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Speak softly and carry a big stick
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Milt Thompson dots the "i" and crosses the "t" in hit.
Teddy Roosevelt coined the term “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in 1903 which was also the same year of the first official World Series. The Phillies enter the 2008 World Series with a similar leadership.
Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson was one of the first to console Phillies manager Charlie Manuel when his mother passed away before Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
"He was great all day. He didn't say a lot," said Thompson. "But he was focused on what we had at hand."
But later, as reported in USA Today, the two shared a small but special moment. When the game was over that was won by the Phillies 8-5, Manuel walked slowly onto the field, and shook the hands of all his players. Thompson, who lost his mother during one spring training, was at the end of the line to give him a hug.
"I was just letting him know he'd made it through a tough day," Thompson said. "And it's going to get better."
The former leftfielder was also on the last Phillies team to make it to the World Series. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of Howard University in his hometown of Washington, D.C. but played for the Phillies from 1986-89 and again from 1993-94. His first year back with the club put him in the 1993 Fall Classic.
Thompson batted .313 with six RBI in that World Series versus the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 3-5 and collected five RBI in the highest scoring World Series game that was won by the Blue Jays 15-14.
Since 1998, he has held various positions within the organization. But in 2004, he took over the duties as hitting coach and for the past few seasons has been the man behind the batting cage working with one of the most productive offensive teams in Major League Baseball.
As the hitting coach, he will be the only one in a Phillies uniform in the dugout Wednesday night for Game 1 of the World Series who was in a Phillies uniform the night Joe Carter skyrocketed that three-run walk-off homer in the SkyDome to win the series for the Blue Jays.
"It's been since '93 that we've been able to experience anything like this," said Thompson to philly.com. "It's absolutely awesome."
That may be as animated as you’ll find Thompson. He brings a steady influence to the Phillies bats. As the team wrapped up its NLCS early and waited for its American League opponent, he was quietly confident.
"We'll take a little time off to enjoy this and then go back to work,” he said. “The whole key is to relax. Sometimes you tend to press when you get on the big stage. But these guys are tough. They find a way. They're something special."
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