Congratulations to coach Bob Zamora of Capistrano Valley High School and coach Manny Alvarado of Kennedy High School for winning the Tommy Lasorda Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last night, the Dodgers partnered with Farmers Insurance and the C.I.F. to host a reception for local high school baseball coaches. I'd like to thank Farmers for all their support as this event is one of my yearly favorites.

High school baesball coaches are the unsung heroes.  Not only are they responsible for teaching the game of baseball, they are are also responsible for helping to prepare their young players for college, and for the game of life.

Coach Zamora and coach Alvarado have done just that.  Zamora enters his 33rd season as head coach of Capistrano Valley with an overall record of 582-274-5, guiding the Cougars to 15 South Coast League titles and six C.I.F. championships. In 2009, he guided Capistrano Valley to a No. 1 ranking in California by MaxPreps Sports and a C.I.F. title. Under his leadership, 30 Capistrano Valley alumni have been drafted and signed by professional teams, while over 100 have played in the collegiate ranks.

Alvarado enters his 22nd year as head coach at John F. Kennedy High School, having won more than 400 games, more than a dozen league titles and five city championships. His teams have been recognized at both the state and national levels, finishing the 1996 season ranked No. 1 in California. Alvarado has coached numerous players who have gone on to play in the Major Leagues including Jon Garland, Garret Anderson and Terrmel Sledge.

Congratulations guys, and keep up the good work.

I had lunch the other day with the guys from Fire Station 11 in Downtown Los Angeles.

I know fire fighters have red trucks and wear yellow suits when they are out on calls, but these guys bleed Dodger Blue.

It was an honor to be invited to lunch, and while many of them look up to ball players, it is they who are the real heroes in our society.  They put their lives on line for our safety, and none of us can do enough to show our appreciation for their service and sacrifice.

Here are some pictures from our lunch together:

Congratulations to Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey for being voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee on Manager and Umpires.  Both Whitey and Doug are very deserving of this honor as both men had distinguished careers and represented themselves to the highest degree of class, dignity and character.  Both men loved the game very much and spent their lives giving back to the game that gave so much to them.

Congratulations Whitey and Doug.  I'll see you in Cooperstown.

Here are some pictures of Mike and Jim from their Dodger days:

My Godson, Paul Mainieri, is the head coach at LSU.  He is an outstanding baseball coach, and fter reading the article below I konw he is setting up his program from many years of success.

LSU Reloads Again

Tigers' recruiting class stands out

By Aaron Fitt of Baseball America
November 19, 2009

Dan Canevari knows a little something about recruiting in the wake of a national championship. As an assistant under Skip Bertman, Canevari hit the recruiting trail shortly after Louisiana State won titles in 1997 and 2000. So he knew exactly what was in store for LSU recruiting coordinator David Grewe after the Tigers won their sixth national championship in June.

"He came into my office and said, 'Hey, it's a lot harder this year, isn't it?' " Grewe said. "I said, 'Yeah, it's way harder.' "

Conventional thinking suggests recruits should be knocking down the door after teams win the College World Series. Grewe said the reality is much different.

"A lot of coaches used it against us: 'If you go to LSU you're not going to play. Have you seen their team? They're stacked,' " he said. "So I had to work harder to make kids understand where our program is at. This is the next phase of our program. This class will keep LSU at the elite level. After we won the national championship, I said, 'We have got to meet every single need. We've got to recruit the best players in the country so they know we can win the national championship here and they know we're turning to a new era here.' "

That message has been delivered loud and clear. Louisiana State was perhaps the biggest winner from the early signing period, which began Nov. 11 and ended yesterday. The Tigers officially signed five members of Baseball America's Top 100 prospects from the high school class of 2010, and they'll have a sixth when the football team announces the commitment of two-sport star Zach Lee (No. 50).

Add in athletic outfielder Marcus Davis, who just missed the Top 100 cut; promising righthanders Josh Burris, Kurt McCune, and Ryan Eades; and physical two-way talent Kevin Koziol, and LSU's class has the kind of quality depth that could rival its watershed 2007 crop. That class--head coach Paul Mainieri's first in Baton Rouge--ranked second in the nation and served as the foundation for two Omaha teams.

