Mike Schmidt was interviewed by the New York Times a week or so ago and he made some comments which many thought were insults at the Phils Four aces. Check out the article and tell me whether you think Schmidt was taking a shot at the Phillies starters.
“Well,” Schmidt said, “now when the Phillies come to town, the other team knows they’re being challenged by four No. 1 pitchers. They
have to amp up their mental game. I used to see my at-bats the night before a game when I laid my head down on the pillow. [Bob] Gibson, [Tom] Seaver, [Nolan] Ryan. I had to have a plan. When I went to Houston, they had three good pitchers. The fourth was Nolan Ryan. I could go to sleep with the other three, but Ryan kept me awake. Ryan! Ryan! Ryan! My plan was, don’t miss his fastball if he threw it over the plate. If he got two strikes on me, I’d have to face his curveball.”
He turned and looked at me with his small blue eyes, which had fear in them. “Ryan was scary!” he said. He shook his head, as if 
seeing Ryan on the mound. Ryan began his motion and fired the ball at his head. Schmidt had a split second to make a decision. Was it a 100 mph fastball that could kill him if it hit him in the head, or was it that wicked curveball? If he dove away from the plate and the pitch was a curveball that broke over the plate, he’d look like a fool and a coward. But if it wasn’t a curveball, if it was that 100 mph fastball, and he didn’t dive away from the plate . . . well, he didn’t even want to think about that.
“Ryan, Gibson, Seaver, they made you defensive,” he said. “Does that make sense? You were afraid of the ball. There’s no fear of the ball today with cutters, splitters and changeups.”
“What about the Phillies’ four pitchers?” I said.
“They’re not scary,” he said. “Even if they all win 20 games, the Phillies don’t have a pitcher who strikes fear in a hitter.”
Personally, I didn’t think that Schmidt was taking a shot at the guys. Of course he can’t really compare Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, and Tom Seaver to these guys because the game is different now. Back then all pitchers would back a hitter off the plate. Now pitchers don’t give that “chin music” nearly as much.
I’ll guarantee you if the Phillies Four Aces pitched during that time, they would have backed hitters off the plate.
The only Phils PItcher who can intimidate at times is Oswalt, He will play some chin music from time to time..
It was a dumb thing of Schmidt to say. He was always a miserable guy and if he wants to be associated with the Phillies, he should control his mean-spirited ways. I found him personally hard to root for in his heyday. He was no Johnny Callison! As much as I love this rotation, however, do any of us believe any of the Phillies starters are a Gibson, a Ryan, or a Seaver? Nah.
It’s hard to me to hate on Schmidty, real hard. Because I was once a very sick kid in the hospital and through an intermediary contact, Michael Jack sent me a personalized signed poster (and one that is SO retro right now, its awesome). So I sure cannot claim to be non-biased.
BUT – the man is famous because he was an INCREDIBLE baseball player. That’s all. I always say that it’s mildly entertaining to hear what a former great athlete has to say about his sport or his team, but it’s not always valuable points. See one Charles Barkley. Where as some former players (not always the superstars) can be GREAT at analysis (see Krucky, many others).
And I’ve said it before – I think fear is overrated VERY overrated – just play well, that’s all.
But I’ll add to my theory on it. Let’s say Schmidt is correct, for an moment, and players don’t fear our pitchers. OK. But it’s the day before a matchup v. one of them, or the day of, or hitter ‘x’ is stepping into the batter’s box. You think they’re confident/comfortable? I sure as hell don’t. I really really don’t. Do they say to themselves, ‘enh… it’s just Roy Halladay, just Cliff Lee, whatever, I can hit that guy’. F NO.
If it ain’t fear, it’s severe dread/annoyance. I’ll take significant annoyance right along with fear anyday.
I don’t care what the emotion is, if the opposing threats hesitate to be comfortable and confident when facing a Philly athlete, it’s a plus.
EXAMPLE: You think Peanut (aka Desean Jackson) puts FEAR into people? I don’t. But I think he ANNOYS THE HELL out of opposing defenses and special teamers. Same for Asante.
FEAR is OVERRATED.