Louis and Georgia Watanabe were among the Dodger fans who packed the house for Tommy Lasorda’s Jan. 23 speech at Bellevue Community College.

The Bellevue couple were also among the handful of fans who opened their wallets for a piece of baseball swag, as the Watanabe’s purchased an autographed baseball for $250 from the hall of famer, who donated all proceeds from the 12 balls directly to the BCC baseball program.

“We’re huge Dodger fans; I grew up alongside the Dodgers,” said Louis Watanabe, a statistics teacher in the BCC business department. “This was all just very exciting and Tommy Lasorda is one of the greats.”

“It’s great because it raises money for the program,” Georgia Watanabe added. “I thought he was hilarious, just a crack-up.”

Lasorda’s speech followed a formal buffet dinner and a short speech by BCC coach Mark Yoshino, who highlighted each player in his program and gave a preview of the upcoming season before making way for Lasorda.

The hall of famer’s witty speech took a serious tone towards the end that touched members of the Bulldogs baseball team, including former Eastside Catholic left-handed pitcher T.J. Parthemer, a BCC freshman.

“The whole night was amazing and just a complete testament to our coaches,” Parthemer said. “For him to be here reflects great on our program. Tommy was great and his talk really brought into focus on how important playing for the team is.”

Lasorda came to Bellevue as a favor through a mutual friend of Yoshino and the hall of famer, Dodgers scout Hank Jones.

“This night will definitely go down as one of the most memorable experiences of Bellevue College baseball,” Yoshino said. “Many of our alumni, boosters and parents have called and expressed similar feelings. It was an event you’d typically find at a major university.”

Joel Willits can be reached at 425-453-5045 or at jwillits@bellevuereporter.com.