Tommy John was on the Dan Patrick Show today and had some interesting things about the two most famous managers he played for: Billy Martin and Tommy Lasorda.
Martin, John says, a great manager but he “was not a nice person,” he was a bigot and that he gave his players anxiety about coming to the park each day. Lasorda: maybe not the best Xs and Os manager ever — he credits Gene Mauch with being a great tactician — but says Lasorda was a master motivator who inspired his players:
Obviously both Martin and Lasorda had great success as big league managers. But it’s not too hard to pick which one you’d rather have in charge of your club.
Bonus: John talking about his namesake surgery: