Tommy Lasorda, the Hall of Fame manager and one of baseball's prominent goodwill ambassadors, suffered a mild heart attack Monday nigh...
Joe Torre, the former New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers manager and currently Major League Baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations, told USA TODAY Sports that Lasorda told him he expects to be released from the hospital on Wednesday.
"I talked to him this morning," Torre said. "He's feeling a lot better."
Lasorda felt ill during the draft Monday night, where he was serving as the Dodgers' representative, and thought it might have been a case of food poisoning. Philadelphia Phillies executive Pat Gillick spoke with Lasorda and he decided it would be best to get examined at a hospital, where it was determined he had suffered a mild heart attack.
The Dodgers released a statement confirming that doctors inserted a stent to correct a blocked artery, and that Lasorda was in stable condition.
Said Lasorda in the statement: "The doctors confirmed I do bleed Dodger Blue. I'm looking forward to being back at the stadium to cheer on the Dodgers."
Lasorda's 21-year managerial career ended after a 1996 heart attack, though he did serve as interim general manager of the Dodgers during the 1998 season. He guided the Dodgers to World Series championships in 1981 and 1988, and his current official title is special adviser to the chairman.
But Lasorda's role is much deeper in the game, promoting baseball and the Dodgers seemingly at will. Be it accompanying the team on a trip to China or his recent role as commencement speaker for tiny Marymount College's graduation, Lasorda continues to keep an active pace at his age.
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