Jack Kemp

See the Tommy Lasorda story here and the followup here and here.

Tommy Lasorda lit into a decent young vet who ran a charity for homeless veterans. from May of 20:

"This one year old veterans' charity also gets homeless vets a temporary room where they can clean up and helps them find work.

I was hearing the Sergeant tell me all this and I showed him some of my own outreach, the half page of veterans helping veterans phone numbers I hand out on the street to homeless vets I see. http://tbirdnow.mee.nu/meeting_two_homeless_veterans_vs._mostly_just_writing_about_ptsd As we spoke about this and other related matters, a few people came up to us to talk. One person, a very old short man who I first didn't recognize, lit into Sgt. D'Alessandro, peppering him with questions about why he doesn't have a full time job. The Sergeant politely replied that he worked part time in his dad's business and did some carpentry. Standing near the old man (who I still did not recognize) - and the Sergeant's mother - I found this negative pep talk to be unfair and just too much. Using my familiarity with political stories, I challenged him by saying, "Ninety-three million Americans are out of work" and "This isn't 1956 (when America had a strong industrial based economy. Come to think of it, it isn't 2007 either). It isn't that easy to get a job." The "1956" remark was also a thinly-veiled reference to the old man's age.

The old man walked about twenty feet away and I continued to talk to Sgt. D'Alessandro about how mean he was and the Sergeant said that he didn't want to fight with "the baseball coach." In that instant, I realized the old man was, in fact 87 year-old Tommy Lasorda, whose voice I recognized but whose face was more thin and haggard than in his Dodger manager days. The Dodgers website in 2008, pointed out that Lasorda was present at a Veterans Day event in Los Alamitos, California, where he said:

http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/3675571/

"I've spoken to the Air Force Academy nine times, the Naval Academy twice, to West Point twice and to the National War College," said Lasorda, proudly. "But I always feel that much better when I can talk to veterans."

End excerpt

You know what I should have thought up to tell Lasorda in that park last May?

Hey, Lasorda, if you don't like that this young Marine is out of work, why don't you use one of your many connections in both the private sector and the government in New York City to get him a job - and get some jobs for homeless vets connected to his charity?

Even if he would have initially turned us down, at that point, I would have effectively shamed Lasorda in front of his buddies to where he would feel compelled to do something for the Marine later on. Darn, I wish I had thought of that on that day in the park in NY. I did email the young Marine, who is now working somewhere, that if someone else wealthy or in the media pulls that guilt trip line on him, he should ask them to use their influence to get him a job!



P.S. As is, Lasorda looked like some freaky elf to me with a distended stomach and sunken face who couldn't do anything. He looked like this trader Watto from the Star Wars first prequel movie:


http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=watto&view=detailv2&&id=01A32DAC1D61B0602A8A76C3AE8C6F2F9F342B65&selectedIndex=14&ccid=lkliE2y3&simid=607999333680287145&thid=OIP.M964962136cb78f3b6327a934667d1184o0&ajaxhist=0

I also found this 2011 story about Lasorda cursing kids at a minor league ball game in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, at a team called the QUAKES. There are roughly twenty little comment posts where people talk about Lasorda's foul mouth and some people blaming the staff of the QUAKES team for not managing Lasorda well. Like Lasorda couldn't have shown some class and decency and it's all the QUAKES team staff's fault. Rubbish.

Here's the intro. But I don't think you would want to read these posts of stupid people acting stupidly.

http://www.vinscullyismyhomeboy.com/2011/08/tommy-lasorda-verbally-attacks-fans.html
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tommy Lasorda Verbally Attacks Fans @ Rancho Cucamonga

Nothing new here. Just Tommy Lasorda being Tommy Lasorda. And why are you surprised? Lasorda has been acting like this for years unless the media is there. Then he will be the great Lasorda telling jokes and laughing.

I really wish I could publish all of your e-mails but you guys are terrible. I received a dozen e-mails since last night. The problem is that it's full of bad words. I can't be posting those words here.

END OF QUOTE

By the way, the story from Lasorda's own book "I Live for This" (pages 49-50) about Pedro Guerrero being told he was fired by this idiot manager resulted in Guerrero telephoning Dodger General Manager Al Campanis and then cursing Campanis out. Lasorda let the joke go too long to new immigrant from the Dominican Republic that doesn't get this type of American guys' humor. Yeah, it sounds like a lot of fun. Why he even mentioned this story in his own book shows how out of touch he is because of is powerful position, thinks he can get away with any crap with anyone who doesn't have $10 million like Lasorda.

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