"With the rules they have today, you can't have cornerstone classes that take your program to the next level every year," Grewe said. "The last two years have been good classes with several impact players, but this is the next group of LSU players. I personally think it's as good as anybody in the country could have gotten."

Of course, there is always risk when signing elite talents, a lesson that was reinforced this summer when top recruits Slade Heathcott, Zack Von Rosenberg and Brody Colvin signed pro contracts for a combined $4.1 million, decimating LSU's recruiting class.

But Grewe said he feels good about LSU's chances to sneak most of the players in this class through the draft and onto campus. It helps that the two highest-ranked players in the group--flamethrower Kevin Gausman (No. 7) and multi-talented infielder Garin Cecchini (15)--would both be draft-eligible as sophomores at LSU. It's worth noting that the highest-drafted high player to attend college in 2009--Rangers first-rounder Matt Purke--will be draft-eligible as a sophomore at Texas Christian.

"If they get $2 million out of high school, I'll tell them to take it," Grewe said. "But I'll try to convince them, 'Hey, do you want to spend two years in minor league baseball or two years of minor league baseball at LSU?' "

But even if the Tigers lose Gausman and Cecchini, their class should not lack for star power. Cam Bedrosian (28), the son of former big leaguer Steve Bedrosian, can reach 94 and throws a power breaking ball, but his control is still a work in progress. Smooth-swinging shortstop Jacoby Jones (38) has a skill set that evokes former LSU star D.J. LeMahieu, but he could be hampered in the spring by arm and labrum injuries suffered in football. And Austin Southall (81), a Baton Rouge native, gives this class a physical, powerful corner bat.

One thing they all have in common is that they're all big-time LSU fans.

"We're going to fill our team with players who want to be here and won't worry about what position they play and where they bat in the lineup," Grewe said. "I think that's why last year's team won a national championship--those were 35 kids that were diehard LSU boys.

"I'll spend more time recruiting these kids now that they've signed with us than I will all the (high school underclassmen). We'll educate the young kids, but we won't mass recruit all the young kids. These kids are the ones I'll spend the majority of our time recruiting, because they're the future of LSU baseball."

Tonight Larry Bowa and I will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.  I would like to congratulate Larry on this great honor, and I would like to thank all the people who made this possible.

I grew up in Norristown, PA, which is just outstide of Philadelphia.  I'll never forget going to Shibe Park for the first time to watch an actual Major League game.  I found out that the nuns were going to take the local crossing gaurds to see a Phillies game so I became a crossing gaurd.

I stood out in the cold snow, sleet and hail to help kids cross the street.  Finally we go to the game and we saw the Phillies play the New York Giants.  The nuns took five of us.  I bought a program for 10c.  Can you imagine a program costing only ten cents? 

I also made up a book for autgraphs.  In the old Shibe Park there was a twenty foot stretch where the visiting team players would have to walk with the fans to get back to the clubhouse.  I asked one player for his autograph and he pushed me out of the way. 

I was heartbroken.  Major Leaguers were my heroes.

I looked up his number in the program and read his name: Buster Maynard.

Years later I was pitching in Sally League in South Carolina and the PA announcer said the next batter's name: Buster Maynard.

That's the rat who pushed me out of the way and wouldn't give me an autograph!

He stepped into the box and with the first pitch I dumped him.  He got up, brushed himself off and got back in the box.  I dumped him again.  He yelled at me to stop throwing at him, and with the third pitch he went down again, but this time when he got up he came charging out after me.

I cleaned his plow in the free-for-all.

After the game was over someone came to our clubhouse asking for Tom Lasorda.  I wanted to know who it was and the person identified himself as Buster Maynard.  I told him that I cleaned his plow on the field and that I'd do it again.  But he didn't want to fight.  He just wanted to know why I was throwing at him.

I told him the story, and he couldn't believe it.  When I became the manager of the Dodgers I would tell my players the same story about old Buster with the moral being that if a kid asks for your autograph you better sign it because he may grow up and come back to get you.

