Tommy Lasorda, who has died aged 93, loomed large in baseball history, one of the great characters in the game; he made few waves as a distinctly average pitcher, but as a motivator and man-manager he proved peerless, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles. "Cut my veins, and I bleed Dodger blue," he once said. He became famous for his four-letter-word tirades to journalists and match officials, but to his players he was a father figure who brought out the very best in them. He nurtured several generations of young stars – one of whom, the catcher Mike Scioscia, said: "He knows his talent. He knows his players. He's the most competitive person I've met in my life."