High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - MLB Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt Talks Phillies Career and New Documentary | 'The Bret Boone Podcast'

Episode Date: December 17, 2024

From 'The Boone Podcast' (subscribe here): Bret Boone sits down with MLB Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. The two discuss Schmidt's recent MLB Network documentary, his time with the Phillies, and Schmidt's storied career. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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The responsibility starts now. Now in its fourth year, this is the one and only Brett Boone Podcast. Welcome to the Brett Boone Podcast. I am Brett Boone. Today I'm joined by a friend of the podcast we had him on a couple of years ago. Huge part of my childhood

long time of teammates With my pop and we're gonna get to reminisce and today about that Recently at a big he came out on LB network And let's get to it. Welcome Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt Thanks for coming on. Yeah Brad, pleasure. No problem doing your podcast. You're a great friend, your family's a great friend, your mom, your dad, big part of my career. I ate a lot of pregame meals before you were born at their house and they kind of, your daddy and mommy took me under their wing and

Your dad's I what he might be Maybe a year two years older than me But back in the early days when he was in the minor leagues We came up together in the minor leagues and he switched to catcher to allow me to play third base So I'd say he was pretty important to me me. And still to this day, you know, he loves talking about that. He goes, you know, Schmitty wouldn't even have made it if I wouldn't have agreed to move to catcher. That's his running, you know, that's his one-liner and it's still, it's still funny to this day. I tell that story all the time because people think

people know, you know, they know Mike Schmidt, the great third baseman, Bob Boone, the catcher for those big Philly teams, you know, world champion in 1980. And they just assumed dad was a catcher, Zulker. I said, you have ended up. You know if dad stays at third He might get a cup of coffee in the big leagues instead. He plays 19 years and People don't know that about him. It was it's even weirder my grandpa Came up as a catcher and then he ended up being a third base from to Detroit and Cleveland So they had kind of a twist of fate but I wasn't allowed to catch Mike. Growing up my dad said that's the last thing you do is catch. You play short until they tell you can't play short anymore and then you go play second and that was my last stop.

That's what happened to me. You play short until you can't play short anymore and they sent me over to third base and they asked, well, I don't know whether daddy wanted to be a catcher or not but somehow being a catcher got, you know, got put into his, uh, his career. I mean, I don't know whether he suggested it or somebody else suggested it. Uh, but yeah, you're right. Uh, if it's another one of those breaks in my life and my career, um, getting to know your dad and having your dad sacrifice something for my career. So yeah, he's big in my life, not just in baseball, but as a friend.

You had the documentary come out and I wanna ask you first, you've got a lot of accolades in your lifetime. But when there's a documentary that comes out and you're watching it and you see the final product, I got to watch it. Uh, I was, you know, I taped it as soon as I heard it was coming out and sat down and watch it throughout the documentary, you reminisce and you read quotes of a young, of a younger Mike Schmidt and there's kind of that kind of wry smile like, like we all do, you know, know we all go back I go back and when I was 22 and coming up I

Thought I knew it all and then I was 30 and I laughed at that 22 year old and now I laugh at that guy that I thought was a veteran at 55. I look back to that guy that was 38 myself and laugh at him. We all do but did did you feel like Does it seem like it was you or was it like a fictional character you were you were watching that's uh that's a good way to describe it brett um and you know you know the whole thing is uh everything at the current age uh when you look back at it, you have a totally different perspective than when you were living it. No one gave me any instructions as to how to handle playing in Philadelphia. I mean, people said, well, their fans are tough, but no one gave me instructions about how to play in front of them, how to handle what you're going to

end up having to handle. I wasn't really ready for it. I wasn't mature enough. I was too sensitive to that whole thing. And I like to think looking back at it now, if I had it to do over again, I would have a much different perspective on what was going on. I mean I really took it personally and you know you you may remember what I went through when I behind the scenes the pressure I felt trying to perform on the field in front of them I don't want to say sort of eliminate the possibility of being booed, but it's just they can be very harsh at times. And when you saw the documentary,

I think they portrayed the fans maybe a little too harshly. I'm not sure because they showed a lot of clips of the fans being very brutal to us as players. And they also showed parts of me that were very brutal toward the fans. And just, I was reading those quotes on that iPad and that was one sit down part of the interview and they handed me an iPad and it had like eight quotes from me throughout my career and I'm going, you gotta be kidding, I said that, you gotta be kidding, I said that. And they were trying to get a reaction out of me and one or two of them was going, God, I can't believe I said that.

And then I could see where fans started to, get to the sense of how they felt about me. And there's a lot of things about that and the quotes, the honesty in front of the media surely didn't help. And then you know in Philadelphia, they want the real down and dirty kind of player. They appreciate the guy that runs in the walls and you know they had a love affair with Larry Bowen, Greg Luzinski and Pete Rose of course and they were appeared to be like real down and dirty working class baseball players and I appeared more to be

I would say like a Joe DiMaggio style player, someone that the game came easy for. I almost looked like I didn't care on the field. That documentary depicted a lot of me diving and sliding and really getting dirty. And I thought that was great that you know they showed me like that but there's no question looking back to answer your question is it almost likes I was saying is that me and yeah I look at it in a totally different light now than than when

I was in the middle of it but I when I was in the middle of it. But I can remember being in the middle of it. I mean, I own it now. That's one thing about the documentary, what it teaches you to do. It teaches you to own the reality. I don't have any... I wish it was different, but I don't have a problem owning it right now after having watched. Because I get to own all the good stuff too. You know, I get to own, you know, all the successes. I get to own both sides of it. And so in totality, I was very pleased with it.

Getting a lot of really positive comments. Well, you know, I can completely understand, because I can put myself back, and you were probably in your late your late twenties at the time when it was really coming to a head. You're in your heyday, you're winning MVP awards and you're coming to the yard. And if you, if you don't get any hits that day, you're getting booed out of the stadium. And it's like, wait a minute, I'm winning home run titles. I'm winning an MVP. Why are you booing me?

But you're not booing my teammates. They haven't won MVP. I completely get booing me, but you're not booing my teammates? They haven't won MVPs. I completely get the mindset at that stage of your life. I think anybody would understand that. You go to, Reggie Jackson always said, they don't boo nobodies. And you go to a visiting ballpark and you get booed, that's kind of an endearment, like, all right,

you're the man and we're booing you because you're that good. And it's kind of a stick your chest out. Yeah, you booed me because you know, I'm going to kick your ass. But at home and Philly, it's very unique to get booed at home when you're when the accolades are piling up like you did in your career. I could I could imagine being that kid being that young man thinking, why the hell are you sitting at home and I'm sure you're talking to Donna going, why the hell are they booing me? I got 46 homers. I'm doing this. We're in first place. Uh, I could imagine those conversations.

