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After roughly 18 years as a journalist in the Bay Area, Marcus Thompson’s run of never covering spring training came to an end this weekend.
During his time in Scottsdale, The Athletic‘s columnist spent some time with Bruce Bochy and wrote on the manager’s recent tough times that go beyond his team’s 98 loss season.
“It was weird because I always saw Bochy as the guy who has all the answers and he knows everything,” Thompson said on Murph & Mac Tuesday morning. “I’ve questioned Bochy’s moves so many times, like ‘why are you doing that?’ and it works out, so I don’t question Bochy any more because I always look like an idiot.
“But to talk to him and see that he actually doesn’t have everything figured out. Like, I didn’t know Bochy had emotions or got hurt. It was just weird. You expect to go to Boch when you are bothered and saying, ‘give me some wisdom’ or ‘I need to talk to you about something.’ His door is open and that seems like who Boch is from my view, somebody you can go to when you need something.”
On the surface, Bochy is the manager who led the Giants to three World Series championships since being hired in 2007. In just about every perilous situation on the field, Bochy always seems to know the right thing to do.
It was part of that persona that got Thompson thinking.
“But then I started wondering who does Boch go to and does he need something,” Thompson said. “Because he’s going through a lot. I don’t think a lot of people realize. They don’t pay attention because he’s Boch.”
In his piece, Thompson wrote about what Bochy’s gone through over the last six months, starting with the Giants losing their 92nd game that ensured it would be the worst season of his managerial career in San Francisco, and emphasizing the death of his former teammate and friend Kevin Towers.
“It was interesting to talk to him and hear that side of him from a guy who probably has gone through some stuff,” Thompson said. “He needed Sabean. He needed his wife and he needed to get through a rough time.”
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and skip to 7:10 for Thompson on Bochy.