‘He has the pulse of it’: How Rob Thomson has kept his cool during World Series run
PHILADELPHIA — The baseball gods wasted no time in giving Philadelphia Phillies boss Rob Thomson his first big managerial moment in the Fall Classic.
Five months after taking over from the fired Joe Girardi, Thomson had already navigated the Phillies’ underwhelming end to the regular season and three challenging rounds of the postseason, including a three-game wild-card series that no manager had ever faced. Now, in Game 1 against the heavily favored Houston Astros, Thomson had a quick decision to make.
After going down 5-0 early, his team had just tied the game in the top of the fifth inning. Starter Aaron Nola, normally one of Philadelphia’s aces, was at 81 pitches already, and clearly struggling — but going to the bullpen after just the first 4.1 innings in a best-of-seven series was plenty risky, too.
Thomson picked the risky move.
He put in closer Jose Alvarado, who secured the final two outs of the fifth and the first of the sixth. But the 58 year old manager wasn’t done — he would use four more of his best relievers to ensure his team held on for a 6-5 road win.
“He has the pulse of it,” Phillies President Dave Dombrowski would say the next day. “And he has my support.”
It was just the latest example of the deft touch Thomson has shown during his first year managing the Phillies — though his biggest moments are undoubtedly to come as his team attempts to stay alive in the World Series, trailing 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Saturday night in Houston.
His message to the team could very well be one he’s told to himself about his own career. After all, this was not a man on the fast track to managing.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to panic,” Thomson said on Friday. “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and concentrate on doing the little things. I always tell ’em, focus on the little things and big things will happen.”
Big things happened for Thomson in June, and they keep on happening well into October.
He’s already earned a two-year extension after just a partial season on the job. But while Thomson’s sure-footedness might seem preternatural, it’s actually been honed by years on coaching staffs, including six years as the bench coach for the Phillies and Yankees before that.
In fact, when Thomson took over for Girardi, it was not his first time being considered to lead the Phillies. Two years before, when manager Gabe Kapler was fired, the organization considered then-bench coach Thomson for the job before coming to a mutual decision not to interview him.
“When we were hiring before Joe, we talked to him about taking the job,” Phillies owner John Middleton said. “And he said no. He said I don’t think I’m the person for it. I think you should go out and get someone else.”
It was pure Thomson, who, according to those that know him best, has never politicked for a promotion.
“I agreed with them that they needed an experienced guy,” Thomson said.
So instead of taking the job, Thomson helped the front office in picking Kapler’s successor. But after Girardi brought a buttoned-up approach to the clubhouse, Middleton and Dombrowski knew they wanted something different — and who they wanted for it. It was Thomson’s time — at least they hoped it would be.
“When Dave started talking about this move in May,” Middleton recalled, “I said to him ‘I don’t know if he’s going to take the job.’ He didn’t feel he was the right guy for it (last time), which obviously (turned out to be) an incorrect evaluation.”
So why was Thomson open this time to the possibility of taking a job he had previously turned down?
“Different circumstances,” he said.
What might have been wrong in 2019 suddenly seemed right. The team wasn’t winning under the tightly controlled atmosphere with Girardi at the helm. A looser grip — in exchange for a lack of experience — turned out to be the right call.
“We didn’t have everyone feeling the best versions of themselves and when Thomson was able to come in, with no pressure on him, he just went out and let baseball be played,” right fielder Nick Castellanos stated.
But still, a World Series run — even a playoff run — were no sure thing, especially when Thomson took over the 22-29 team.
“You never know how a guy is going to react until he gets there,” Dombrowski said.”He’s handled everything as smooth as can be. No situation has been too big for him. He’s kept that even keeled nature going. You can’t ever anticipate that calmness.”
With Thomson, though, you could come close. ‘Even-keeled’ is used to describe him so often that it might as well be his first name. It’s something he’s learned over years in the dugout, and it’s come in handy as the stakes have gone up throughout the postseason.
“I think earlier in my career, I was not as even-keeled as I am now,” Thomson said. “You kind of learn these moments and know that you can’t control things and so why worry about certain things. I think just the experience of going through all these different moments throughout a 30-some-year career just kind of teaches you to be even-keeled.”
His players agree: Time in the dugout matters, they say, even if it’s not as the man in charge.
