(Baseball Hall of Fame ) Tommy Lasorda
Celebration of Italian Americans in baseball
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OCTOBER 20, 2005
By Happynews Staff

COOPERSTOWN, NY –
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will celebrate the contributions of Italian Americans in Baseball as part of the Museum’s weekend tribute to the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers over Veterans Day Weekend, Nov. 12, featuring events with Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, who briefly played on the 1955 Dodgers World Championship team. Tickets to two Nov. 12 events featuring Lasorda, a 7:30 p.m. Legends event and an 11 a.m. Pizza Party, will go on sale Monday, Oct. 24. The events complement the Museum’s special exhibit on the ’55 Dodgers, on display through this fall.
Brooklyn’s World Series championship marked the pinnacle for a nation of fans of a franchise that was talented enough to reach the Fall Classic four times from 1947 to 1953, only to lose in the seventh game three times – and in five games in another – all to the New York Yankees. To honor Brooklyn fans, and the triumphs of the great 1955 Dodgers team, members from that team have also been in Cooperstown over Labor Day and Columbus Day weekends this fall.
On Saturday, Nov. 12, Lasorda, who pitched briefly for the ’55 club, will headline a Legends event presentation exclusively for Friends of the Hall of Fame members at 7:30 p.m. in the Grandstand Theater, discussing his career and participating in a question-and-answer session. Immediately following the presentation, a reception featuring Italian desserts will take place in the Hall of Fame Gallery. Tickets for the Legends event are $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets are available only by phone by calling the Membership department at 607-547-0397.
Also on Saturday, Lasorda will sign copies of Baseball As America, the Hall of Fame’s critically acclaimed book and companion volume to the national exhibit tour by the same name, at 3:30 p.m. in the Education Gallery. At 11 a.m., Lasorda will host a Pizza Party exclusively for Friends of the Hall of Fame members ages 12 and under. The program includes a pizza lunch with the Hall of Fame manager. Each child should be accompanied by only one adult. Seating is limited, and tickets are $5 per person, available by calling the Membership department at 607-547-0397.
Other events planned for the Nov. 12 celebration of Italian Americans in Baseball and the Dodgers’ lone Brooklyn championship include a 10 a.m. discussion featuring a panel of baseball writers and led by Larry Fruendlich, editor of Reaching for the Stars: A Celebration of Italian Americans in Major League Baseball, to discuss the impact of Italian Americans on the National Pastime.
The program will be moderated by Lawrence Baldassaro, a professor of Italian at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the editor of The American Game: Baseball & Ethnicity. At 12 noon, Baldassaro will present “The 1947 World Series: Yanks, Dodgers and Unlikely Heroes” in the Bullpen Theater, to be followed by a book signing. At 1:30 p.m. in the Education Gallery, a panel of former major league players (to be announced) will discuss their careers in the major leagues, as well as their experiences as Italian Americans.
Open seven days a week the year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Hall of Fame is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. through Labor Day. Off-season hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily through Memorial Day. Ticket prices are $14.50 for adults (13 and over), $9 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $5 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children six years of age or younger, active and retired card-carrying military personnel. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhalloffame.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.