Happy Veteran's Day to the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.  Whether you are currently serving, or if you served our country in the past, thank you for your courage and sacrifice.  Your sense of duty is only bested by your patriotism, and while you may hear criticism in the media, just know that there are many more Americans who support your mission and believe in your cause than there are doubters, cynics and haters.

Many years ago we used to call it Armistice Day.  When I was growing up they used to ring the church bells in town at 11 am because that's when they signed the peace treaty to end WWI.

My father was an Italian immigrant who came to the United States with nothing.  He would sit me and my four brothers down and in broken English tell us that we are lucky to live in the greatest country in the world, the United States of America. 

He would tell us that we had to do everything we could to keep it the greatest country in the world.

He would tell us that if we had to fight for America that we must do it.

And he would tell us that we may have to give up our lives for America, but that we must do it.

I was drafted in to the United States Army during WWII.  It was the last draft, and I reported to Fort Meade in Maryland.  Then I reported to Fort McClellan in Alabama for basic training.  It was so hot there that I saw a dog chasing a cat and they were both walking.  And it was so humid that you could put saddles on the mosquitoes because they were so big.  From there I reported to Fort Jackson in South Carolina.

I served my two years and truly enjoyed representing my country.  My time in the service truly changed my life.  I have always said that I have only worn four uniforms in my life: the Boy Scouts, the Dodgers, Team USA and the uniform I wore while in the army.

I love the members of our military and have the utmost respect for them.  I have had the privilege of speaking at the Air Force Academy 10 times, the Naval Academy twice, West Point twice and once at the National War College.  I have spoken to over 40 military bases around the country.  Last April I went with Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Iraq and Afghanistan on a USO tour to motivate and inspire the troops.

So today we salute the veterans who have served our great nation.  I have nothing but love and respect for each and every one of you.

Congratulatiosn to Gary Nickels.  Gary is one of the best scouts in the game of baseball, and he will finally be recognized as such. 

Gary, who is the Dodger's Midwest Scouting Supervisor, will be inducted into the Midwest Scouts Association Hall of Fame on November 7 and the Mid Atlantic Scouts Association Hall of Fame on November 14. 

The 2009 season is Nickels' 38th as a scout, and seventh in his current position. Notable current Dodgers drafted under his supervision include Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Scott Elbert, Blake DeWitt, Cory Wade, and A.J. Ellis. His scouting territory includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The Midwest Scouts Association Hall of Fame induction will occur at the Midwest Scouts Association Banquet at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. He will be inducted along with Mike Radcliff of the Minnesota Twins and Bill Bryk of the San Diego Padres during the event's dinner at 7:00 p.m.

The Mid Atlantic Scouts Association (MASA) Hall of Fame induction will take place at its annual banquet at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland.  Nickels' name will also be added to the Hall of Fame plaque which hangs permanently at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.

Nickels worked for four clubs prior to joining the Dodgers in 2003. From 1999-2002, he served as the San Diego Padres' Pro Scouting Director following nine years in Baltimore as the Orioles' Scouting Director (1991-98) and Midwest Supervisor/Crosschecker (1989-90). He also was the Chicago Cubs' Midwest Region Supervisor from 1982-88 and got his start in baseball as an Administrative Assistant, Scouting (1972-75) and Area Scout (1976-81) for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Dodgers have sterted the NLDS off in the right way going up two games to none against the St. Louis Cardinals.  While being up by two games is a whole lot better than going into St. Louis 1-1, it doesn't mean that the dodger can play any less hard, or let up in any way.  In fact, they should play like this game matters as much as if they were down two games.  If we lose tomorrow then we face Carpenter and possibly Wainwright again.  To be a champion you have to beat the best, and that is what we are doing, but you have to be able to finish out a series, and that is what we must do tomorrow in St. Louis.

Dear Fans,

I know I'm only 82 years old but I have signed up for a Twitter account.  Now It will be like we are always together because I'll be keeping you up to date with where I am, what I'm doing, who I am talking to and what I'm eating...