And Thomson has been at it for decades, coaching in the minor leagues for the Tigers and Yankees before becoming Girardi’s bench coach in New York in 2008. Then to the Phillies for the same job under Kapler in 2018.
“With him comes a lot of experience, a lot of big games, a lot of managing superstar players, just every step that he’s been,” Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm said. “So I think when he took over he was definitely ready. To me, it didn’t seem like there was any growing pains or anything with that.”
Current bench coach Mike Calitri added: “He is the most prepared human being I’ve ever been around…His ability to be placid and calm exudes through the whole team.”
Calitri is the sounding board for Thomson in games. He’s the voice behind the manager. He was also part of the thought process into being aggressive with the bullpen in Game 1.
“We felt some momentum after having scored,” Calitri said. “If that momentum shifts back, it’s probably not good for us.”
Thomson concurred, creating an early narrative that would set the tone for his Fall Classic performance: Worry about today and let tomorrow take care of itself.
“In these seven-game series, where you have 2-3-2, you’ve got that day off, two days off, potentially, and so you can use guys a little bit more,” Thomson said the day after Game 1. “If we start the season next year, I can tell you I won’t manage like this because it’s a marathon. This is a sprint now and we have to go for it every day.”
As it turns out, the strategy was further rewarded when rain postponed Game 3 giving Thomson’s bullpen another day of rest.
Of course, not every high-risk move is going to work out. In Game 4, Thomson pulled Nola with the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth inning, again for Jose Alvarado. This time, though, Alvarado hit the first batter to give up the lead, and the Astros went on to score five runs in the inning, eventually tying the series, 2-2.
But win or lose, Thomson is that same, calming presence in the locker room — as he was after that Game 4 loss, which saw the Phillies no-hit for only the second time in a World Series game.
“I walked in the clubhouse … and I just basically told them to flush this,” Thomson said. “It’s gone.”
Then he left, giving his veteran club the space to absorb the moment, pretty much the same way he’s done it since June. That laid back style is part and parcel to who he is — steady, calm and prepared.
And so far, his success in the job has proven the wait has been worth it — for him and the team he’s managing.
“We’re all grateful for the opportunity to play for him,” Bryce Harper said. “We all want to go out there and play our best game for him, and he just has all the faith in the world in our ability to go out there.”
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Tennessee‘s Nico Iamaleava has been cleared medically to play Saturday against Georgia and is set to return as the Vols’ starting quarterback, sources told ESPN.
Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman, missed the second half of the 33-14 win over Mississippi State last week after suffering a blow to the head. He was listed as questionable earlier this week on the SEC availability report but has been removed in the latest report.
Iamaleava practiced this week, including team periods, and there was optimism among the staff that he was trending in the right direction and would be able to play. But the final call was made by medical personnel. Iamaleava was examined by doctors for what sources told ESPN were concussion-like symptoms after leaving the Mississippi State game. He did not return to the sideline for the second half.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said on Monday that he felt like Iamaleava would be in “great shape for Saturday” and noted that Iamaleava was with the team earlier Monday morning for meetings and team activities. The Vols’ first full-scale practice was Tuesday.
Iamaleava was having his most productive outing against an SEC team this season before leaving the game against Mississippi State. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards, no interceptions and a pair of touchdowns as Tennessee built a 20-7 halftime lead. In Iamaleava’s previous five SEC games, he had accounted for three touchdowns and turned it over five times. He was also sacked 15 times in those five games.
Redshirt senior Gaston Moore filled in for Iamaleava in the second half last week and finished 5-of-8 for 38 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Getting Iamaleava back for the Georgia game is big news for Tennessee, which is right in the middle of the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Receiver Dont’e Thornton (hand) has also been given the green light to play for Tennessee after earlier being listed as questionable.
Week 12 is here as we take a look at an SEC matchup that has College Football Playoff implications, learn about three of the nation’s top passers who all played under the same coach and see what’s going on in the Big 12.
No. 7 Tennessee will visit Sanford Stadium as it takes on conference opponent No. 12 Georgia on Saturday night. With so much at stake, what can each team improve on ahead of this SEC showdown?
The Big 12 has six teams in the hunt for a spot in the conference title game. With the final CFP rankings coming out in less than a month, what scenario looks most realistic for the conference in terms of how many of its teams could make the 12-team field?
