There is a ping-pong room that Rob Thomson built in his basement back home in Stratford, Ontario, and it is a place where Thomson expected to spend more time beginning in 2023. It needs decorating. There are no pictures on the walls. “And,” Thomson said, “I can just see where I’m going to put all this stuff.” There is so much stuff now.
There are photos of Thomson on a stage constructed over the Citizens Bank Park infield dirt as he clutches a trophy. There are photos of Thomson with his players before raucous celebrations. There are photos of Thomson with his wife, Michele, as they bask in postseason splendor. There are memories from 38 years in professional baseball, most behind the scenes, but nothing quite like the past six months.
There are two other items that have since lost significance. Before he became the interim manager who steered the Phillies to an improbable National League pennant, Thomson was the dutiful bench coach who oversaw spring training. He left his apartment at 2:30 every morning and used the hours before dawn to prepare for that day’s workout. So, when spring training ended in April, Thomson kept a printed copy of the final workout schedule. He asked then-manager Joe Girardi for the lineup card from the final exhibition game. They were…
