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Thursday, February 05, 2009
Wallach Considers Himself a Dodger
By Randy Harrison
Journal Staff Writer
Tim Wallach may have been the guest of honor Wednesday at Isotopes Park, but Tommy Lasorda was the star.
Call it another fringe benefit of the Albuquerque Isotopes' new relationship as the Triple-A affiliate to the Los Angeles Dodgers: Introduce Wallach as the team's new manager, and Mr. Dodger himself comes along to do the introducing.
Lasorda, the entertaining, loquacious 81-year-old Hall of Famer who managed the Albuquerque Dukes in 1972, then later the Dodgers for 20 years, said he could remember when, “You could drop a bomb in downtown Albuquerque and it wouldn't do 40 dollars worth of damage,” as he waved his hand toward a window pointed west at Downtown.
“But this place has grown so big and beautiful. I hope Tim enjoys this city as much as I did. I think De Jon (Watson, Dodgers vice president for player development) made a great, great selection. Albuquerque's gonna love this guy.”
For his part in the Timmy and Tommy Show, Wallach seemed very content to be the quiet straight man. He candidly said he has long-term goals to manage in the big leagues, which is part of the reason he's here as a rookie Triple-A manager.
Wallach said he will exploit his players' strengths, work on their weaknesses, play aggressively but not run into outs when so many players can “hit the ball over the wall here,” and won't conduct relationships with players through the press.
“I was a Montreal Expo for 12 years and played for the Dodgers for three and a half,” said Wallach. “I'll always consider myself a Dodger. My goal with this job is to develop winning baseball players for (Dodgers manager) Joe Torre. I have to be able to do it here if I'm to do it at a higher level.”
Lasorda opened with a few jokes that most onlookers probably heard before, perhaps even when he was brought in to be the keynote speaker at the 2007 Triple-A All-Star Fiesta luncheon.
He got funnier when he went off script, such as when Wallach as an Expo gave Lasorda's Dodgers so many fits that he wanted him “drilled a few times” by the pitcher.
Wallach said, “And you did. Welch. Bob Welch.”
And as Lasorda assisted Isotopes team president Ken Young with the news conference staple of helping Wallach put on the new Isotopes jersey and hat, Lasorda asked, “What does Isotope stand for anyway?”
Young went into the explanation of the inspiration from an episode of “The Simpsons” in which Homer Simpson feared the Springfield ball team would move to Albuquerque.
Unsatisfied, Lasorda followed up. “What is an Isotope?”
Young then, almost by rote, replied, “it's an aberrant element, OK? Where there aren't the same number of protons and neutrons.”
“Oh,” Lasorda deadpanned. “I understand that.”
Much of the credit for reuniting Albuquerque with the Dodgers has been given to Lasorda, whose visit here in 2007 created a profound impression.
“I went back and talked to Ned Colletti, our general manager, and lots of people who were unhappy with Las Vegas because of the facilities,” he said. “I told them I think we've got a chance to go (to Albuquerque). De Jon took it and ran with it. First of all, I loved it here. Second, I think you can develop players here. And I think you'll see a lot of players come through here and go to the big leagues.”
One reporter managed to broach a subject Lasorda didn't want to touch. It was the Dodgers' ongoing, sometimes touchy, negotiations to bring back slugging outfielder Manny Ramirez.
“You're the 201st person to ask me that question,” he said. “I'll tell you the same thing I told the others. I have nothing to do with signing players. My job is adviser to the chairman. He asks me questions. I give him answers. But he hasn't asked my opinion.”
NOTES: The club will hold a job fair Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Isotopes Park and expects more than the 600 who turned out last year. … The team unveiled its new “Dodger blue” Sunday home jersey with slanted white script and a blue cap with a white button. They also have a new gray road jersey.
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