advocacy group that wanted to work with his team. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine), Los Angeles Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda covers his face as the San Diego Padres score six runs in the eighth inning to defeat Lasorda?s Dodgers 7-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday, Sept. 29, 1983 in San Diego. Thats heartbreaking and infuriating. Nicknamed "Spunky," the 33-year-old had been sick for an extended period of time, and the LA Times reported that the cause of death was "pneumonia and severe dehydration." Tommy Jr. visited Dodger Stadium all the time, and his father often called him while on the road. Bill Baer, a former NBC Sports baseball writer, tweeted a picture of Lasordas comments. He tried.. According to the Dodgers, he died of a heart attack Thursday night at his home in Fullerton, Calif., and was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital. But throughout the piece, those assertions are undermined by repeated references to Tommy Jr.s emotional fragility as he tried to live out the image of a West Hollywood club legend. It was such a struggle between the two of them to try and balance keeping Sr.s. While his father was the Dodgers manager, Tommy Jr. befriended Glenn Burke, an outfielder on the team, which strained Burkes relationship with his boss. Heklina, Influential San Francisco Activist Drag Queen, Greg Louganis Is Auctioning Off Olympic Medals for HIV Charity, Elton Johns Oscar Viewing Party Raises $9M to End AIDS, Adam Lambert Stars in Historical AIDS Drama Fairyland, Says It Resonates Today. But he also knew that this made it all the more important for his fatherly love to be a constant in his Charlies life. But the disease had already taken its toll, and Tommy Jr. tragically died a very young man. Gambling Problem? Smart + Strong. He died of pneumonia." Its telling that Lasorda was the only major living figure in Burkes career who was not interviewed. Tommy Lasorda Take a look back at some of the most memorable images and words from his life and career. He wanted to please his dad. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. And, after Pirates' great Roberto Clemente died, I had to search for new favorite ballplayer, and a year or two after Clemente's death, Steve Garvey, the first baseman of the Los Angeles Dodgers burst onto the scene, becoming the first write-in to earn a spot on the All-Star team mid-season in 1974, and at the end of the year, garnering the MVP award. My son wasnt gay, Lasorda told Peter Richmond, who wrote about the duos complicated relationship for GQ magazine in 1992, in some of his few public comments about his son. Jo Lasorda, wife of Hall of Fame Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, dies at 91 Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. She said one reason she related so much to him was because her own brother, who was killed by a drunken driver in 1984, was gay, and many of his friends died of AIDS complications because the medical treatments were not as advanced as they are now. He came out publicly in 1982. The younger Lasorda died in June 1991, and the Los Angeles Times listed the cause of death from pneumonia and severe dehydration. 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! 2023 There's a new generation of coaches today, like San Diego Loyal coach Landon Donovan, who pulled his team off the field after one of his players was subjected to a homophobic slur. Pallone, 69, said this in a phone interview on Friday evening, the day after Lasorda died of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest. And that's just the way he wanted it. Sparky Anderson, manager of the Cincinnati Reds, greets a rival manager Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the two met at a luncheon honoring Lasorda on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 1977 in Los . The Dodgers manager showed love for Tommy Jr., but publicly denied that he was gay and that he died of AIDS complications. "If I go in with my head hung down when I put on my uniform, what good does it do? Its not too hard to conclude that Tommy Sr.s homophobia was a factor in his sons underlying sadness. Umpires tossed Youppi!, the Montreal Expos mascot, from a 1989 game when Lasorda complained about the mascots antics. Tommy Lasorda, a baseball Hall of Famer who spent seven decades in the Dodgers organization, died on Thursday, January 7, at the age of 93. She said Tommy Jr. tried to protect his father by not discussing his sexuality. EDITORS NOTE: An unverified published commentary in Fridays Los Angeles Blade claims what no one else has ever reported: that the late Tommy Lasorda not only admitted his son Spunky was gay, that he died of AIDS, but that he apologized for being a homophobe. He came out publicly soon after and wrote a book titled Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball. He said attitudes in the sport slowly began changing as more people come out publicly. The award-winning Los Angeles Times photo staff works across Southern California, the state, the nation and the world to bring readers images that inform and inspire daily. Lasorda went 1,599-1,439-2 from 1976-96, every season coming with the Dodgers. Brooklyn Dodgers' pitcher Tom LaSorda is seen in Vero Beach, March 2, 1954. Ronald Reagan, center, and First Lady Nancy Reagan, left, are presented a World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers shirt by manager Tommy Lasorda, right, at a White House Rose Garden ceremony for the team, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 1988, Washington, D.C. Members of the team and official stand in back. Theres a reason why Tommy Lasorda won National League Manager of the Year twice and Father of the Year never. So you try to look at the whole picture, especially then when I was a closeted gay man. What Im going to be mad at is the culture that allows that kind of thinking. Alberto Lejrraga celebrated his promotion in style. Bobby Jr., is the son of former Dodger and Mets third base coach Bobby Valentine. Tom Lasorda, Jr., known as Spunky, died of complications from AIDS on June 3, 1991 at the age of 33. Pallone considered Lasorda a friend and mourned his loss. $49.95. Lasorda will miss the start of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals today. Tommy Lasorda jokingly shows pitcher Fernando Valenzuela how to hold a baseball in March 1983. The most prominent: Billy Bean, who became M.L.B.s first ambassador of inclusion after his playing days. Lasorda worked as a player, scout, manager and front office executive with the Dodgers dating to their roots in Brooklyn. It seemed quite plausible that he did have a gay son who may have died of AIDS. And Richmond got to the heart of the matter when he quoted