There's only a few of you, I think that have really gone through the wringer and Philly, Philly greats. You know, I think like a, uh, a Barkley who was a part of your documentary, he can, he can cut, he can feel that. a little bit. A Barclay who was a part of your documentary he can. He can feel that I sent a text about a half hour ago thanking him for being. A part of it and I said that

because you know. You know I'm Charles I said to Charles because you know what I went through you did too. So yeah that's definitely one I think maybe an Eric Lindros might know a little bit. Julius Irving might know. And I wouldn't go there. You think Julius was more of the golden child? They loved him?

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I think he entertained those people. He did things that were unimaginable, unimaginable on a court. You saw it. I saw it. I mean, you saw it. I saw it. I think he was, you know, gentlemen Julius. I mean, you know how he is, his personality and all that. I think they revered that man. I can't ever. And I watched him. I can't ever remember a negative sound in the state and you know, in the spectrum when he was there. We were talking off camera how cool it was when stuff like this comes out and I'll share this with the podcast.

Whenever anything from my childhood comes out and it has to do with your documentary or anything 70s 80s Phillies. Philly's. We have a text chain and I'll get texts from Aaron, Aaron Boone and Pete Rose Jr. and maybe a Mark McGraw and all my buddies that grew up in in New Jersey about that time. Right. And it brings me back because it's like, what am I doing talking to my seventh grade buddy that we played football together just because a Mike Schmidt documentary is coming up, but it's cool. And now everybody's sitting down and they're watching it. And then they'll send a text. I mean, these people, I haven't heard from in 20 years and all of a sudden it's a, it's a big Philly moment because that was such a big time.

And, and as you know, the people from Philadelphia and that part of the country, uh, the Jersey side, man, and they're especially my age. That's all they talk about is that 80s Phillies. What was it like being on the float because I was on the float with you guys at the at the parade thinking it was just a normal thing to do. Yeah. But it's it's pretty awesome when you get that then you're getting feedback and it feels like you're in seventh grade. I feel like I'm in seventh grade again and I'm getting ready to go to the ballpark and hound you guys. It is fun to reminisce like that.

Uh, my daughter, uh, Jessica was, uh, got a big kick out of her. She was a baby and you know, Donna was holding Jessica and Jonathan wasn't born yet, but, uh, um, so she, she then exchanged texts and sent out posts and things about hey did you see me on my dad's podcast you know I'm just a little baby Jessica but you know that so that opened up a whole bunch of communication with her and yeah it's it's amazing the tentacles you know that when something like this happens, that there are, you know, the present, like, I mean, imagine all the people that were seen in that podcast, you know, it doesn't necessarily have to be about me. I was the reason that it was out

there. But think of all the people that were in it. Yeah. How it took us all back to that time, that era. And for me and for a lot of those people, man, it's going to be something like my last hurrah. Ha ha. It'll be there. It'll always be there. I'll be dead and gone. And hopefully it'll be a while.

But I'll be dead and gone. And it's still there for people to watch. Yeah, it'll be it's something it's your legacy It's it's your great grandkids will get to watch that and go. Hey, that's my great grandpa So there's something to that not to be too many people when they're dead and gone have something like that That's right. You know uh to kind of live on a quick little story my uh my granddaughter she's fifteen and she's such a kind uh soft

beautiful little girl and she's she and um her sister who's uh two years younger than her were sitting on the couch with Jessica watching the podcast and they had never seen, they didn't even know my middle name was Jack. Oh, I didn't know that. Papa's middle name was Jack and they started crying. They said they want to, I don't want to just give Papa a hug.

You know, they felt so bad about all that. They were showing that I went through. They had no idea I went through all that stuff. They really hadn't really ever seen much of film highlights clips of me as a player. They knew I played baseball, and they knew I was a famous baseball player. But to get them to see those clips

was very special. It's awesome, because I would sit there, I was watching it, and I've got my youngest, my twin boys, they're home from college. So they're coming up. My twin boys are 20, my youngest. Savannah's off, she's married, that's my daughter, and my oldest son, Jacob,

he's still playing in the minor leagues. Right now he's back doing a job in Manhattan, in New York. He's actually living with Uncle Aaron right now. No kid. But my youngest boys are home for Christmas. And I'm watching the documentary, and they're coming over, they're like, what are you watching?

I said, I'm watching the documentary about Schmitty. Like Schmitty, who's Schmitty? I said, Schmitty's a... These guys are 20. They got no clue about anything. They're worried about the next frat party they're going to. I said, well, Mike played third base and he played with Grandpa. And this is during my childhood. And I even told him the story. I said, that guy used to change my diapers. I'm talking about my grandpa and this is during my childhood and

you know and II even told him the story I said that guy used to change my diapers and he goes come on I said yeah so you know they they asked me a few questions and they moved on with their life but it's just like you said your your

granddaughter knows that you did something pretty special but she's not quite sure and it's not something she probably talks about with her friends. Right for sure yeah. Who reached out to you right away that you haven't heard from in a long time when this came out? Let's see a lot of people do you know Mike Tolan? Yes. Yeah I've had a lot of wonderful he's a he and I are really good friends. lot of wonderful, he's a, he and I are really good friends. And we talked for an hour about those old days, you know, and Dick Allen was part of the subject. And so he's, he grew up in Philly, in Havertown or something. And he is, he's very close with Middleton. And, and I mean, he and I can just talk forever

because he knows the town, the people. He knows me real well. He's, you know, Mike did the last dance with Michael Jordan and you know, he's a movie producer. And what did he just, I mean, he's done several big things but, and I only say him because he's a great, great fun to talk to. As far as reaching out, Julius did. Julius reached out.

Now, a lot of this reaching out was based upon me reaching out to thank them. And then they came back to me with a text. But personal friends of the family, our friends now, people from Philly, you know, Jake Tapper, he's a good friend of mine at CNN. I know that's the other side of the, you know, the other side of the world politically for you guys because I know you're bad. I'm not going to do this people. Did. Did they get it right and was there something

that didn't make it into the final cut that you wish they would've got it good question. Well there's one thing that I wished hadn't been in it that made the final cut that was that that was that quote in Philadelphia magazine before I went to the Hall of Fame you know that one but what you know why do I owe Philadelphia anything they did never did

anything for me you know I'd let it fly one time in a Philadelphia magazine piece which I should never have done. Let me think no Brett I'll tell I'll tell you, I, you know, after getting a chance to digest the thing and think about it and listen to other people's opinions about it, I used the term own it early. I'm uncomfortable with it. That was the times, you know, that's how it was back then. That's how I was. I wish it would have been a little bit more of a, you know, a George Brett kind of a career, you know, or they just loved him everywhere he went.

