Today in Philly Sports History: Schmidt Calls Philly Fans “Beyond Help,” 1985

Hard to believe that a guy who's been ranked as quite possibly the greatest Phillie to ever don the P, a three-time MVP and one-time World Series Champ, could have such a rocky relationship with the city's fans. But Mike Schmidt certainly had his ups and downs with the city of brotherly love, and the first half of the 1985 season would certainly land in the "downs" column. In the midst of one of his roughest stretches since he was but a rookie pup, Schmidt was hitting in the low .200s with just a handful of homers through the first couple months of the season, prompting more than a couple fans to voice their disapproval. So in an interview published on June 29th, 1985, Schmidt vented his frustration.

"They're beyond help," Schmidt told the Montreal Gazette. "It's a mob scene, uncontrollable." Not content with providing the soundbite, Schmidt elaborated: "I'll tell you something about playing in Philadelphia. Whatever I've got in my career now, I would have had a great deal more if I'd played my whole career in Los Angeles or Chicago...somewhere were they were just grateful to have me around." Schmidt would go on, calling out the fans for being jealous of his 2.1 mil a year salary, and claiming that though he used to let the boo-birds get to him, this season he "couldn't care less."

Schmidt would care, however, about how his comments just might further alienate Philly audiences, and quickly apologized for them. Furthermore, to diffuse a potentially tense situation, he showed up during his next game at the Vet wearing sunglasses and a long wig. He was met with a standing ovation, and a reminder that even chomping-at-the-bit Phillies fans can appreciate a good apology-via-bad-joke. Meanwhile, Schmidt would eventually turn his season around, finishing 1985 with 33 homers and a .907 OPS--not Michael Jack's best year for the Fightins, but not exactly a lost season either. 1986, meanwhile, would be even better, as Schmidt would lead the league in homers and RBIs on the way to winning his third MVP, the last Phillie to win the award until Ryan Howard took home top honors in 2006.