Harlem Globetrotters (SS) to Honor Tommy Lasorda

Written by: Jerry Milani on 9th February 2010

Harlem Globetrotters (SS) to Honor Tommy Lasorda | read this item

The Harlem Globetrotters will be honoring Tommy Lasorda before their game on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Which is interesting, because the Globetrotters are also playing at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday.

In the spirit of spring training, we’ll just say that the Globies’ split squad will be honoring Lasorda.

From their press release:

Two of the sports world’s most beloved ambassadors—legendary L.A. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters—will come together on Sunday, Feb. 14 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, when the Globetrotters honor the Baseball Hall of Famer with a special award for his lifetime ambassadorial contributions that embody the Globetrotters’ spirit of goodwill. The presentation will take place prior to the team’s 1 p.m. show at STAPLES.

In much the same way that the Globetrotters helped introduce the sport of basketball throughout the world in bringing their showmanship to 120 countries on six continents during their history, Lasorda has played a similar, instrumental role in growing the sport of baseball overseas.

Long acknowledged as “the ambassador of baseball,” Lasorda has traveled overseas to help introduce the sport around the world since 1965. In 2008, the government of Japan presented Lasorda with their prestigious Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette medal for promoting friendship between Japan and the United States through baseball.

Ironically, Lasorda was born in 1927, the same year the Harlem Globetrotters played their first-ever road game in Hinckley, Ill., on Jan. 7, 1927. Like the Globetrotters, Lasorda’s accomplishments, both on and off the field, are enormous. On the diamond, the Dodgers won two world championships, four National League pennants and eight division titles under Lasorda’s direction. At the age of 73, Lasorda piloted the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team to the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Lasorda recently visited U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to motivate and inspire the men and women of the Armed Forces. Similarly, the Globetrotters visited Iraq this past December as part of their 7th annual Holiday Military Overseas Tour. Lasorda still serves as the Dodgers’ Special Advisor to the Chairman, acting as an advisor and ambassador at more than 100 appearances to various charities and military personnel each year.

The Globetrotters have five games in the Southland area: Saturday, Feb. 13 for 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. games at the Honda Center in Anaheim; Sunday, Feb. 14 for 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. games at STAPLES Center; and Monday, Feb. 15, for a 1:00 p.m. game at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.

Sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Spalding, Howard Johnson and America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses, the Original Harlem Globetrotters are in their 84th consecutive season of touring the world. The Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining over 130 million fans, and are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information, visit the team’s official Web site: www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

Topics: Baseball Hall Of Famer, Division Titles, East Rutherford, Gold Rays, Harlem Globetrotters, Instrumental Role, IZOD Center, Japan And The United States, Manager Tommy, National League Pennants, Olympic Baseball Team, Olympic Games, Road Game, Six Continents, Split Squad, Sport Around The World, Staples Center, Summer Olympic Games, Sun Gold, Sydney Australia, tommy lasorda