So sign up now to be my follower:

www.twitter.com/TommyLasorda

I would like to take a moment to congratulate Sheriff Lee Baca and everyone under his command for doing a continuously great job for the people of Los Angeles County.

The motto of law enforcement here in Southern California is to protect and serve, and I would like to share a quick story with you about how two sheriff's did just that for me.

I was driving home after a game and it was pretty late at night.  I had to pull off the freeway to fill up on gas and I had to do so in a bad neighborhood.

When I got out of the car to pump the gas and to reach for my money two sheriffs approached me wondering what I was doing there.  They asked me if I was all alone, and I told them that I was.

Upon hearing it they told me to stay in the car and that they would pump the gas for me, just to be safe.

To those two sheriffs I say thank you very much.  You went out of your way to help me, and in doing so upheld the integrity and values of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. 

You see, sometimes doing the littlest things go the longest way and in this case I hope that by those two gentleman being considerate enough to pump my gas they realize how happy and grateful they made me feel.

I would like to welcome Jim Thome and Jon Garland to the Dodgers. 

Both acquisitions are great as they are great players who will add a lot to our ballclub as we come down the strech.  Jim is a heck of a guy and a future hall of famer who has more career home runs than Reggie Jackson.

I would also like to congratulate Ned Colletti on his hard work.  He is doing everything he can to improve the ballclub and I hope his labors produce tremendous results.

The 39-year-old Thome, a five-time All-Star, ranks 12th on baseball's all-time home run list with 564.  He has hit 20 or more homers 15 times in his 16 full Major League seasons, including 23 in 2009.  The left-handed hitter has also hit 30 or more homers 12 times, 40 or more six times, and 50 or more on one occasion in 2002, when he clubbed a career-high 52 with Cleveland.  The Illinois native hit at least 40 homers in four straight seasons from 2001-04, including a National League-leading 47 with Philadelphia in 2003.

Thome also ranks 39th on baseball's all-time RBI list with 1,562.  He has logged at least 100 RBI in nine seasons, including six years in a row from 1999-2004.  He was a three-time RBI champ in the American League during his time with Cleveland, driving in 120 runs in 1997, 127 in 1999, and 122 in 2002.

Among active players, Thome ranks third in home runs behind only Ken Griffey Jr. (625) and Alex Rodriguez (576).  Also among active players, he ranks fifth in RBI, seventh with a .558 slugging percentage, and tied for sixth with a .405 on-base percentage.  He leads active players with 1,619 walks and his 2,134 hits rank 13th.  He also ranks 21st in baseball history in slugging percentage and 10th in walks.

Thome is one of only nine players in baseball history to accumulate 500 home runs, 1,500 walks, and 2,000 hits, joining Barry Bonds, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Mike Schmidt, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.

Garland has won at least 10 games over the last seven seasons and currently has eight wins with Arizona this year. From 2002-2008, the right-hander averaged nearly 14 victories per season and won a career-high 18 in both 2005 and 2006. 

In the 2005 playoffs with the Chicago White Sox, Garland won Game 3 of the ALCS against the Angels, firing a complete game four-hitter. In Game 3 of the 2005 World Series vs. the Astros, Garland allowed just two earned runs over 7.0 innings in a game the White Sox would win in 15 innings.   

Garland was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft and was traded as a minor leaguer from the Cubs to the white Sox in 1998. Following eight seasons on the South Side, Garland was traded to the Angels before the 2008 season and went 14-8 in Anaheim last year. this season, Garland is 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA in 27 starts, but owns a 3.86 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break.

The durable right-hander has been on the disabled list just one time in his career, missing only 15 days in 2003 with Chicago. Garland has tossed 1,793.0 career innings, including 1,606.1 since 2002, which ranks ninth in the Major Leagues over that time. 

Since his debut in 2000, the Valencia, California native has gone 114-100 with a 4.45 ERA in 305 career games (285 starts). The 29-year old was a 2005 American League All-Star and his and his 68 wins since 2005 rank 11th in the Major Leagues over that time.     

Garland is a 1997 graduate of Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, where he was a two-time All-State Player of the Year and a high school All-America.