Basball news and notes

Dodgers: A dozen years after he retired, Tom Lasorda is coming back to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers. In spring training, that is. The 80-year-old Hall of Famer will guide a split squad of Dodgers for eight games in March while Joe Torre takes the other half to China for a two-game exhibition series. “There is no one else in the game of baseball like Tommy Lasorda,” Torre said Wednesday. “He’s excited about it. I thought it was a great idea. He’s such a fan favorite. Knowing his enthusiasm for the game, I know he’ll embrace it.” Lasorda is ready to go. “What a thrill this will be, not just to manage the games, but the thought behind it,” he said. “This really is a very, very special honor.” This is the Dodgers’ final spring training in Vero Beach, Fla., and Lasorda has long been a fixture at the camp. He usually rides around Dodgertown in a golf cart, chatting with fans and signing autographs, and his arrival at tiny Holman Stadium is often accompanied by “Hail to the Chief” playing on the sound system. Lasorda managed the Dodgers for nearly 20 years before a heart attack hastened his retirement in 1996.

Dodgers: A dozen years after he retired, Tom Lasorda is coming back to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers. In spring training, that is. The 80-year-old Hall of Famer will guide a split squad of Dodgers for eight games in March while Joe Torre takes the other half to China for a two-game exhibition series. “There is no one else in the game of baseball like Tommy Lasorda,” Torre said Wednesday. “He’s excited about it. I thought it was a great idea. He’s such a fan favorite. Knowing his enthusiasm for the game, I know he’ll embrace it.” Lasorda is ready to go. “What a thrill this will be, not just to manage the games, but the thought behind it,” he said. “This really is a very, very special honor.” This is the Dodgers’ final spring training in Vero Beach, Fla., and Lasorda has long been a fixture at the camp. He usually rides around Dodgertown in a golf cart, chatting with fans and signing autographs, and his arrival at tiny Holman Stadium is often accompanied by “Hail to the Chief” playing on the sound system. Lasorda managed the Dodgers for nearly 20 years before a heart attack hastened his retirement in 1996.

Red Sox: At Fort Myers, Fla., center fielder Coco Crisp is prepared to talk to Boston management about a trade if it appears he will not win back his starting job taken by rookie Jacoby Ellsbury in the postseason. The 28-year-old Crisp started 145 games last year and played outstanding defense in his second season with Boston. But after hitting .182 in the first eight postseason games, he was replaced by the 24-year-old Ellsbury, who started the season at Double-A Portland. “I would honestly rather be somewhere else and play than be on the bench,” Crisp said. “But I’ll take whatever comes and deal with it and no knock against Boston. I love the fans. They treated me well.”

Associated Press