You know what I mean? He was a man of the people, so to speak. And you wouldn't say that about me when I played. I was basically the opposite of the man of the people, so to speak. And you wouldn't say that about me when I played. I was basically the opposite of the man of the people. Citizen Mike, I was not. Citizen George, he was. I mean, and he's still that way.

But I have made the total transition to Citizen Mike, if that makes sense to you. It absolutely does. And that makes sense to you. It absolutely does and I know exactly what you're talking about when you say, you know, George couldn't couldn't get negative press. There's guys in my generation, you know, Derek Jeter taking nothing away from Derek Jeter. He's a great guy. He was a great ambassador for for the great player Hall of Famer but he could do no wrong. I played with Barry Larkin in in Cincinnati. Barry was walked on

water as far as the press was concerned. There's certain guys that are just whatever it is about them that they they are just born that way and and that's the way it is and it's not it's something that the rest of us look to and go how come I don't have that. And it's not, it's something that the rest of us look to and go, how come I don't have that? But, but it's just,

it's something innate that you're born with. Well, it's the way you carry yourself. And, you know, if, if you have a certain walk or a certain react, the way you react to certain things, if the expectations are at a certain level for you and in baseball, you know you can't meet expectations but maybe once or twice a week, right? Right. You know, and you know that's the kind of game it is. In football you play one game every Sunday and yeah, you ought to be able to meet expectations once a week, right, on Sunday afternoon. every Sunday and yeah, you ought to be able to meet expectations once a week, right? On Sunday afternoon. You know, but you know, I go 0 for 4, 0 for 5 a couple days a week and those are going to be rough days, especially if in those games,

the game could be on the line, right? You know, it could be a big, a big at bat, an error or something, you know, and in Philly, they're concerned about today, you know, not yesterday, not what you might do, what your stats are on the scoreboard. They're watching you now and they want to see you put your teeth in it. You know, they want to see you dive into bases, take out people at second base and they want to see you dirty. They want to see you hurt. the bases take out people at second base and they want to see you dirty they want to see

you hurt you know they want to see you slam your helmet break your bad you know they want to see all those kind of things and- and- I'm not saying very Larkin. Did that for George Brett did that right right this is no negative connotations to

these yeah. That's the type of player personality they like in Philadelphia right and maybe in San Diego they wouldn't even notice the way I walked or whether I you know whether I came through in a certain clutch situation or whether I made a negative comment They need to have one writer in San Diego, who knows? And he may be for the players as opposed to six writers in Philadelphia and they all seemed like they were against the players, right? Yeah, so you know, it's just the world I played in, the city I played in, and we have made amends and I love that city now and the Phillies have given me opportunity to stay involved for it's been like 15 years now maybe even I got back with the Phillies in 2000. Larry Bo was the manager spring training so I've been back with them. I've been with the Phillies for almost 55 years you believe that.

I've been with the Phillies for almost 55 years. You believe that? Yeah, in one organization, which makes it two so unique about the, and you talk about, and I'll get off the subject after that, but you talk about the George Brett, and I think it's great. Let's just keep it simple.

If you and George flipped, you were born were. Yeah and raised Kansas City Royal and he was a filling it might have been a completely different script. Yeah you hear what George said in the documentary about playing in Philly. He he

said he he's glad he never played exactly exactly yeah and there are many times when I was playing that I was I thought it might have been easier for me playing somewhere else. You know where, whether they came from the beach from surfing all day to watch a couple innings of the Dodgers game and have a couple of beers and you know, they weren't they didn't know the stats. They didn't you know what

I mean? They they weren't and by the way, the Phillies fans were smart. They're intelligent and they know the game. They know when you don't move a you mean the Trey Turner when they gave the I mean, they made a documentary about it. I think it's been on, it's on Netflix. Oh, oh, oh, you mean the Trey Turner when they gave him the standing o? Yes, yes. Yeah. Come join me, Andrew Filippone.

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That's a new trend now. I know. Where was it? Where was it when you were playing? I was at the game. Oh, right. Yeah. Where's the Schmidty standing? Oh, by the way, I won the MVP last year. You're booing me out of the stadium. Sorry, I went 0 for 7 the last two games. It happened. Exactly. But I was there. I watched it. Pre game. I went in and we were I was chatting with Dave Buck in the office. And he was telling me about this the sports announcer in the city that had suggested to the fans on talk radio that it might be something to try.

Right. Because he was scuffling big time. We rode a West Coast trip or something. He was really scuffling. He was like 0 for 20 or something. And Trey signed a big contract, long term, that kind of stuff, affiliates. And it was one of those things where you gotta be afraid to go home plate that first at

that when you return back to the city from the road because you're scuffling so much. He went to the plate and I was, where was I? I was either, it was, I don't know, it couldn't have been a Sunday, but I was there for something and everybody's wondering what's going to happen. What's going to happen. They gave him a standing ovation when he walked up to the plate standing ovation. You thought he had a walk off grand slam or something standing ovation. He backed out. He took his helmet off, spun around, tipped his,

whoa, tipped his helmet to the crowd. Got back in the batter's box and went 10 for 20 or something crazy thing like that. the first round. Tipped his hot. That's standing goes gonna be a one time. Yeah, Brett. I don't I don't know. Yeah, there's always pressure one way or the other but it had it had a kind of like. man. I'm calm me down. You know, it just kind of like let the air out of

the balloon, you know, and and sure enough, he got hot. You know, it gave me a chance by watching that documentary. I got to kind of walk go through that 80s play off with the Astros and the World Series one more time. I mean, it seems well, those are

classics. So, you see him once in a while. I always sit down and watch because it seems like I was sitting in my in my bedroom in New Jersey, going through it for the umpteenth time. But I also learned a few things. I had no idea about the early, uh, not, I don't want to call them troubles, but

the early relationship you had with Danny Ozark, I remember Danny Ozark. I was probably four or five years old. That was mentioned in the documentary. Had no idea that dick Dick Allen was kind of a mentor to you at an early age By the way, I want to talk about dig out a little bit recently getting into the Hall of Fame I I've heard the stories. I'm not really old enough to have really remembered watching dick Allen play I think he was more, you know, I was more five or six then whereas when I was in Philly in in 80

I was 12. or six then. Whereas when I was in Philly in 80, I was 12. I remember those vividly. But it taught me a few things that I didn't know about. Like the Danny Ozark thing, for example, giving you a hard time. I'm laughing because he's sitting there going, "'Okay, you can't have the flat fat.' Well, I hit like this.

