Tommy Lasorda suffers mild heart attack; resting in a New York hospital
Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, 84, suffered a mild heart attack Monday and is resting in a New York hospital.
After having a stent inserted in a near-blocked artery, Lasorda is expected to be released from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in the coming days.
Tests performed on Lasorda's heart showed his arteries are clean and the prognosis is for a full recovery, according to sources close to the club.
Lasorda awoke to a busy Monday feeling under the weather. He helped ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ exchange and later bused from his hotel to the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J. for the amateur draft, where he would represent the Dodgers. Friends noted Lasorda lacked his usual energy and, indeed, had broken into a sweat during the bus ride.
At others' urging, Lasorda rested in a conference room at the television studio. Paramedics were summoned after a short period. When Lasorda showed high blood pressure, his cardiologist – Dr. Tony Reid – was notified. (Lasorda suffered a heart attack in 1996, when he was forced to step down in his 21st season as Dodgers manager. A pacemaker was implanted last summer.)
Commissioner Bud Selig and former Dodgers manager Joe Torre convinced Lasorda that he would be better off at a hospital, then helped Lasorda to an ambulance. After more tests at a New Jersey hospital, Lasorda was transferred to New York-Presbyterian, and Reid was flown by the Dodgers to New York.
A special advisor to the chairman during the Frank McCourt years, Lasorda is carrying on similar duties for Guggenheim, the new owner.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly told reporters in Philadelphia he'd spoken by phone with Lasorda earlier Tuesday.
"He's in good spirits," Mattingly said. "He's just tired. It's one of those things I'm glad they caught early."
An iconic figure in Los Angeles, Lasorda won 1,599 games and two World Series championships in 21 seasons as Dodgers manager. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
"The doctors confirmed I do bleed Dodger Blue," Lasorda said in a statement released by the club. "I'm looking forward to being back at the stadium to cheer on the Dodgers."
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