Most Dodger fans in Southern California take him for granted. After all, they get to see him almost every night at Dodger Stadium or at one of the many charity events that he frequently attends. But for those living elsewhere who rarely or never get an opportunity to see him, seeing Tommy Lasorda in person is like visiting Yosemite, or Yellowstone, or the Grand Canyon or any of our other national treasures.

Lasorda, who will celebrate his 88th birthday on September 22, flew to Oklahoma City for Thursday’s Opening Day ceremonies for the Dodgers new Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Dodgers and then flew back home for a book signing event for his new biography Tommy Lasorda: My Way at Cal State Northridge on Saturday afternoon. And he does things like this all the time.

“That’s just who he is,” said Colin Gunderson, author of the new book. “That’s what he does and what he’s done his entire life.”

It’s probably safe to say that the crowd at Cal State Northridge was a bit larger than expected for Colin Gunderson and Tommy Lasorda’s book signing event. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Saturday’s book signing took place just prior to a crucial conference game between the nationally ranked (13) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos and the CSUN Matadors, and any time there are young baseball players around, it goes without saying that Lasorda is going to address them. And even though the Matadors lost the game by a score of 3-2, there is little doubt that Lasorda’s message to these young men is something that they will never forget and will cherish forever.

As for the actual book signing event itself, it was a huge success. So successful, in fact, that the ten dozen books brought to the event sold out in less than fifteen minutes – and Lasorda and Gunderson signed every one of them for excited fans.

Although it took nearly two hours, Gunderson and Lasorda signed every book sold at Cal State Northridge on Saturday afternoon. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

When all the books were signed and the hoard of happy fans gone, Gunderson had a moment to relax and reflect on the subject of his book, which he said took him a little more than a year to write.

“Tommy is famous for a lot of things and deservedly so, but that’s not what his life is about.” said Gunderson. “His life is about being of service to other people and being willing to go above and beyond to help other people achieve their goals and that’s what I hope readers get out of the book.”

As Lasorda’s personal assistant for 12 years, Gunderson spent more time with the Hall of Fame manager than even Jo Lasorda, Tommy’s bride of 64 years did. As such, one can only imagine the things that Gunderson saw and heard over the years. Yet when asked what his single favorite memory of Tommy was, Gunderson’s answer wasn’t what most Dodger fans might expect, yet it was an answer that goes right back to that “being of service to other people” thing.

“When he spoke at my wedding,” answered Gunderson. “That meant a lot.”

As he so often does, Lasorda took time to share a life lesson with a youngster – this one about loving and respecting your parents. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Dodger Fans who missed out on Saturday’s book signing at CSUN will have another opportunity on Saturday, April 18 at Dodger Stadium when the Dodgers host the Colorado Rockies. Although the exact details have yet to be announced, we will pass along the information as soon as we get it.