Lasorda’s scouting trip brings him to Las Vegas

Nick Christensen

Thursday, May 6, 2004 | 10:21 a.m.

There was a definite buzz at Cashman Field Wednesday night, as the food was a little fresher, the security was a little more noticeable, and gawkers were a little more eager and anxious.

It wasn't for the Las Vegas 51s, who again used a ninth-inning rally to defeat the Tucson Sidewinders 4-3 before a crowd of 1,963.

"The Pope's here," said 51s general manager Don Logan, heading down to the front row of the restaurant to greet the team's special guest.

It wasn't quite the Pope, but it certainly was the most famous man in the lore of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Former manager Tommy Lasorda, now the Dodgers' senior vice president, was in Las Vegas for the first time in over a year on a scouting trip for the parent club. Lasorda was also slated to be here for today's finale of the 51s' four-game homestand with Tucson. Today's game started at 10:30 a.m. as part of a promotion involving area fifth graders.

Lasorda, who shortly after the Las Vegas franchise signed its player-development agreement with the Dodgers in 2001 was a semi-regular sight at Cashman Field, said he didn't make it to Las Vegas last season because of time spent scouting high schoolers.

"This year, I'm back to watch the minor leagues," he said. "I was in Jacksonville last week; now I'm here seeing this team play. I spend a lot of time in the minor leagues."

51s manager Terry Kennedy said it's rare to see one person is better associated with one team than Lasorda.

"He's very recognizable; you can definitely see him, you can hear him," he said. "It's always good to pick his brain, the problem is he's got so many stories, so many things to tell, that there's just not enough time for all of them."

Before the game, Lasorda, 77, went through the clubhouse, talking to players and coaches individually. 51s outfielder Nick Theodorou, who grew up as a Dodgers fan, said the thing that strikes him about Lasorda is that to him, everyone is a part of the Dodger family, whether he's a career player or a first-year minor leaguer.

"He's kind of like a baseball elder. For one, he's an unbelievable motivator. Whether you like him or not, and there's a lot of people in baseball that don't like him, his ability to motivate, and ability to bring energy to the clubhouse, it can't compare to anybody," Theodorou said. "Being a Dodger fan, being at the game when Kirk Gibson hit that home run (in the 1988 World Series) with my dad, I always looked up to him, as a manager and as a person. It's just fantastic to have met him."

Lasorda's been accompanied by Dodger scouting director Matt Slater. The 20-year Dodger manager, Hall of Famer and former Slim-Fast pitchman is one of the most popular sports figures in Los Angeles history, and is without a doubt the team's biggest ambassador.

Even while he was eating dinner with Slater and former UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour at the club level restaurant, fans asked Lasorda for his autograph or to have their picture taken with the legend.