Our college football experts preview big games and storylines ahead of the Week 12 slate.
Jump to a section:
Tennessee-Georgia | The coach behind three top QB passers
What’s going on in the Big 12 | Quotes of the Week
What has each team done well in conference play? What improvements can be made?
It has been a historic (and dominant) season for Tennessee’s defense, which has yet to give up more than 19 points in any of its nine games. Against SEC competition, the Volunteers lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up 16.7 points per game, and also lead the way in third-down defense and red zone defense. In other words, they’ve given up very little of anything on defense and are buoyed by a line that’s both talented and deep. Tennessee plays a ton of players up front and has been especially good at forcing key turnovers. In 23 trips inside its own 20-yard line, the Vols have forced six turnovers.
The reality is that Tennessee has played to its defense for much of this season out of necessity. The offense has lacked consistency and struggled to generate explosive plays, particularly in the passing game. It’s not all on redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, either. Iamaleava has thrown only five touchdown passes in six SEC games, and the Vols are tied for 10th with an average of 7.5 yards per completion. Iamaleava, who sustained a head injury in a win over Mississippi State last week, has been the victim of poor pass protection at times, and his receivers have dropped some costly passes. Iamaleava has also been shaky when it comes to overthrowing receivers and occasionally holding onto the ball too long.
The bright spot on offense for Tennessee has been running back Dylan Sampson, who has a school-record 20 rushing touchdowns. He has been a constant for the Vols on offense and has an SEC-leading 772 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in conference play. As good as he has been, the Vols are probably going to need more from their passing game to win in Athens. — Chris Low
The Bulldogs didn’t do much of anything well in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, which was the first time in a long time that Kirby Smart’s team was manhandled on the lines of scrimmage.
The good news for Georgia: It’s heading home to Sanford Stadium for the first time in more than a month. Georgia hasn’t dropped back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, Smart’s first season, and it has bounced back after each of its past eight losses. The Bulldogs have won seven of their past eight games against the Volunteers.
For all of quarterback Carson Beck‘s turnovers, Georgia’s problems on offense probably start up front. The offensive line hasn’t done a good job of protecting him, and the Bulldogs’ lack of a potent running game has prevented them from effectively utilizing play-action passes. Their banged-up offensive line is going to face another formidable defensive front Saturday. Georgia has 27 dropped passes, fourth most in the FBS, according to TruMedia, so its receivers need to become more reliable as well. — Mark Schlabach
The coach behind three of college football’s top passers
Miami‘s Cam Ward, Washington State‘s John Mateer and North Texas‘ Chandler Morris are three of the top five quarterbacks in total offense this season in FBS. All three have the same head coach to thank for where they are today.
North Texas coach Eric Morris coached Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State, recruited Mateer to the Cougars and signed Morris out of the transfer portal this offseason. All three hailed from Texas and are putting up big numbers this season. Morris, a Mike Leach disciple, knows what he’s looking for when it comes to QBs.
For each one, the journey was different. Ward was a zero-star recruit out of West Columbia, Texas, played in a wing-T offense and had no scholarship offers. But he showed up to Incarnate Word’s camp in 2019 and impressed with his quick release and accuracy. Morris saw appealing traits, too, in Ward’s multisport talents.
“He was such a good basketball player,” Morris said. “He was a bigger guy who could really handle the ball and move with ease. He had a twitch and quickness about him that was almost Mahomes-esque, where he’s not fast but you see him get out of the pocket and scramble and he’s nifty on his feet. He saw the floor great and shot the basketball great.
“It might be easier at an FCS school to take that risk, but it was something we were really confident in.”
Ward came in with extreme confidence, telling coaches he’d win the starting job over their returning all-conference player (and he did). He followed Morris to Pullman, Washington, out of loyalty to the coach who believed in him. Now he’s playing on a big stage, chasing a College Football Playoff bid and a Heisman Trophy with the No. 9 Hurricanes.
“It’s been fun to watch him flourish and get rewarded for being patient all these years,” Morris said.
When Morris left UIW to become Washington State’s offensive coordinator in 2022, he brought Ward but needed another QB. On his first recruiting trip in Texas, he stopped by to check out Mateer. The two-star recruit had a prolific senior season at Little Elm High School but was committed to Central Arkansas. Morris didn’t understand what FBS programs were missing and convinced Mateer to flip.