You know, and that's a part of when we get to the big leagues. It's like, what are you going to do? Because you have these expectations when and we get to the big leagues, what are you going to do? Because you have these expectations when you're coming through the minor leagues and you have this success which gets you to

the big leagues. You get to the big leagues and they tell you, you got to do a different. Wait a minute. This is how I got here. So now I'm going to change. It's still baseball. Yes, uh, that was in the

documentary and I'll never forget he and I had a really rocky relationship in 73. You know, I wasn't very good, Brett, very inconsistent. I mean, I struck out like third of the time I got to home plate and I think I only had like 350 at best that year because he would platoon me. Ozark would and there was a guy on our team called his name was Caesar Tobar and so he kind of played every position in the infield and when he played he was a leadoff

hitter and he went to Caesar Tobar a lot and didn't play me so yeah it was I mean I hit 18 home runs that year and I think I had 55 ribbies or something and I was second on the team in both categories. But Greg was there then and he was there kind of upcoming star at the time. And I was, I mean, I don't know, I just wasn't ready. I should have spent another year in the minor leagues. But Ozark and I was in the spring when I went to spring training the next

year. I was I'm kind of like fighting to stay in the big leagues. This is the spring training of seventy-four right and you know he walked around the batting cage and you know he'd stand and you make comments and then that one day

you saw in the documentary. I he was standing behind the batting cage and you know I I was whatever I do, you know, I was doing it and he said, he said they caught him talking to Ray Ripple Meyer, I think who said, you know, if he didn't, if he didn't lay that bat back down, I'll get his ass out of here or something like that's what he said to Ray Ripple Meyer and they caught it on camera or whatever. And I said, you do whatever you want. I'm not doing this with my bat. You know, he wanted me to flatten out my bat.

He thought maybe that was the reason I was so bad. So, went to winter ball and came back and came out in 74, hit a home run off Tug McGraw opening day, a walk off, and then the whole year in 1974 was probably my best year ever. Did the relationship change? I think of it when I was a kid and I was coming up, the guy that was hardest on me was Lou Pennella. And I mean, we got to a point where we were going to blows in his office.

I said, Lou, I am, you know, just leave me alone. And he left me alone. And to this day, he's one of my favorite men in the game. We have an unbelievable relationship. Second time I went back to Seattle, you know, it was different. I was a veteran player at that time, but loved him. But man, was he tough on me when I was coming up.

You know, it's like, Booney, I want you to hit home runs to the pull side. Then after the game, he didn't get the runner over. I told him to move the runner and I'm going, what do you want? You know, I'm 22 years old. I'm going, what do you want? And man, we had a tough relationship. Mine ended up being, went from real tough relationship to one of my favorite men that I've ever met in the game. But did it change

with you once you started having a lot of success in Philly with those are the only managed- all the way up to seventy nine so right right managed- seventy three to seventy nine so that's like seven years I guess-. And he was let go in 79 for Dallas Green. Right.

And I had a ton of success through the 70s. So individually, team-wise, of course, we won the division a couple of times, three times, actually. And we lost in the first round of the playoffs three times. So Danny, I guess the only heat he took through all that was not replacing Bull in that one game where he should have, where that fly ball was catchable. Left field, yeah, left field. And he normally put Jerry Martin out there in that situation.

Now who knows whether he would have caught it or not. But that was our one real chance to get to the World Series but yeah I mean Danny's record through that whole time was probably pretty darn good. I mean we won 100 games one time and 97 games another time and so yeah it's formidable manager through that time. Of course, and Dallas Green comes along with a totally different approach to management and Danny was more of just let him play and Dallas was more of a like Luke Pennella was with you, he was much more of a guy like that. And Dallas got a lot of credit for us when in the World Series and

most of the credit probably should have gone to Pete Rose. But yeah, I mean, Danny has passed away over the last year credit for us winning the World Series and most of the credit probably should have gone to Pete Rose, but yeah, I mean, Danny has passed away a while back and he and his wife, yeah, we, you know, I'd say a similar thing to, like me and Danny, to you and Penelope, for sure, you know, after, after we both were out of the game and we bump into each other somewhere, we have some really, really nice chats about the old days like you and Lou do, you know, and you can say, Danny, what do you think? You think I should have laid that bat flat? Danny, let's just go back. Let's redo this whole thing. I'm gonna hit with a flat bat and let's see if it turns out the same.

I'm sure he's. Brett. I actually from 1985, 86, 87, 88. Well, 86 and 87 when I thought I was probably the best hitter of all of my entire career. I did. You know, I did not take any pumps, you know, before I just touched the plate and put my bat here. And I think I think I did not take any pumps before.

I just touched the plate and put my bat here. And I think I thought I was putting it more flat. I wanted to drive down on the ball more as a hitter. And it's hard to do that if you're like this, if your elbow's coming up like that. It's really hard to get it back down in a downward plane. So I tried to lay it a little flatter so I could go directly to the ball, which major league hitters nowadays don't do.

Isn't it amazing though how, because I had a flat bat when I was early, and then I kind of went more upright and kind of I don't know I kind of it's hard to explain but my back elbow was up and I just felt more powerful that way and when you're at your best you can kind of do anything. Great hitters have hit with a flat bat great hitters hit straight up it's all it's all where you are when that ball's in the hitting zone and we know that but isn't it amazing when you're talking about hitting't call where you are when that ball's in the hitting zone and we know that but isn't it amazing when you're talking about hitting

and you were you said later in your career, you thought you had a flat back. Isn't it amazing? Sometimes we go up there into the box and we have something we're doing and and we have success and we think in our brain. You got

I that's my terminology. I learned to trick myself and I needed to think something in Order for something to go, you know something that can't be to go right now that doesn't mean it What I'm thinking that I'm doing is actually what I'm doing, right? What I'm thinking I'm doing is working because it's making me do the right thing Yeah case in point, 1985, mid-season, I cannot hit Doc Gooden's high fastball, Dwight Gooden's high fastball. Can't hit it. Swing through it, foul it off, swing through it.

