Podcast appearances and mentions of tom lasorda

Alyson Habetz: Coming Home to Lead Louisiana Softball with Faith, Purpose and Heart Alyson Habetz, head coach of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball, joins Discover Lafayette to share the remarkable journey that brought her from the baseball fields of Crowley to collegiate and professional competition, a 25-year coaching career at the University of Alabama, and ultimately back home to lead the program where her softball story began. We were honored to have legendary coach Yvette Girouard join us for this conversation. Girouard founded the Ragin' Cajuns softball program and coached Alyson during her years as a student-athlete at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Their affection for one another, their competitive spirit, and their deep love for Louisiana softball shone throughout the interview. A Childhood Built Around Baseball Alyson grew up in Crowley as the youngest of eight children. With four older brothers who played baseball and a father who coached the sport, the ballpark felt like home from her earliest years. “It was the sport in the house. I just fell in love with it at a very early age.” She began playing T-ball at age seven as the only girl on an otherwise all-boys team. Because she had grown up playing alongside the same boys, Alyson recalls that her teammates accepted her based on the things that mattered to them: “Can she hit? Can she throw? All right, let's go.” At age ten, Alyson met Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda at Blackham Coliseum. She asked him to autograph her glove, and despite members of the media pressing him to move along, Lasorda stayed, signed the glove, spoke with her, and gave her his business card. Alyson wrote to him, and he answered every letter. The two became lifelong friends, with Lasorda signing his letters, “Love, your adopted uncle Tom Lasorda.” He also saw something in Alyson that she did not yet see in herself. “He told me a long time ago I was going to be a coach,” she recalls. “I'm like, no, I'm going to law school. I'll be an attorney.” Fighting for the Right to Play When Alyson entered Notre Dame High School in Crowley, the school did not have a softball team. She expected to continue playing baseball with the boys she had competed alongside for years, but she was told Louisiana rules did not permit girls to play on boys' teams. Her coach and principal sought an exception, but the request was denied. On the ride home from Baton Rouge, Alyson's father told her the family would support her if she wanted to challenge the rule in court. She agreed, beginning a legal battle that lasted roughly two years. The original ruling went against her, but her attorneys appealed. Alyson was sitting in class near the end of her sophomore year when her coach received the news: “Aly, by the way, they changed the rule. You can play.” Alyson went on to play baseball during her junior and senior years, becoming the first female in Louisiana to play high school baseball and earning all-district honors as a pitcher and first baseman. She was also an all-state basketball player and the salutatorian of Notre Dame's 1990 graduating class. Discovering Softball at USL Alyson came to USL on a basketball scholarship and eventually became a member of the 1,000-point club. One day, while walking across campus, she noticed what looked to her like “this miniature baseball field” and learned that walk-on tryouts were being held for fast-pitch softball. With her basketball coach's permission, she showed up and met head coach Yvette Girouard and assistant coach Patrick Murphy. Alyson told them she played first base, then positioned herself behind the bag as she would have in baseball. Girouard quickly corrected her: “This isn't baseball, girl. You’ve got to play way up here for the slappers.” The larger ball, underhand delivery, different release point, and defensive positioning required an adjustment. Still, Girouard immediately recognized Alyson's ability. “She was a natural,” Girouard says. “We knew she was making the team.” Alyson competed in both basketball and softball, at times traveling extraordinary distances to meet the obligations of both teams. She also excelled academically, earning Academic All-America recognition while majoring in communications. Her softball career included third-team All-America honors and a place on the 1993 team that made the program's first appearance in the Women's College World Series. Alyson vividly remembers walking onto the field in Oklahoma City and seeing a sea of Ragin' Cajuns fans. “There are no fans like the Ragin' Cajun fans.” As other teams were eliminated, many of their supporters became Cajun fans, drawn to the warmth of the Louisiana contingent, the food shared in the parking lot, and the Mardi Gras beads handed out by supporters. Girouard remembers that first World Series appearance just as clearly: “Till the day I die, even if I have Alzheimer's, I think I will remember that.” For Alyson, reaching the World Series also meant helping Girouard realize the dream she had built from the ground up. “You just wanted it for her because she was a Louisiana girl. She's a Cajun and she built the program.” Professional Baseball and 25 Years at Alabama After college, Alyson returned to baseball. She pitched for the Colorado Silver Bullets, an all-women's professional baseball team managed by Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. Alyson spent three years with the Silver Bullets, barnstorming across the country and playing in major league parks, before joining the Long Beach Aces as a pitcher and first baseman, for which Tommy Lasorda helped open the door for her tryout. When Patrick Murphy became head coach at the University of Alabama, he called Alyson and asked her to help build the young softball program. She planned to stay only a couple of years before returning home for law school. Instead, she remained for 25 years. “I never thought coaching would fill me so much. They're away from home for the first time, you're just a part of their journey. And I love the game. Having an impact on college athletes, it was special.” Alabama had no softball stadium when Alyson arrived. The team played at a city park, set up portable outfield fences, and even sprayed ant piles before games. Alyson and Murphy helped build the program into a national power. Their Alabama teams won six SEC regular-season titles, five SEC Tournament championships, advanced to 14 Women's College World Series, and captured the 2012 national championship, the first in SEC history. The Call to Come Home Alyson stepped away from coaching after the 2023 season following her father's death. Her parents had been married for 65 years, and she felt called to return home and care for her mother. Although leaving Alabama was difficult, she found purpose in spending that time with her mom. When the Louisiana head coaching position opened in 2024 with the departure of Coach Gerry Glasco, her phone starting ringing. Alyson's answer was repeatedl ‘no.’ She had retired for a reason, and she had never aspired to become a head coach. While driving across the Atchafalaya Basin one day, however, she began to wonder whether the job might actually be good for her mother, giving her games to attend and something joyful to anticipate. Still anxious about the decision, Alyson drove directly to the Adoration Chapel at St. Michael's in Crowley to pray. She ultimately felt that God was making the answer unmistakable. “I realized that faith is whenever you go out into the deep, into the scary stuff that you don't really think you can do, that you really trust Him.” Once she accepted, the anxiety gave way to peace. Louisiana officially named Alyson the fifth head coach in program history on June 25, 2024. Her return also created a beautiful gift for her family. The University opened a viewing panel in a suite at Lamson Park so Alyson's mother could sit in her recliner and watch her daughter coach. Building a Team with Equal Value and Equal Love Alyson is fiercely competitive and deeply aware of the standard established by Coach Girouard and sustained by generations of Cajun players and fans. Yet she does not want winning to come at the expense of the people entrusted to her. “I didn't want being a head coach to change me.” Her players are her “why.” She wants each young woman to leave the program as a better version of herself, whether she becomes an All-American or serves the team in other ways. With only nine athletes on the field, every team has more players waiting than playing. Alyson calls the willingness of those role players to put the team first a “death to self.” Their energy, observation, encouragement, and ability to help from the dugout can determine whether a team wins. “I will love and value and appreciate you, whether you're the pinch runner or you're the four-time All-American. It's equal value, equal love.” She begins with each player's fingerprint, a reminder that no one else who has ever lived has precisely the same one. If God is that intentional about a fingerprint, Alyson tells them, He is equally intentional about their gifts, talents, and opportunities. “If you're not here, guess what? The world misses out on a purpose and a greatness that only you can have.” That belief also helps young women resist the destructive comparison encouraged by social media. “Compare leads to despair,” Alyson says. When players become secure in their own gifts, they can experience genuine joy in a teammate's success. “That's when the magic happens.” Character is also central to recruiting. “If I make a mistake on a kid, I always want it to be on talent and not character,” Alyson says. She looks for versatile athletes, strong pitching, speed that can create chaos for a defense, and powerful hitters, but never apart from the character required to strengthen the entire team. Facing Breast Cancer with Faith In one of the interview's most personal moments, Alyson speaks candidly about her breast cancer diagnosis. She noticed something did not feel right during the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in May and promptly arranged a mammogram. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed cancer. Even as she met with physicians and began treatment, Alyson remained focused on caring for her mother, protecting her players, and managing the critical transfer portal recruiting period. She initially told only a small circle of family members and colleagues because she did not want her mother, whom she describes as a worrier, to carry that fear. Alyson shares that her prognosis is good and that she has benefited from major advances in treatment. At the time of this interview, she had completed four of six planned chemotherapy treatments, with surgery and possible radiation to follow. She expressed profound gratitude for the patients and researchers whose journeys helped make today's treatments possible, as well as for the support of her physicians, family, friends, staff, and her dedicated “cold cap pit crew.” “There was no part of me that feels like I'm not getting through this and that anything's going to change.” Her faith remains the foundation beneath that confidence. Alyson finds peace in prayer, adoration, and daily Mass whenever possible. As she tells her players, “You don't want me without Jesus, I promise you.” A Cajun Story of Courage, Calling and Home Alyson's life has rarely followed the script she once imagined. She planned to play for the Dodgers and later attend law school. Instead, she helped change the rules for girls in Louisiana sports, became a two-sport college athlete, played professional baseball, helped build an SEC softball dynasty, and returned to Acadiana to lead a program that helped shape her. “None of my life has been my plan. But again, I could not have written the script any more beautifully and any more fulfilling.” We thank Coach Alyson Habetz for sharing her inspiring story with such openness, faith, and humor, and Coach Yvette Girouard for adding her priceless memories and perspective to this conversation. We wish Alyson continued healing and every success as she leads Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball into its next chapter. Learn more about Louisiana Softball, its coaches, schedule, tickets, and program news at RaginCajuns.com. Discover Lafayette is recorded at Rader Solutions Studios. Special thanks to our producer, Jason Sikora.