After two seasons behind Ward, Mateer has emerged as one of the top dual-threat QBs in college football with 2,332 passing yards, 805 rushing yards (excluding sacks) and 33 total TDs.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Ward said. “He’s just so dang hard to tackle in the open field. Just a kid that loves ball and was under-recruited. The tide’s turned and he ends up being a big-time ballplayer.”
Chandler Morris was not an under-the-radar talent, but he’s having his best season yet at North Texas. He began his career at Oklahoma, won the starting job at TCU in 2022, sustained a knee injury in its season opener and then watched Max Duggan lead the Horned Frogs to the national title game.
Morris had a six-game stint as TCU’s starter last season before injuring the same knee. At UNT, he’s leading the nation’s No. 3 passing offense with 3,244 total yards and 30 TDs. Like Ward and Mateer, he processes information quickly, makes plays with his feet and throws outside the pocket with accuracy. If you ask Eric Morris, those traits are a must in today’s game. When paired with his version of Air Raid ball, you get big-time results.
“It’s been fun to see him get his swagger back,” Morris said.
Eric Morris points to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. The QBs thriving at the highest level are becoming unstoppable by creating plays out of the pocket. And so are his guys.
“Everybody obviously watches Cam and the magic he makes,” Morris said, “but I think all three of ’em can make plays when it’s not a perfect play call. There are a bunch of really good pure passers nowadays, but that’s what sets them all apart.” — Max Olson
What’s going on in the Big 12?
Two-thirds of the way through the Big 12 schedule, six teams are still in the hunt for a title-game appearance: BYU (6-0), Colorado (5-1), Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas State and West Virginia, all of which are 4-2. There are too many variables to discuss all the scenarios, but the conference has a straightforward tiebreaker policy.
It’s possible to come up with scenarios in which the Big 12 could get two bids, one bid or shut out altogether.
For the Big 12 to get two bids, BYU probably would have to finish 12-0, then lose a close game in the championship to a two-loss team (Colorado, Iowa State or Kansas State). A 12-1 BYU team would get consideration, but it would become a question of how far it would fall and what else happens around the country.
The most likely scenario is the Big 12 will get one team in: whichever one wins the conference title game. If BYU wins out, it will have a bye, but if it slips up even once — or if another team wins the title — Boise State might be in position to get a first-round bye, assuming the Broncos win out.
The doomsday scenario in the Big 12 is if the conference champion has two or three losses and Army and Boise State win out. If that’s the case, there is a good possibility both of those schools would be ranked ahead of the Big 12 champion and the Big 12 would be left out. — Kyle Bonagura
Quotes of the Week
“They’re stubborn, man. They’re physical. He is an elite runner. The runs they run are sometimes nontraditional. They run some runs that other people don’t run because of the space in the box. He’s very patient. He hits small creases. He’s hard to tackle. How many touchdowns has he got in the SEC? Twenty-something? That’s crazy. In the SEC? The SEC is the hardest league in the world to run the ball in on because they’ve got the most size defensive lineman, and he continues to do it at a crazy pace to me.” — Kirby Smart on Volunteers tailback Dylan Sampson.
“I never try to take a step back. I try to take a step up. I’m always putting my head out the window. I’m trying to see around the corner, not trying to see straight ahead. It’s normalcy for everybody to see what’s in front of them. I’m trying to see around the corner. That’s the relationship I have with the Lord, to help me see around the corner so I can help navigate these young men as well as the women that’s attached to our program to a better way and a better life. So I don’t get caught up in the ‘You go, boys!’ or the ‘You ain’t nothing.’ You know, if I would’ve listened to you guys earlier, I’ve gotta listen to you now. So I might as well just put some headphones on and block you out. Notice I don’t have a sponsor for headphones, but that would’ve been a good placement for a sponsor.” — Deion Sanders when asked if he takes time to step back and appreciate the magnitude of Colorado’s turnaround.
“I hope anyone who has ambitions about playing in the National Football League, let’s see what you’ve got against Clemson. Let’s see you play your best game here. If you weren’t focused for Virginia, which I can’t imagine you weren’t — and I’m not saying anybody was not focused — but if they didn’t get your focus, I imagine Clemson will get your focus when you put the tape on.” — Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on whether playing Clemson gets the attention of his players.
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