You know what I mean? I just can't get on top of his back. Right, it's like you're swinging at two different balls. I had that with Billy Wagner. I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I said to myself, I will not let this fastball, this is in a particular at bat, I will not

let this fastball get above my bat if I have to tomahawk the damn thing, right? So in that at bat, he throws a fastball high. I'm going to be like. If I have to tomahawk the damn thing right. So in that at that he throws a fastball high and I said. I thought I was trying to drive it right down into home plate right in front of home

plate I was not going to let my bat get under that fastball I hit it off the scoreboard Shea Stadium right you know right center yeah watch the video of it and my bat was perfectly level. But it felt in your brain you went over your head and hit it

exactly exactly and ended up being a perfectly level swing through a high fastball. And that's when it that's when my last two years that's when I hit that way my last two years and I wish I could get all the Philly hitters to hit that way now But they just they can't understand because you know, they've grown up In a different world of hitting and you know Brett

Pitchers are so big and they throw so hard now and they're so it's so much tougher now to hit I and they're so it's so much tougher now to hit. I don't understand why today's hitters don't don't give in and figure out a way to you know to to do something positively with the high fastball because catchers just put their glove up here right they just put their they just hold their glove high with two strikes. Well, I think, I think it's twofold. I think it's A, we were paid on different metrics than the guys are today. For us, it was average, home runs, RBIs. If you were big in those three, that's where you get paid. Today, it's more of an OPS world.

It's more about getting on base. They don't care if you strike out. They don't care if your average is high. So I think they have different things that are important that ends up in a big contract. So I think that's why they hit differently and they go about how they train differently. And for guys like you to sit there and watch these guys differently and and for guys like you to sit there and watch these guys coming through you know hitting 227 with 20 homers and can say hey, you're really getting it done. You're thinking to yourself you stick Anybody that hits 227 you stick and I think that way guys from my generation think that way you stick I don't care if it's a generation where The average average is down if you hit 227 in any era, anywhere in this world,

you're a terrible hitter. And I don't care. Challenge me, get anybody in front of me that hit because I've hit 227 before I had 227 for an entire year. And I know I was one of the worst hitters in the world. I felt like I was hitting 127. If you hit 227, I don't care if it's 2024 or 1980 you stink as a hitter you're a bad hitter. Do you agree with that? I do I do I do you know you it's not enough quality contact right I mean not enough you don't center the ball on the bat enough and you don't have it you know you don't

have the ball on a what would you call a productive a productive line in other words just too many going up right too many going through through the zone you're missing them fouling them off when they go up their outs unless they're 330 foot fly balls in today's game you know there's a lot of home runs that you know that's all you need 320 330 but in general there are way way way too many small guys that swing 100 aggressively you know there's way too many home run swings for guys that have no business swinging for home runs. And we got a lot of them on the Philly team.

You know, cuz they tell them that's what you're paid for. You're paid to get on base and hit the ball over the wall. Well, as you know, everybody isn't cut out to hit the ball over the wall. There's a lot of great players in the history of baseball that if that was the criteria would have never been big league players. So all of a sudden you've got guys that are, you know, add a huge dynamic to your team that don't hit the ball over the wall, but they're told I have to hit the

ball over the wall. So what do they do? They try to hit the ball over the wall and it doesn't work. You know how I love Larry Bola. How would Larry have been if he played today and they said, Larry, you got to get on base. He was pretty good at that. And you got to hit the ball over the wall. I don't know Larry can play today.

Offensively and trying to teach him. You got to hit home runs. Well, even. Word home run. Right. You remember to hit home runs well even. Home run. You remember a player named one Pierre. Yes left hand hitter he played for the Phillies for a minute he did he did it yes one Pierre. Base dealer. Did it

home plate choked up and just chopped down at the ball. Walked a lot. Never get home runs just chopped down at the ball. He got on base at a 400, about 400. There are no players like that nowadays, there are none. And we got a guy that plays center field is his name, I'm trying to think is it Rojas? I think it's Rojas, right big swing you know big home run swing

I don't understand how they let it happen but you know we could talk about the mechanics of home of mechanics of hitting till we're blue in the face you and I know I did it with your dad a lot and I believe the key to being a good hitter is when you don't center the ball, right? When you get, when you get jammed, when you hit, you know, when you hit, uh, I would say in 10 and in a 10 at bats stretch, um, there are about five, four, five, let's call it five, five at bats where you're not successful, right? In other words, you hit it off the end of the bat, you break your bat. Whenever the ball goes in play, if it's possibly productive, meaning that if you break

your bat, the ball can go over second base. I mean, you know what I mean? You can get something out of the out of the swings out of the at bats where you don't center the ball. You're definitely going to get something out of the ones where you hit the ball hard. Right.

When you don't hit the ball hard. What are you getting. Right. And that's why I like the ball on the ground better than in the air. In my day.

I would rather have a guy hit into more double plays than I would having strike out more. Does that make sense? Yeah. Well, the ball that goes on the ground can help you, right? Well, there's a chance the opponent could make an error. There's a chance if you strike out, there's no chance it opponent could make an error. There's a chance.

If you strike out, there's no chance it's over. That's exactly right. I agree with you. I agree with you. I'm in the booth doing a game and I'm going, we need contact. We need contact in this at bat. We're up there going,

God, you know what I mean? You can't strike out. You can't. Runner on third less than two. Touch the ball. Sometimes we, you know what, this guy might be tough on us. He may be a pain in the ass for us in particular, you know, individually. Okay, those are times where, okay, maybe I'm not going to get a hit. Maybe I'm not even going to hit a sack maybe I'm not even going to hit a sack fly because

this guy is so tough on me but the infields back if I hit an eighteen hopper to short rollover piece of garbage swing that still does the job and sometimes as a hitter yeah we need to just hey cut our losses right here I'm going to take the

ribby take the point for my team and move on. Exactly it's's like in golf. Just take the bogey take the bogey and said don't turn it into a triple which I do all the time. I'm learning now. I'm seventy-five years old and I'm learning that you're going to get it right.

You're going to get it right soon. real quick. I know we're going too long probably but that's the difference in eighty RBI is and 100. Yeah, it's it drives me crazy and believe me I struck out with a runner on third less than two and those are the things that I had trouble sleeping at night. I could I can handle an 0 for 4 that's going to happen. That's why we get to play defense and maybe take a big hit turn a big double play late in the game

And I could sleep tonight But leaving that runner on third less than two a lot of great hitters told me is it Boone? Your average is gonna go up and down on a daily basis those ribbies They can't take them away from you and I often thought about that I said, you know sometimes when you're feeling good runner on third less than two and you in the zone. No, no, I'm not giving it. I'm probably going to be heading the count here. I want to get a base hit. Now it goes to at worst. I'm going to hit a fly ball. I'm going to get a sack fly over over the ribby. Wow. This guy's really tough. He's bearing that sinker in on my hands. I don't pick it up. I don't see it. Well, I got to fight off that

slider that I'm not seeing going away. I got't pick it up. I don't see it. Well, I gotta fight off that slider that I'm not seeing going away. I gotta get in battle mode here and kind of just touch this ball if I touch it, this guy scores. I'll be able to sleep better tonight. You know, my team, you

know, that's the mentality. I think you gotta have that. I don't see across the board in today's game. I'm not saying everybody. I just don't see that across the board. No it's not and they're probably is I don't know that anybody playing today that has used the term I'm just

going to touch the ball because I can get a runner in you know it's not you just got to touch it. You just got to touch it. You got a Terry Harmon it you got to choke up like Harry Harmon Tim Foley get it done. Yeah. Alright.