====================================================SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1==================================================== DEVOCIÓN MATUTINA PARA MENORES 2026“HEROES Y VILLANOS”Narrado por: Tatania DanielaDesde: Juliaca, PerúUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist Church28 DE ENEROEL HÉROE QUE CONFÍA«Un día, Gáal, el hijo de Ébed, pasó con sus hermanos por Siguem. y se ganó la confianza de los de aquella ciudad» (Jueces 9: 26).En 1981, la Serie Mundial de Béisbol se jugó entre los Yankees de Nueva York y los Dodgers de Los Ángeles. Fernando Valenzuela, con apenas 20 años, era ese fenómeno mexicano que había causado tanta sensación como pícher de los Dodgers, y que ese año ganaría los premios Novato del Año y el Cy Young.Los primeros dos juegos de la Serie los ganaron los Yankees. Para el tercer juego, los Yankees tenían en el montículo a Dave Righetti, otro extraordinario novato. Los Dodgers colocaron a Valenzuela. Aunque Valenzuela se veía seguro, tuvo algunas dificultades de control. Desde la primera entrada dio dos bases por bolas. Pero con un double play esca-pó de los problemas y siguió con el juego. Cuando al fin de esa entrada les tocó a los Dodgers batear, un jonrón de tres carreras les dio una cómoda ventaja.Durante la segunda entrada, los Yankees acortaron la distancia 3-2, y en la tercera entrada dieron la vuelta 4-3. Fue allí cuando el mánager Tom Lasorda subió al montículo a hablar con Valenzuela. Lasorda ya tenía al pícher relevista calentado, pero Valenzuela dejó en claro que quería seguir adelante. Inexplicablemente, Lasorda dejó seguir a Valenzuela.«Todo el mundo pensó que lo iba a sacar», dijo Lasorda en una entrevista después.Mucha gente quería que lo eliminara, pero yo lo conocía. Le encantaba salir de apuros. Solía lanzar como si no supiera que teníamos un bullpen. No le gustaba salir de los juegos. Muchos muchachos, cuando se meten en problemas, miran desde el montículo buscando ayuda. Pero no Valenzuela.Lasorda finalmente regresó al dugout, no sin antes darle a Valenzuela unas últimas palabras de aliento. «Si no permites otra carrera, vamos a ganar este juego».Y así fue. Los Dodgers recuperaron la ventaja en la mitad de la quinta entrada. Valenzuela se metió de nuevo en líos en la parte alta de la octava, pero una gran jugada de tercera base generó un double play que salvó la entrada. En la novena, Valenzuela retiró en orden a los tres bateadores y se adjudicó el juego. En lo sucesivo, los Dodgers ganarían la Serie Mundial. Y todo porque el manager confió en su pícher. Cuando alguien ponga su confianza en nosotros, demos lo mejor. Es tan heroico lo uno como lo otro. 

Un día como hoy nació el manejador más exitoso en la historia de Dodgers. No es Tom LaSorda, mucho menos Dave Roberts.

