Last night the Dodgers were off, so I made my nightly rounds and visited each player at home. To keep our team chemistry together, I like to do drills with players even on off-days. First I drove over to Derek Lowe’s house, put on the catching gear and he threw 24 simulated innings to me. Derek really had his best stuff, and only walked two ghost-men and gave up a ground rule double. This is LA baseball!

Next I visited Milton Bradley’s house, which was a pigsty. He had some friends over, so I kicked them out before Milton could complain and made up a little game for us: I would stand in his kitchen and hit the ball with the bat. He would then have to chase down the ball before it broke something, and then clean up the mess around wherever the ball ended up. I’m proud to report that he only missed one ball — I hit one at his big-screen TV and told him to pretend it was a ball coming off the wall. He wasn’t happy about it, but I’m the skipper! (That’s what I make the boys call me.) After that he said I had to leave so he could work on some of his own drills. Just so long as you’re working, Milt, because this is LA baseball!

My last stop was Jeff Kent’s place. The country music was playing too loud, so he couldn’t hear me when I knocked. Doesn’t he know a good second basemen needs his ears so he can communicate with his shortstop? I took drastic measures. I had a bucket of balls in the trunk of my car, so I just started throwing them through his windows until he came tearing out of the house like a bat out of heck. When he saw it was me he calmed down a little, but he yelled at me to ask what the heck (not heck) I was doing. I just explained that I was washing my car and somehow those baseballs just flew into his house. He didn’t laugh and then he tried to push me over. I threw a ball at his face and lo and behold he caught it! This is LA baseball!

You can read Tommy Lasorda’s own blog, Tommy Lasorda’s World, at MLB.com.