a WeHo companion of Tommy Jr.s: I think he wanted to make his father happy. He was preceded in death by Tommy Lasorda, Jr. who died in 1991, and the cause of his death was attributed to pneumonia. It took time for Minnie to reach that level of unconditional acceptance but he got there. He later told GQ that he cried a lot about his sons death but never around the team. Although the elder Lasorda had spoken privately of his sons illness on occasion, Dodger clubhouse observers agreed that, outwardly, the strain of his sons illness had not affected his managing. Dodgers manager and baseball legend Tommy Lasorda died Thursday night of a heart attack at age 93. Since then, he had held multiple positions in the Dodgers' front office. As the Los Angeles Times reported, Lasorda was among the few remaining links to the teams Brooklyn roots, and had spent 71 seasons with the Dodgers. Spunky Lasorda later died of AIDS and his father shamefully never acknowledged that his son was gay. The bronze medalist has made it his mission to challenge gender norms. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais), Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant sits next to Tommy Lasorda during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the National League Championship baseball series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, in Los Angeles. Nor did he ever speak to Lasorda about his son after Tommy Jr.s death. I always felt that it should be more public that Sr. had a son that was gay and gorgeous and everything that Tommy was, she said in a phone interview on Saturday. Tommy Lasorda: Dodger Blue and Norristown proud Consequently, if you visited the Dodgers managers office, you were infinitely more likely to hear Tommy talk about his love for Frank Sinatra than for the kid who shared his name. Lasordas Pleasantville-esque relationship with his gay son was all the more disheartening when contrasted with that of another big star from his era. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Baker told ESPN in 2014 that he believed the Dodgers traded Burke because he was gay. Garvey was a good-looking guy, but interestingly enough, I don't recall ever having any sort of a crush on him or any of the Major League players growing up, so my interests were purely platonic. But despite Tom Sr.'s adamant objections to the contrary, others who knew Tom Jr. said that his sexuality was not something he kept secret. I know what my son died of. Lasorda has reason to smile . He later managed the American baseball team to a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Eligibility restrictions apply. Dodgers owner Mark Walter called him "a great ambassador for the team and baseball, a mentor to players and coaches and he was a good friend." Dave Pallone was an umpire from 1979 to 1988 and says he was fired for being gay. Brooklyn Dodgers' pitcher Tom LaSorda is seen in Vero Beach, March 2, 1954. . Tommy Lasorda's Wife Jo: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know ( AP Photo/Reinhold Matay), Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda waits to be introduced before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York on Tuesday, July 15, 2008. His son, Thomas Jr., died in 1991. Lasorda was entitled to his personal life, and his opinions and the privacy of his feelings, yet at a time when it would have helped so many of us to understand more about the real Tommy, Jr., that never happened, and I'm really sad about that. Our hearts go out to Tommy.. But Tommy Sr. never wanted to believe that his son was gay, or didn't want to admit it, at least. Two days after Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda was discharged from a hospital in Orange County, Calif., he died at his home in Fullerton, Calif. His son, Tom Jr., died of complications related to AIDS in 1991. Tommy Lasorda serving as an honorary coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011. Tommy Lasorda acknowledges the crowd at Dodger Stadium as his number is retired by the team during a pregame ceremony in August 1997. He went to the gym every day of the week. Lasorda denied his son was gay and insisted Tom Jr. instead died of pneumonia. Like Sportscasting on Facebook. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. I had crossed the line. Lasorda Jr., an artist, had been ill for some time and was recently hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The son of Italian. No way. Tommy Lasorda Had a Complicated Relationship With His Son, Tom Jr. Our Privacy Policy. "That's not true," he told GQ. After turning down the Dodgers marriage bribe, Burke decided to hang out more and more with Tommy Lasorda Jr. (Spunky), himself a gay man and the son of the teams manager, Tommy Lasorda. The Norristown, Pennsylvania, native made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. Official reports in the media of the time said Spunky died of pneumonia and severe dehydration, and focus more on how his father would deal with managing his baseball team than with the fact that his only son was gay. Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty. One person who would not admit to this speculation, that he was gay and that he died of AIDS, was his father. The truth may be uncomfortable, but the truth should be told, if not by Lasorda himself, then by Outsports. Tommy Lasorda has died, never having admitted the truth about his gay son, Olympic boxer Harry Garside says hes proud to wear a dress. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Click this link right now: https://advocatechannel.com, Tommy Lasorda's Legacy Includes Silence Over HIV and His Gay Son, 26 Things Gay Sex Workers Want You to Know, 36 Pics of Inhibitions and Shirts Coming Off at Hebro's Jewbilee Party, 11 Homoerotic Ads, Covers From 20th Century Gay Artist J.C. Leyendecker, 21 Trans Icons You Should Know on Transgender Day of Visibility, 12 Photos Celebrating the Earth and the Male Form by Steven Menendez, Gay Model and Social Media Influencer Jeff Thomas Dead at 35, 30 LGBTQ+ Religious Saints Throughout History, Trans Flight Attendant Kayleigh Scott Has Died, Right-Wing Drag Queen Lady MAGA USA Now a 'Costume Artist', Gay Adult Store Attacked Again by Hammer-Wielding Masked Men, 7 Times White House's Karine Jean-Pierre Was a Total Badass, Transphobic, Anti-Semitic Flyers Found in Atlanta Neighborhood, U.S. But Spheeriss mind quickly turned to someone else in the Lasorda family that she had known and missed: his son, Tommy Jr., known as Spunky, who was gay and died in 1991 at 33 from complications from AIDS. During his sons life, Tommy Sr.s homophobia did not take the form you would ordinarily associate with a famous baseball celebrity of an older generation.
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