Thompson: "I'll be there alumni weekend."
If there are any hard feelings between Milt Thompson and the Phillies over his recent firing as the club's hitting coach, the veteran baseball man was not letting on.
Thompson: "I'll be there alumni weekend."
David Murphy
If there are any hard feelings between Milt Thompson and the Phillies over his recent firing as the club's hitting coach, the veteran baseball man was not letting on.
"I have nothing but praise for the Phillies and the organization," said Thompson, who was fired late Thursday night with the team mired in a lengthy offensive slump. "I've enjoyed it as a player and as a coach. They've treated me well... I'll be there alumni weekend."
The Phillies, who announced the move in a brief press release Thursday night, have not commented publicly on the move.
Thompson said he thinks the biggest problem with the Phillies offense is that the line-up has spent most of the season trying too hard to make up for the absences of key players like Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Chase Utley. Since Utley went down with a thumb injury in late June, the club is hitting just .233. In the 21 games immediately preceding the injury, they hit .263.
"I think they were just trying too hard to make up for the losses in the line-up," said Thompson.
Thompson said he is good friends with Greg Gross, a former Phillies teammate who will take over as hitting coach.
"I just wish the best for them. I hope GG comes in and gets them going," Thompson said. "He's a good friend and a great baseball man, and I wish him the best. If he can find a way to get these guys to relax throughout all of this, that'd be great."
Thompson said he is confident that he will find another job in the sport.
"I'm a baseball man for life," said Thompson, who lives in South Jersey. "I'm going to land on my feet. Take a little time off, relax -- I've been doing it for a long time -- and then put the resume together and go try to find antoher job."
Thompson was named the hitting coach in 2005, Charlie Manuel's first season as manager. The Phillies finished first in the National League in runs three times during his tenure and finished in the top three in the other three. Currently, they are sixth.
Can you say scapegoat?!— jaswolfson
Let's play some small ball now and maybe something good can happen. Doesn't anybody on this team know how to bunt for a base hit? It CAN be done and these guys should be able to do it. Otherwise, the season is lost. Onward to the wild card!!!???- Stay classy. I'm talking to you Milt, not the editor of this column.— MTbelly
- This is the best he could come up with? "I think they were just trying too hard to make up for the losses in the line-up." If that was the "incite" you were providing to your players, maybe you deserved to be fired. Way to go, "coach"...— Ryan1973
- Way to take the high road, Milt. Your record isn't just this year, obviously, and indeed you will land on your feet.— PhillySubsMac
- The Phillies are in official panic mode. "The Phillies finished first in the National League in runs three times during his tenure, and finished in the top three in the other three". Ok, so now all of a sudden Milt is a bad hitting coach? Come on RAJ, If Greg Gross doesn't get them going then what? Maybe you should go, boy wonder.— hulk0455
- Gotta love Milt. An A+ class act. Good luck in your future pursuits Milt and thanks for all of your hard work!
- Yeah, Richie Allen, bunting for base hits is the only way this team is going to start scoring runs, overcome a 7-game deficit, and make the playoffs. Maybe you should have replaced Milt Thompson as hitting coach. At the very least - and I mean the VERY least - it's more than he was able to come up with.— Ryan1973
Milt is the scapegoat here. Ibanez, Victorino, and Werth AND upper management for not making changes with these three players because "they make too much" are the reason Milt was fired. Steinbrenner would have NEVER allowed this...which is I guess why they have 27 Championships and we have 2.
This was such an Eagles move. The Flyers are now the class organization of the city.— delcodanno- Something needed to be done. Were the problems Milt's fault? Probably not, but somehow you need to get the attention of these millionaire ballplayers with guaranteed salaries. Everyone agrees they are playing well below their potential and fans aren't buying tickets to see Double A baseball!— notsofast
- Milt Thompson - One of the '93 Boyz and a true Pro. God Bless you Milt!— Anthony1957
maybe Ryan1973 needs a dictionary. There is a big difference between "incite" and "insight". And when exactly did Milt become a liability? We have been riddled with injury and some of the guys are just slumping. Milt gets no credit for all the other years, but now it's all his fault? While you're out buying your dictionary see if you can pick up clue somewhere too will ya?
Ryan1973....it's insight....idiot- Milt, thank you for being so classy in these difficult times and of course for your successes in the past.— slanted and enchanted
