memories of the 1980 World Series

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by soulsurv

LOVED Mike! I didn't care what anyone said.

He feels like a sort of soulmate to me because we were born in the same year. We're two months apart!

And funnily we've had similar hairstyles throughout the years(the 70s! lol). And now his hair is white and so is mine!

Love him!!!

[jazzy jeff]

Originally Posted by soulsurv

LOVED Mike! I didn't care what anyone said.

Without question the best 3rd Basemen ever.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by jazzy jeff

Around that time period I was playing Minor League ball in the Red Sox organization. Many of my teammates could never understand how the fans here could boo Mike Schmidt, and would say "I hope I never end up with the Phillies". Of course many never understood just how passionate our fans were and are.

As you know, Philly can be a tough town, especially if you don't fit the "mold" in which the fans hold a player. If you seem aloof, like Schmidt did on occasion, or say the wrong thing, or wear a wig in the dug out, you going to get some negatives (boos). It doesn't matter if you are one of the best, if not THEY best player in Phillies history.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

OT. Do you remember when the Athletics were in KC? You were just a child so you may not.

Yes, I do; they left KC for Oakland in 1967. I remember going to see them play at the old Municipal Stadium.

Their owner at the time, Charles O. Finley, was generally thought to be deliberately making the team bad in order to move it.

And the A's did get better once they moved to Oakland.

This made "Charley O" about the most hated man in Kansas City and Royals-A's games particularly delicious when the Royals beat them.

Which they did starting around their second season in Royals Stadium (now Kaufman Stadium).

[blktoptrvl]

Originally Posted by BR Valentine

I was at the Vet when the Phillies won the 1980 World Series. I’ve never been in a stadium louder than the Vet in the ninth inning of that game. The whole zeitgeist of the city was so similar to the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. I’ll never forget Rose catching the pop foul after it bounced out of Boone’s glove for the second out in the ninth. A great and typical Rosian play. Hated that guy when he was with the Reds but the Phils probably don’t win in 1980 without him. The scene outside the stadium after the game was totally crazy as was Center City. The national media references to “rioting” after the Eagles win made me chuckle. That was a completely tame response compared to 1980. The parade was pretty insane as well.

Were you ever in the Vet when the fans started not only yelling and screaming before each pitch, but also stamping their feet in unison? That was a freaky place the way the stadium itself would boom and reverberate!

But I was not so much a fan of Rose. Like you, I was not a fan when he was in the Big Red machine, and when he come to the Phillies it seemed like "All Pete, all the time." I remember the bumper sticker they released after the trade... "For Pete's Sake..." It was as if all the work the Phils and Danny Ozark did from the beginning of the seventies to get better and better each year was all eclipsed by the "great Pete Rose" coming to town.

I felt that the Phillies were just one cog away from being ready to win it all and almost any trade could have done it, but Pete got the bulk of the credit.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate him, and once he was in the right red pinstripes, I cheered for him, I just felt his contribution was "overblown."

[blktoptrvl]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

As you know, Philly can be a tough town, especially if you don't fit the "mold" in which the fans hold a player. If you seem aloof, like Schmidt did on occasion, or say the wrong thing, or wear a wig in the dug out, you going to get some negatives (boos). It doesn't matter if you are one of the best, if not THEY best player in Phillies history.

I remember when "Benny the Bomb" did his act at the Vet, fans booed in jest, but that was just because his act was so stupid. On the other hand, Rocketman was always in for a long sustained cheer.

Phillies fans understood when something was bad or badly done and they let you know about it. I don't think that meant they hated you, just that they knew you could do better. I think that even if a boo escaped the fans collective lips, players like Schmidt had no doubt that the fans were still behind him - at least that's how it was in my mind.


"You're trying your damndest, you strike out and they boo you. I act like it doesn't bother me, like I don't hear anything the fans say, but the truth is I hear every word of it and it kills me." -- Unknown date
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"They read their sports pages, know their statistics and either root like hell or boo our butts off. I love it. Give me vocal fans, pro or con, over the tourist types who show up in Houston or Montreal and just sit there." Source: Los Angeles Times (March 31, 1975)
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I want to tell you straight from the heart, how I feel about you and your influence on this game. As athletes, we're disciplined, we're focused, we're even tough. But I know of no athlete who is immune to fan reaction, positive or negative. Yes, you fans affect the game in a 'big' way. Calling Philadelphia fans spectators hardly describes your impact. You help mold the spirit of a team. Your positive feedback is crucial in the Phillies' right to stay on top. You know, I'm often asked what I miss most about the game. It's tough to sort out all the wonderful memories and come up with a definite answer. But I can tell you this; I'll always miss the goose bumps I got when you cheered me. I've collected eighteen years of those goose bumps, from my first hit back in 1972 to the welcome you gave me tonight. To right now. That feeling can never be recreated, but that feeling will always be remembered. (May 26, 1990)

Mike Schmidt

[loose cannon]

Schmidt was very inconsistent in the 70's and even hit below .200 early in his career. Sometimes he deserved the boos. Luzinski minus 1 season was statistically better than Schmidt.

[Avalon08]

I watched it on TV, my son was a baby. I lived in a high-rise apartment in the suburbs of Philly....someone in the other building came out on his balcony and started banging pots, but that was it. It was late and there was no ruckus. That's one of the reasons I was determined to be at that Eagles parade. I did NOT want to be watching it on TV, I wanted to be right in the middle of it. And I was!

P.S. When I was working and had frequent-flyer miles, I was in first-class one time from PHL to West Palm. Mike Schmidt was right in front of me on an aisle seat, and an older gentleman bent his ear the whole flight. They were talking about golf but then I did hear some baseball talk. I thought maybe Mike would be annoyed, but no, he indulged the guy the whole time...I thought that was sweet.

[jazzy jeff]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

Schmidt was very inconsistent in the 70's and even hit below .200 early in his career. Sometimes he deserved the boos. Luzinski minus 1 season was statistically better than Schmidt.

The rare negatives that Schmidt had with a bat were more then made up for with his glove.