In an era when the life expectancy for managerial careers in baseball was short, Los Angeles Dodgers' skipper Tommy Lasorda outlasted them all. From his debut in September 1976 until his retirement two decades later, the popular Lasorda was his team's motivational leader as well as its greatest fan. Displaying a youthful exuberance on the field, in the dugout, at press conferences, and in his television commercials, Lasorda's eternal optimism was contagious. His knack for bringing out the best in his players contributed both to his team's success and Lasorda's well-earned reputation as a "player's manager."

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda (right).

The left-handed pitcher Tommy Lasorda began his major league baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. As a twenty-six year-old rookie with poor control on a pitching staff that boasted the likes of Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, and Johnny Podres—and soon...