Thomas Charles Lasorda was born on September 22, 1927 in Norristown, Pa. He was an American baseball pitcher and manager. He pitched for various teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers. But he was best known as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent most of 21 seasons with them. He helped them win four National League pennants and two World Series championships. After managing them, he became senior adviser to the team president. Lasorda also coached the United States baseball team that won the gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was known for his optimism and storytelling. In 1997, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Outside of baseball he made television commercials for the diet supplement Ultra SlimFast, 1989-1995. He and co-author David Fisher wrote The Artful Dodger (1985). He was a contributor to the book, I Live for This: Baseball's Last True Believer (2007). Tommy Lasorda died in Fullerton, California on January 7, 2021. He was 93.
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