Guys that that were big and and we are moving along but this is really interesting stuff to me and especially it's you know, I'm selfish because this is my childhood. This is my favorite time of baseball. My career was great. I loved it. I love playing. Getting to go to World Series All-Star games. That was great but still my my some of my best are are hanging out with you guys when I'm eight years old with my Philly uniform on. They're just as fulfilling as going to lie. My some of my best are are hanging out with you guys when I'm eight years old with my Philly

uniform on. They're just as fulfilling as going to my first All-Star game. I swear it's it's it's it's weird but it's true. You guys it's really a pain in the ass around the club. Oh, we knew and we knew it. We didn't care. We didn't

care because we were we were players. We were players in our mind. There's Jagan and BP. Your relationship with Bull. Three-four combo early in your career for a long time. I just want to talk to you about a few key guys that were around for those 70s teams, but also were on that 80 World Series team. Let's start with Bull. Love him. Love him. Wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful man. See a lot of him. You know,

I see a lot of him in Philly when I go. He still works the Bulls Barbecue on a regular basis. Just he loves the game. He loves to talk about the game. We'll you know, we'll sit, have a drink in our hands and talk about today's game.

And Gene, his wife, and Donna are very good friends. Sue, obviously, your mommy is in that group. We love getting together with them. Larry, same way. Larry's a different Larry now. I'm a different Mike. Greg's pretty much the same guy. But you know everybody is everybody's different than they

were with than we were when we played different good you know good different. I'm not that we were bad when we played but I mean everybody's we're we're we're all we're you know. Yeah but you grow up and life humbles you and you look at things that with a different perspective. Yeah but you grow up with him like little kid. Yeah. That skipper of the Phillies. And now I still have this relationship with him like little kid, roll it. That's kind of the last time we interacted when I was 10. Now all of a sudden I'm rolling into town with the Mariners and we're on a roll, Schmidty.

So Larry comes out for BP, he's leaning on the cage I'm hitting. Hey booty, how you doing? Hey Larry, what's up? And I go over to him and I put my arm around him. I said, listen, here's what's up? And I, and I go over to them and I put my arm around them. I said, listen, here's what's going to happen. We're going to, we're going to beat the crap out of you. We're going to sweep you.

I said, and then we're going to leave and leave you alone and you can get back to, to, to win in some ballgames, but when we're here, you got no chance. He started, he got so mad at me, Smitty. He's yelling at me like for real yelling at me. I'm, I'm playing a hundred percent. He's like for real yelling at me, got pissed, kind of dropped an expletive, walks off into the dugout. We swept him four games. And I remember the late, the late, uh, Buk, Buk was the coach.

And I saw him like game three or game four and he goes, booney man, you guys are rolling. And we were at the time we had won like 12 out of 13 games and I was just having a good time with Larry and you know, in the vet, when you're a visitor, well, you were never a visitor, but when you're a visitor, you walked to home plate, you get in the box as a right-hand hitter and your line of sight is right where that manager stands. And for four games I got to stand and look at Boa and he was losing every game and, and, uh, you know, years later I came to Philly and dad threw out a

first pitch, I got to catch it and I got to catch up with Larry and, and, and I told him the story and he's like, Oh, Booney, I don't remember that. I said, yeah, you were pissed though. You were pissed. But yeah, we all change. And I remember Larry and those club out. He was such a big personality. And I remember he was always the one popping off and then he hide behind bull and pull was his protector. You know, this is this is just just humor me here.

This is me reminiscing on my childhood again. this is just just humor me here. This is me reminiscing on my childhood again. Bull would go boo. Bull would run. I could imagine you guys being on the road being out and Larry just running his mouth and then just hiding behind Bull and go you deal with him. Yeah that that's oh Jesus you know every they they say every every great team has to have a guy that everybody on the team hates. Yeah. They hate him, but they love him. I used to do. I used to imitate Larry. He was a third base coach, a different at a different time in my career. And I'd be I'd be out at second base. He's coaching

third. He's looking at me. I'd wave to him before the game started and I'd be I'd be out at second base. He's coaching third. He's looking at me. I'd wave to him before the game started and I'd be sitting. I'd be sitting out there at second base imitating his swing. You know the Larry Bola swing right like screw you and he's yelling at me. He's going that swing got me 2000 hits in this big leagues and I said Larry come on but he was a guy you can get going and to this day love Larry Boa love Larry Boa but he was that guy what a character yeah yeah yeah um but again he is uh he actually you know he's he's still uh highly regarded by the Phillies he uh he's got a title, an assistant to the GM. He attends all the meetings.

He's inter-billion involved with the trades and the movement of the roster and things like that. So I think he's right where he likes to be. He's going to go to his grave with a baseball uniform on. Yeah, he's a lifer and a great player and a great shortstop. Gary Maddox, big McBride tug obviously was a character on that team. Yeah. Lefty, one of the great, Steve Carl, one of the great left-handed pitchers of all

time. And then in 79 in the documentary, Pete comes over and I know he was a big advocate of Mike Schmidt. And how great Mike Schmidt was and almost to the point it's kind of been documented now how Pete thought about it. He's like when I came over there I needed to let Mike know how how he was revered in the visiting clubhouse and how great of a player what he needed to be. Speak to that relationship with with Pete a little bit and what he needed to be. Speak to that relationship with Pete a little bit and what he brought to the Phillies in 79.

You didn't win that year, but you won it in 80. Well, it's hard to understand how one player can make such a difference in baseball, right? Because there's nine guys on the field and 25 guys on the roster, and maybe basketball you get like a Kareem Chabar or something like that. And he totally changes the complexion of the team. He changes every game because he's in the middle and he can change everything.

Football, you get a great quarterback. I mean, he can make a difference in the record of a team. But in baseball, how does one player coming to a team change the team? And in Pete's case, we had a bunch of guys and we failed that three straight times in the mid 70s in the postseason. And in fact, one of the times Pete and the Reds beat us. And Pete, he's a kind of guy. He's a games, gamesmanship is unbelievable.

