For those who think that Tommy Lasorda should pack up his follow-the-flag, I-love-the-good-ole-USA act and ship off to a nice assisted living community, here's more evidence to have him sent away.
Lasorda gave fans of the World Baseball Classic U.S. team a pep talk from the observation deck of the Empire State Building (don't ask), where he uttered the following quote:
"We cannot allow those clubs to beat us. It's our game," the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager said Thursday. "Remember one thing: In your hearts, you better pull for the USA or you may not get into heaven."
"It's our game. Baseball is America's game. It doesn't belong to the Italians or the Cubans or the Koreans or the Japanese," he said. "It's our game, and we're not going to let them beat us."
I'm not sure what I can do from where I am, but if affixing this tiny American flag to my car antennae will help, then OK. The U.S. opened the tournament on Thursday with a 4-0 win over China in Tokyo. Obviously the godless Chinese will not get into heaven. I wonder if Dave Kingman will?
Tommy Lasorda Waves The Flag For Team USA [The Sporting News]