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latino-studies

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sports

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

Fernando Valenzuela was only twenty years old when Tom Lasorda chose him as the Dodgers' opening-day starting pitcher in 1981. Born in the remote Mexican town of Etchohuaquila, the left-hander had moved to the United States less than two years before. He became an instant icon, and his superlative rookie season produced Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards--and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Forty years later, there hasn't been a player since who created as many Dodgers fans. After the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in the late 1950s, relations were badly strained between the organization and the Latin world. Mexican Americans had been evicted from their homes in Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles--some forcibly--for well below market value so the city could sell the land to team owner Walter O'Malley for a new stadium. For a generation of working-class Mexican Americans, the Dodgers became a source of great anguish over the next two decades. However, that bitterness toward the Dodgers vanished during the 1981 season when Valenzuela attracted the fan base the Dodgers had tried in vain to reach for years. El Toro, as he was called, captured the imagination of the baseball world. A hero in Mexico, a legend in Los Angeles, and a phenomenon throughout the United States, Valenzuela did more to change that tense political environment than anyone in the history of baseball. A new fan base flooded Dodger Stadium and ballparks around the United States whenever Valenzuela pitched in a phenomenon that quickly became known as Fernandomania, which continued throughout a Dodger career that included six straight All-Star game appearances. Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers (University of Nebraska Press, 2023) retells Valenzuela's arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history while bringing redemption to the organization's controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight to the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country's cultural and sporting landscape. Erik Sherman is a baseball historian and the New York Times best-selling author of Kings of Queens: Life beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets and Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words.  Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having spent just over one year back at GM's Asia Pacific Division located at the headquarters, I received an offer to move to Germany. Tom LaSorda, my boss in Canada (CAMI) was given the responsibility to launch a new Opel assembly plant in Eisenach, and took steps to reassemble his CAMI team for the project. Again, this offer to join his team there was the best thing. Having joined GM to work with Kei on projects specifically related to Japan, I now had this opportunity to branch off, and again repeat the CAMI experience. I was now in the world of lean production again, and loved the challenge. The big difference was we were now on our own without the support of Suzuki. This opportunity also gave me an unbelievable opportunity to experience a historical social transformation affecting Germany and the entire communist bloc. I was right there as the town of Eisenach transformed itself from an old East Germany town to a thriving border town. I felt the sentiments of people and witnessed the title wave that swept the whole town. This episode is an intro to Germany, more specifically to Eisenach, and about the early days of me getting set up.

After almost three years, my assignment at CAMI in Canada came to an end. And it was time for me to move on. Among the few choices presented, I opted to go back to Detroit to be part of GM's Asia Pacific Division. My job description was Business Planning Manager, and the new boss, Tom McDaniel, tasked me to keep him abreast of the monthly performance of each business unit in the region. In addition, he also gave me a special assignment: go talk to Isuzu; gauge their sentiment on how GM and Isuzu could work more effectively; seek their feedback on GM's deisre to be more directly involved in the management of the company. I stayed with Tom only briefly, covering just a little over one year, but this Isuzu assignment, which focused on a business relationship, turned out to be the highlight of my return to Detroit, and an experience which helped me in future alliance-related job assignments. Then one day, I get a call from Tom LaSorda which results in an unexpected career projectory.

This is the second and final part of my days at the Suzuki-GM JV CAMI. Having come to work for General Motors, being at CAMI really felt like working for a car company. This experience really helped my involvement in various other disciplines in the days ahead. CAMI was a great place in terms of the task at hand (plant launch), working as an expat in a foreign country(Canada), learning experience(Japanese production system), long lasting networking (Tom LaSorda and Suzuki) and of course, all the friends and colleagues I have encountered while there. I finally got my first stripe as a car company employee, to say the least. After CAMI, nothing scared me about working in any discipline within GM.

O ano de 2021 começou de luto, o La Dodgers perdeu a lenda Tom Lasorda. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Satchmo does Shakespeare.  21st century Power.  Sneaky Pete.  Fresco Update.  Covid Car Theft.  Pretend It's a City (Fran Liebowitz and Martin Scorcese).  Walter Tevis Movies (you know them, but you may not know him).  Tom Lasorda.  Michael Apted.  Gerry Marsden. Credits: Talent:  Tamsen Granger and Dan Abuhoff Engineer:  Ellie Suttmeier Art:  Zeke Abuhoff

Hablemos un poco de baseball y de una de las figuras más importantes de este deporte el cual fue el ex dirigente de los esquibadores de Los ángeles, el señor Tom Lasorda --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kenrick-rampersad/message

Phil Regan joins 365SPORTSCAST.com's SPORTSTALKNY to talk about the passing of Tom Lasorda, Phil's long career and Steven Matz. Tune in each week on the 365SPORTSCAST.com network as well as facebook live at 6 pm Sundays for the live broadcast.Please take a moment to like our fan page WLIE 540 AM SPORTSTALKNY and follow us on twitter @sportstalkny and please check out Mark Rosenman and AJ Carters author page on amazon to purchase any of their books.

