Archive: Rich Ashburn writes about Schmidt's retirement

From the June 1, 1989 Daily News:

"Here's the pitch . . . Long drive! . . . Outta here! Home run, Michael Jack Schmidt . . . "

Harry Kalas is going to miss describing Mike Schmidt and his home run swings. And he is going to miss Mike Schmidt personally. At the risk of rating Schmidt's close friends both on and off the playing field, Kalas has to be in Schmidt's top five.

Schmidt has acquaintances on the Phillies team, but not many close friends. ''It just wasn't Mike's nature to get that close to people," Kalas said, reflecting on Schmidt's retirement announcement Monday.

Even Schmidt admitted this spring: "I'm going to make an effort to get a little closer to my teammates. " He added: "Communication on this team has been one of my problems and one of the team's problems for the last few years. "

Typical was the brief skirmish last season between Shane Rawley and Juan Samuel. It didn't amount to much, just some shoving and a few angry words. But after the tussle, Rawley said: "That's the first time I've ever talked to Sammy," and they were teammates for a few years. If there is a point to be made in this, it is that Schmidt didn't do much communicating with his teammates, but his teammates didn't communicate that much, either.

Ironically, Schmidt probably was closer to his teammates when he left them in San Diego than when he played with them. He called a team meeting Sunday night to tell them of his retirement plans, and gave each player an autographed baseball inscribed with a personal message. Said one teammate: ''It was a nice gesture on his part. For myself, I know it's something I'll always treasure. "

Most of the players attended Schmidt's Monday press conference, held in the football locker room adjacent to the visitors' clubhouse in Jack Murphy Stadium. And most were surprised at Schmidt's emotional breakdown.

"I thought I knew Mike pretty well," a veteran player said. "I've seen him on good days and bad days and I've never seen him upset one way or another. I was completely shocked to see him cry. It almost makes me think I didn't know him at all. "

Maybe none of us knew him that well, or appreciated him that much. Maybe now that he has retired he will get more respect for what he accomplished and less criticism for what he didn't accomplish. Schmidt was without a doubt the best all-around third baseman in the history of the game. But there always seemed to be room for criticism.

The criticism started early in Schmidt's career. When he was a shortstop at Reading in 1971, the scouting report was: "Has two bad knees, doesn't have the body to play the infield and doubt if he can hit major league pitching. " Only one man in the Phillies organization - minor league instructor Granny Hamner - recognized Schmidt's potential. Hamner wrote: "Out of position, should be playing third base. If they leave this kid alone, he can be great. "

In 1973, Schmidt's first full year with the Phillies, he hit .196, struck out 136 times and prompted manager Danny Ozark to say: "I'd trade him for a load of pumpkins. " Ozark managed the Phillies for 6 1/2 seasons, and to his credit later called Schmidt "the greatest player I ever managed. "

Schmidt had solid seasons in 1974 and '75. In '74, he had 36 homers and 116 runs batted in. In '75, he had 38 homers and 95 RBI, although he was criticized as a hitter who struck out too much and couldn't drive in the big run. But he went on to beat that grossly unfair rap.

Perhaps the one criticism that rankled Schmidt the most - and one that stayed with him from beginning to end - was that he was guilty of thinking too much. Paralysis through analysis was what it was called. The critics suggested that Schmidt would have been more successful if he were stone dumb. They said he would have done a lot better by relying on his instincts more and his brain less.

Schmidt's accomplishments are a matter of record, and he did it entirely on his own. It didn't make any difference to Schmidt who managed the club. He didn't rely on any of a number of Phillies hitting coaches, nor did he avail

himself of infield coaches or baserunning coaches. He molded his entire game all by himself. His theme song could have been "My Way. " The song's famous lyrics - "The record shows I took the blows and did it my way" - fit Schmidt's approach to baseball perfectly. And even his staunchest critics would have to say he did it pretty well.

Schmidt's decision to retire was strictly his own. Was it the right decision? Was he a 39-year-old player in a slump or a washed-up 39-year-old?

On the 3rd of May, Schmidt was hitting .275 and among the league leaders in homers with six and RBI with 21. His fielding, if not Gold Glove-quality, was adequate, and he tried to compensate for his inability to throw the ball hard by a quicker release. But in his next 57 at-bats, Schmidt hit .088 with no homers and seven RBI, and his fielding was atrocious.

That was the slump Mike Schmidt couldn't survive.