Mike Schmidt Quotes

United States, Baseball Player
September 27, 1949

Michael Jack Schmidt is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt was a twelve-time All-Star and a three-time winner of the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player award (MVP), and he was known for his combination of power hitting and strong defense: as a hitter, he compiled 548 home runs and 1,595 runs batted in (RBIs), and led the NL in home runs eight times and in RBIs four times. As a fielder, Schmidt won the National League Gold Glove Award for third basemen ten times. Schmidt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 and is often considered the greatest third baseman in baseball history.

If you could equate the amount of time and effort put in mentally and physically into succeeding on the baseball field and measured it by the dirt on your uniform, mine would have been black.

Mike Schmidt
- Effort
- Baseball
- Amount
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.

Mike Schmidt

I'm 61 now, and I'm comfortable in my lifestyle... I don't yearn for the limelight on a regular basis. I get a kick out of it every so often. I go to Philly and go to a game, and they make a big deal about me. That's fun for a couple of days, and I can go back to my own private life.

Mike Schmidt
Major League Baseball has created a Pete Rose purgatory, and that's where he is. And that's where he's always going to be. It's unfortunate that the commissioner's office has decided to allow that to be the reality. I don't think Pete would mind if they said 'No' to Pete. Pete wants them to go one way or the other and get him out of the void he's in.

Mike Schmidt
- Thinking
- Reality
- Majors
Pete Rose is the most likable arrogant person I've ever met.

Mike Schmidt
- Person
- Arrogant
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.

Mike Schmidt
- Trying
- Bother
- Strikes
If you're associated with the Philadelphia media or town, you look for negatives. I don't know if there's something about their upbringing or they have too many hoagies, or too much cream cheese.

Mike Schmidt
Philadelphia is the only city, where you can experience the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it the next day.

Mike Schmidt
- Reading
- Victory
- Agony

I don't think I can get into my deep inner thoughts about hitting. It's like talking about religion.

Mike Schmidt
I need to be out earning. I can make more in two hours at a card show than I did [as a minor-league manager] all year.

Mike Schmidt
- Shows
- League
- Cards
Any time you think you have the game conquered, the game will turn around and punch you right in the nose.

Mike Schmidt
- Thinking
- Famous
- Noses
But remember this: in the final analysis, you can believe in your dream, you can be taught, supported, motivated, and loved by others, but ultimately, your success depends on you. You must take responsibility for your body, your mind, and for your character.

Mike Schmidt
I can't stand satisfaction. To me, greatness comes from that quest for perfection.

Mike Schmidt
It isn't that hard to get RBI's when you're hitting home runs, you generally get a least one.

Mike Schmidt
- Home
- Running
- Hitting

I could ask the Phillies to keep me on to add to my statistics, but my love for the game won't let me do that.

Mike Schmidt
- Games
- Statistics