Remember Bryce Harper’s Instagram story on Sunday, with all of the Phillies dressed in suits and Rob Thomson in a fedora? There’s a great back story about why the Phillies wore suits for the road trip:

Per Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter, which you can subscribe to at the link:

Everybody is dressed in suits and ties, except Thomson, who is dressed in a suit, tie and fedora. He is standing in the middle. He is smiling. His arms are outstretched.

Harper captioned it: “FATHERS DAY FIGHTINS! #SAID”

“That really touched me,” Thomson said.

You see, Thomson wears a suit and tie on every road trip, even as big league dress codes have relaxed considerably over the years.

“It’s a tribute to my father,” Thomson said.

More than a few Phillies players know this. Because everybody has so much affection for Thomson, they decided to surprise him and wear suits and ties for their Father’s Day flight to Texas.

What an awesome gesture from a pro ballclub. This stuff isn’t normal. You’ve got different guys with different agendas, pay stubs, and attitudes. This club though has been jelling. It’s amazing every story that’s come out since Thomson was named the manager. These guys absolutely adore the new head ball coach.

Except this asshole! Who’s this guy? I’m praying it’s Knebel. DFA him immediately:

Thomson dove deeper into the backstory and the reason he wears suits every road trip:  

Jack Thomson took Rob to his first big league game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Thomson, 58, figures he must have been 8 or 9 years old, which means it could have been 1972 or 1973. Those teams had Tigers legends like Al Kaline, Bill Freehan and Mickey Lolich.

After the game, Jack and Rob Thomson walked past the Tigers parking lot.

Every player left the stadium in a suit and tie.

“Rob, that’s what a big league ballplayer looks like,” Jack Thomson said.

Thank you, Jack Thomson! Thank you and your strong seed for producing the greatest manager of all time.

P.S. Rally Fedoras?