You know, Pete, he'll go talk to the opponent pregame during the batting cage. He used to like to kneel on one, you know, on one leg was his bad, cross his legs and, you know, yell stuff at the other players, you know, laughing, kidding them and such. And he stands out there and he likes to play pepper with the bad boys. So he's always out on the field and he knows what's going on. And he got close to Bull and Larry in the early 70s.

And I think that's one of the reasons he came to Philly, because of his relationship with with Lusensky and Larry. And he changed our team because we all were just like our chest just, we just felt each of us individually because Pete Rose was in our locker room. And just look, Pete Rose has done in his life as a player. And we all fed off of Pete. I mean, if you can imagine, and Pete wasn't swinging the bat for us or catching the balls for us or anything like that, but it was just that Pete would, he just

said things. It was, you know, the relationships that we all had with him that were important to us. And in my case being, there was something that I needed. I really couldn't put my finger on it what I needed. But Pete flat out told the media when he got there that I was the best player he's ever played with. Now you're talking about a guy that played with Perez and Bench and Morgan and some players and boy did that make me go to the next level in terms of confidence and I think that's what turned me on in 80s. Turned our team on 80-81 we were probably a better team

than we were in 80 and 83 were a great team with Morgan and Perez and all those guys joining Pete on our team so the run that Pete had from 79 to 83 was unbelievably special in Philadelphia and I think the city It's unfortunate the way it all ended up with Pete, but you know Pete Pete is going to be very or is very important to the city of Philadelphia. Yeah and I and you know I know he passed away recently and I had him on the show about a uh

10-12 months ago. Did you? Yeah and he was a somber Pete he was because Pete I never saw Pete not loud biggest guy in the room and he had a little bit different. He was still Pete for the most part, but when he was talking about his legacy and he was a little bit somber for the first time when I talked to him. And it was a different side of him than I've ever seen. It was a very humble side and not saying that he hasn't been humbled. We talk about life after baseball going through life will humble you. Believe me, I know I'm sure you've gone through stuff in your life that that's

very humbling. He was a different Pete and I don't know. I wish things would have ended up different too because to this day, he's one of my favorite players I've ever watched as far as coming to the ball parks suiting up and how you play the game. The Pete Rose is kind favorite players I've ever watched as far as coming to the ballparks. Suiting up and how you play the game. The Pete Rose is kind of the epitome of

that if you got four hits it wasn't enough he needed to get five. Pete. People always be referred to. You'll always be referenced by players. Of the whatever the current generation is. Forgotten say, hey, he reminds me of Pete Rose, right? Right, right. You know, I used to say, I've heard Harper say it before.

I mean, Harper uses Pete a lot of times when he talks. And Harper plays the game like Pete. And I don't know how to describe it, but he hustles all the time like Pete. And he has a dive into bases and he has a, Pete was maybe the closest thing to being an emotional player, which is pretty normal in today's game. There's so much important in today's game.

It's almost off the charts. I mean, in total, it almost takes the respect for the opposition just totally away, you know, and today's players the way they scream and yell at, you know, each other and striking a guy out and the picture goes crazy or hitting home run and you know, flip with a bat or running around, you know, there's just so much stuff that would have caused back when we played or when you played that would have caused riots on the baseball field right you know nowadays but pete will always he'll hold a place in you know in the game forever because of the way

he played it and you know i see pete rose on the field all the time now. A few more things and I'll let you out of here. You know, I wasn't aware of this till I watched the documentary and we've watched recent playoffs. This this was well documented this year's World Series with Aaron Judge for my for my two cents is the best offensive player in the game today. That's Aaron Judge, you know, rough rough postseason and I the best offensive player in the game today. That's Aaron

through uh just baseball a Kershaw, one of the greate postseason. But for my ge was the greatest was the best hitter I've ever played against, seen, whatever we want to talk about. But he had a lot of, not many postseason accolades, and it was starting to hear about it. Then all of a sudden in 2002, his series against the A's, he went something ridiculous and you couldn't get him out. But until then, here's the greatest hitter in the game and having a tough time in the postseason. I was thinking

that last year when Aaron Judge was having a tough time, it starts to weigh on you. I didn't know because I was a kid and I just remember 1980, you're the MVP, you're the MVP of the World Series, and I didn't think eighty you're the MVP you're the MVP of the World Series and I didn't think Schmid was one of those guys that had some postseason struggles but the documentary

came out talk talk to that a little bit and when you see an Aaron judge of two thousand twenty four struggle and you can relate wholeheartedly with I did not Brett I did not do much in any of the early NLCSs against the Reds and two times against the Dodgers. Mediocre. I mean, I don't even know if I hit a home run in the postseason up until 1980.

So I wasn't much, you know, I always left a bad taste in my mouth, those early postseason at bats and games when we end up losing. In the 1980 in LCS and which postseason didn't do anything either. Maybe one ground ball hit one RBI struck out with a tying run in that last game with the against Ken force Dell answer knocked him in right behind me but I remember that I remember the biggest hit of my career being being Dell answers his after I left the tying realm third base but I did play a big role in getting the team. We had to win two out of three in Montreal before we got to Houston in 1980.

And I won each of the first two games with home runs. But and then in the World Series, it all changed, Brett. I finally had a consistent World Series. Got a hit in every game. A lot of RBIs, won the MVP. So I finally came through in the clutch for the team in the World Series. And then 83, you're alluding to that. I had a great NLCS and I went

first of all they pitched you different. There's a little different situation where they're not good there. We have meetings every every before every series. And who are we not going to let beat us and we usually pick one guy. And usually the best player of the team is that guy he's gonna be pitched to a little different, a little tougher in certain situations. So I don't put much credence in it. I think about the lead up to getting there.

The reason that you're there is because of Mike Schmidt and what he did when in the MVP during the regular season over 162. You did have the big one in 1980, but some of the all time greats have had some post season humbling times that they've gone through. And that's just a part of this game and it's a testament to how hard it is and it's not a matter of oh he's choking it's not a choking yeah all of us as players feel man all right I had a great season now we're getting to the postseason I really got to bring and sometimes you put too much pressure like no just this is just extend the regular season of the postseason but but when it

starts to build up and now you feel like wow I'm not coming through and now you're your own worst enemy well you know offensively players should I say Aaron Judge kind of players Mike Schmidt kind of players we're vulnerable you know we're being pitched to we don't have a touch it mentality like you were talking about earlier just tough we we are more I wouldn't say aggressive but you know if we get behind the eight ball a little bit you know if we you know we go for five over, couple of strikeouts and key situations or while we start pressing a little bit, we're human.

We start pressing a little bit, we wanna go out of the strike zone and taking the walk starts to leave our game. We wanna make up for that 05, 0 for 5, 0 for 6, 0 for 7. Before you know it, it becomes an 0 for 10. Then you break a bat and get a hit, and it's a 1 for 12. And then you strike out. You know how it multiplies. You've been there.

And it's not going to happen as much to the little left-handed guy who makes a lot of contact. But I mean, as you say, you get pitched a little differently. They're not gonna let me beat them or Aaron Judge beat them. And they go to the bullpen earlier. If Judge is coming up with the bases loaded and rather than let him face that left handed starter, no, he gets to face a 98 mile an hour guy out of the bullpen.

Other guys, they'd let the left-handed starter stay in the pitch to them. And it's just, you know, it's a different world. And when you get on the plus side of that world, you win games, you know, you do so much damage that the team wins games because because the you're there in the middle of the lineup you've been there before you know you're there in the middle of the lineup and your presence affects the game your presence affects the way the manager changes his pitchers your presence puts the defense in a certain mode on the defense because you're in there. And you know, I remember so many times when I played in my career that I played when I shouldn't have played. I might have had a little pulled hammy or something like that, or I might have,

you know, I might have jammed my wrist or you know what I'm saying? There might have been something wrong. I shouldn't have been in the lineup, but I went in the lineup because my presence Makes a difference. Yeah, my presence affected the game. I didn't mean it did, you know, even with a wrap on my wrist They still pitched, you know, they still pitched to the guy in front of me Like I would because I'm standing in the on-deck circle, right? I think he got the three two fastball instead of the three two change up. And it's a world of behind the scenes world in baseball that not, unless you're a baseball guy, fans, writers, whoever,

they're not tuned into that as much. Yeah, it's a mentality though that we always had was, I'm one of the main guys that this team relies on. I've got to be there rain or shine. And some days I probably shouldn't be playing, but I need to be there because it's expected. And that was our mentality. And when you talk about sometimes being in a lineup,

your mere presence in 70 or 60 percent of Mike Schmidt might be a difference maker in a game than 100 percent of X player. I get completely what you're talking about. Maybe I get a walk and I score on a double. I got the walk because've played off a three and two slider, you know, Alright. Final question. What makes Philly different than everywhere else? You know,

It's a passionate town. You know, passion, passion as a fan is a very important word, right? It's passion that sometimes causes a reaction that is a pleasant in Philadelphia. Passion gets you to the game, rain or shine. You know what I mean? It gets you to the game, rain or shine. You know what I mean? It gets you to the game. Passion in Philly means you're gonna wear a jersey, right? You're gonna go to the game and wear a jersey and take a handkerchief.

You're gonna listen to talk shows because you're passionate. You're gonna maybe even call in to talk shows. You're gonna have your favorite player. You're going to have a player maybe that you'd rather not see him come up in a certain situation. If you're passionate, you might say, man, why didn't he cut his hair? He's such a good, you know what I mean? You're just part of the family when When you're a passionate fan, you

feel like you're in the family. You feel like you can be a part of the game. And I think Philadelphia fans now understand how important they are to the team because of the Trey Turner issue. That really took them to another level. So I think it's a good good word for Philadelphia sports fans is that tremendously passionate. They care. You know, they care. And I believe they boo because they care.

Yeah, and they kind of have a reputation of doing that. I've never played there as the home team. I love going there as an opponent just because of what you said, the passion. But growing up there and now to this day, just friends of mine, childhood friends that grew up in Jersey. It's like, and you can't just be a Philly fan. You're a Philly fan. You're an Eagle fan. You're a Sixer fan. You're a Flyers fan.

You've got a Jersey for everyone. I've never seen another city, you know, Philly fan. You're a fan. You're an eagle fan. You're a sixer fan. You're a flyers fan. You've got a jersey for everyone. I've never seen another city, you know, in certain cities, you're a Yankee fan. That doesn't mean you're a Jets or a Giants fan. It means you're a Yankee fan and you hate the

Mets. I've never seen a city all in on all the sports and it's like you it's part of the culture. Like if you're born and raised there, no, you have to love the Phillies. You have to love the Phillies you have to love the Eagles you have to love the Flyers you have to love the Sixers and if you don't something's wrong with you I've never seen another city where it's across the board uh support for all the sports right yeah and you know what it's a it's a great time to to be that passionate Phillies fans now because you know look at the Eagles

to be that passionate Phillies fans now because you know, look at the Eagles. We should have gone farther than we did, but with a fantastic year. Yeah, it's up and down here and there, but I think everybody thought the Phillies should have been in the World Series. Yeah, it's a great team. And the Sixers, you know, I'm not sure how they're doing, but they got great players, great to watch, and the Flyers always. But yeah, it'm not sure how they're doing, but they got great players, great to watch and the Flyers always. But yeah, it's a great time to be a Philadelphia sports fan. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you this. I was watching it in the part of

the documentary that made me laugh. Dave Collins, who's a friend of your friend of a lot of the guys, Dave, I'm sorry, Doug Collins. Yeah. Um part of the narrating with with Barclay and and Kruk had a few lines in there but he says, hey, he goes early 70s. Schmidt says, hey, can you pull my car around and Doug says, hey, Schmidt, you

know, I'm an all star too. I thought that that was one of my favorite parts of the documentary. I love Doug Collins, man. He's been, he's been, he and I have grown together the last four or five years. Unbelievably. So I went to the NBA hall of fame induction. He got in the NBA hall of fame this year. Yeah. And that was quite an experience to watch the NBA hall of fame induction.

It was great though. He says, you know, Smitty, I'm an all star too. And I, and then they asked him, well, what'd you do? He goes, well, I pulled his car. I pulled his car. I pulled his car. experience to watch the NBA get to catch up a little bit. Like I said, you got the documentary now. Not everybody gets a statue and not everybody gets a documentary, but you got both of them. Well deserved. Tell Donna Hi, even though I only knew her as a little kid, but as soon as she was on talking about it, I said, there's Donna Schmidt.

I remember Donna Schmidt. Then they would flash back to when she, you know, when you were playing. That's the Donna. I remember sitting with my mom and give her my best. And I just appreciate you doing this. It's a lot of fun catching up. For those of you watching the Brett Boone podcast now on YouTube, be sure to check it out. For those of you listening on the Odyssey app or wherever you download your apps. Until next time, keep it here.