-Se espera lluvia y viento fuerte en Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco y Campeche-Puebla extiende suspensión de actividades hasta 25 de enero-Fallece el legendario manager de Los Dodgers, Tom Lasorda

The second half of my two-part series celebrating the greatest draft class in MLB history and the recent passing of their teammate Bill Buckner. This week Touching Greatness speaks with the top pick of that 1968 Dodgers class Bobby Valentine and his close friend and minor league manager Tom Lasorda and walk up guest (former … Continued

It's Renzo at the reigns this week as the Autoextremist takes over the Autoline airwaves. McElroy is out of town driving some of the latest and greatest cars, meanwhile Peter De Lorenzo is here in Motown with some of your Autoline After Hours favorites: Jim Hall, the man who knew too much from 2953 Analytics, and Scott Burgess, formerly of The Detroit News, and now of AOL Autos. They'll be discussing all of the biggest automotive news to bubble to the surface this week. GM and PSA ink a deal to partner up in Europe. Chrysler's former chief, Tom LaSorda takes over at Fisker. Ferrari takes the wraps off its fastest car ever, the F12 Berlinetta; can you say "wow"? All that and much, much more in this week's rip-roaring edition of AAH!

HypernovaExperts in Astronomy have studied collapsing stars for years. The phenomenon of Hypernovas is very rare but extremely destructive since they morph themselves into light-swallowing black holes. Meanwhile, experts in the automotive industry have been watching their own collapsing star, or more appropriately, collapsing Pentastar in Chrysler. Some analysts believe that the venture capitalists at Cerberus bit off more than they could chew when it bought the troubled automaker last August. Now faced with a depressed truck market and a four-cylinder lineup that just isn't selling the way it should be in our $4 a gallon gas world, some fear that Chrysler will collapse like a Hypernova with its brands and pieces swallowed by other industry giants. That is not a fear of Tom Lasorda. Chrysler's co-President insists that Cerberus is committed to the company and believes it can be profitable thanks to a future portfolio of energy efficient vehicles built by not just by Chrysler but an international alliance of partners as well. Of course that's easier said than done. To get to that point the company must slog through the next couple years of retrenchment like every other manufacturer. Hear how he believes Chrysler will circumvent this crisis as he joins John McElroy for an exclusive one-on-one interview from the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan.And remember, if you don't want to wait until the weekend you can now watch this new episode of Autoline immediately by visiting us at http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/ . There you can also view our Internet-only Autoline EXTRA segment as well as any of our archived shows.So if you're looking for the automotive stars to stay aligned, just follow the light from this week's all new episode of Autoline.

Hypernova Experts in Astronomy have studied collapsing stars for years. The phenomenon of Hypernovas is very rare but extremely destructive since they morph themselves into light-swallowing black holes. Meanwhile, experts in the automotive industry have been watching their own collapsing star, or more appropriately, collapsing Pentastar in Chrysler. Some analysts believe that the venture capitalists at Cerberus bit off more than they could chew when it bought the troubled automaker last August. Now faced with a depressed truck market and a four-cylinder lineup that just isn't selling the way it should be in our $4 a gallon gas world, some fear that Chrysler will collapse like a Hypernova with its brands and pieces swallowed by other industry giants. That is not a fear of Tom Lasorda. Chrysler's co-President insists that Cerberus is committed to the company and believes it can be profitable thanks to a future portfolio of energy efficient vehicles built by not just by Chrysler but an international alliance of partners as well. Of course that's easier said than done. To get to that point the company must slog through the next couple years of retrenchment like every other manufacturer. Hear how he believes Chrysler will circumvent this crisis as he joins John McElroy for an exclusive one-on-one interview from the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan. And remember, if you don't want to wait until the weekend you can now watch this new episode of Autoline immediately by visiting us at http://www.autoline.tv/ . There you can also view our Internet-only Autoline EXTRA segment as well as any of our archived shows. So if you're looking for the automotive stars to stay aligned, just follow the light from this week's all new episode of Autoline.