Have a cigar: Lasorda is a Cuban Hall o' Famer now ... Miami style

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lasorda_bobble.gifHow many different Hall of Fame inductions can Tommy Lasorda be apart of before he runs out of fame?

The Dodgers Hall of Fame manager has managed to be included in something called the Cuban Sports Hall of Fame, a ceremony that takes place Sunday at noon in Miami (not Havana) at a site called the Big Five Club.

That makes 16 Halls of Fame that Lasorda will grace, for one reason or (heritage) another.

With him, fame is hardly fleeting.

"I am very proud to be inducted into the Cuban Sports Hall of Fame," said Lasorda in a statement. "I loved my time in Cuba and am very fond of the Cuban people. They are very passionate about their baseball and I was so proud to be a part of it."

Here's the link: Lasorda played in Cuba as a left-handed pitcher during the 1950s during Winter Ball. He played for Almendares and Marianao and saw the Cuban government change hands twice. According to the Dodgers' press department, in 1952, Lasorda saw Fulgencio Batista overthrow Carlos Prio Socarrás and in 1959 he saw Fidel Castro overthrow Batista.

(Lasorda likely overthrew the first baseman on several bunt attempts during his playing days there because he couldn't get off the mound fast enough, but that's another story for another day. In either Spanish or English.)

mays_lasorda.jpgWait, that's a quote taken directly from Lasorda (linked here) in a story that also notes: Lasorda pitched Cuba to a Caribbean championship that same year. Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax also played in Cuba before professional baseball was banned in 1960.

So, can you name the other 15 Halls that Lasorda graces, trivial or otherwise?

Let's try, in order of importance:

== National Baseball Hall of Fame (1997)
== Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame (2006)
== California Sports Hall of Fame (2006)
== Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2009)
== Brooklyn Baseball Hall of Fame (2009)
== Albuquerque Baseball Hall of Fame (2007)
== Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (2006)
== Ogden Professional Baseball Hall of Fame (2009)
== Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (1989)
== Montgomery County (Mississippi) Coaches Hall of Fame (2002)
== South Atlantic League Hall of Fame (2001)
== Inland Empires 66ers Hall of Fame (2009)
== Louisiana Italian American Hall of Fame (1985)
== Cleveland Italian American Hall of Fame (2009)
== Rhode Island Italian American Hall of Fame (2009)

Any others?
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame would work.
Slim-Fast Hall of Fame?
Dave Kingman Birthplace and Hall of Fame?
Frank Sinatra Hall of Fame?


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Tom Hoffarth writes about sports and sports media for the Los Angeles Daily News.

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This page contains a single entry by Tom Hoffarth published on March 6, 2010 12:25 PM.

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