Former Ventura County Baseball Standout Remembers #2
(Los Angeles, CA) — A former Ventura County baseball standout who’s now a Dodgers trainer is remembering the late Tommy Lasorda. Jonathan Erb says he first met the Hall of Fame manager when he was a boy. Erb’s Little League team won a competition that earned them a trip to Dodger Stadium and an up close and personal greeting from Lasorda. Erb would later become a first baseman with the Camarillo High and Oxnard College baseball teams. He joined the Dodgers training staff in 2016. Erb told the “Ventura County Star” that Lasorda was the one consistent powerhouse presence around the team. He added — quote — “I don’t know of anyone who was a better ambassador for our game. He meant so much to everybody.”
Lasorda managed the Dodgers from 1976 until he was forced to leave after suffering a heart attack in 1996. He led the Blue to two World Series titles in 1981 and 1988. Tommy died Thursday night after suffering cardiac arrest at his Orange County home. He was 93.