PHILLIES PHODDER

SCHMIDT COMMENTS-

Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt was on WIP Sports Radio this morning. He was asked about CF Odubel Herrera and whether Schmidt thought Herrera was a player the team could build around for the future.

His answer was a surprising "no," but even more startling was his reason.

It wasn't because Herrera is wildly inconsistent. Nor was it because Herrera can be an annoying hot dog with his bat-flips. And it also wasn't because Herrera has been known to not hustle, not running out balls, a seemingly malcontent, especially since he got a big contract extension last summer.

Schmidt's reason why Herrera would not be a building block for the Phillies' future was because there is a "language barrier" between Herrera and the "American" and "english-speaking" players.

So, Schmidt implied that just because Herrera is a Latin ballplayer and his english is so-so, naturally, he could not be seen as a leader in a clubhouse, let alone on the field.

That's crazy. Carlos Ruiz had problems speaking english yet no better leader was on the Phils during their heyday in  10 years ago. Other Latin players around baseball- the Red Sox' David Ortiz comes to mind-have been leaders on their teams. So, Schmidt is factually wrong.

Schmidt's remarks come off as potentially racist at the worst. In the least, Schmidt is out of touch with present day baseball players.

Schmidt was one of my favorite players in the 70s and 80s. In fact, I have a powder-blue Schmidt Phillies road jersey. But just because Schmidt may be the greatest Phillie of all time doesn't mean he is the brightest bulb in the pack.

Schmidt has always been seem as aloof. ( He continues to refuse to meet fans on Photo Day, even though the other broadcasters are on the field before the game, gladly greeting fans and taking pictures). When he did choose to speak to the media, he often pontificated.It's not the first time he said something really stupid and ended up saying he was sorry.

As a Phillies broadcaster, I find Schmidt to be dry and boring. His best times are when he is chatting with the much more down-to-earth and relatable John Kruk.

This morning on the radio host Angelo Cataldi kissed Schmidt's ass, like usual, calling Schmidt "great" at his broadcasting/color man duties. Cataldi is wrong. Schmidt is tolerable every home weekend on Saturdays and Sundays, but if Schmidt was in the TV booth every game I wouldn't be able to tolerate him.

Regardless, Schmidt's comments today weren't racist. The fact is, there is a growing number of major league players whose primary language is not english. I know Schmidt is retired and lives on Florida, but I'm surprised how out of touch he seems to be regarding current ballplayers.

Schmidt apologized to everyone later. All will soon be forgotten. Maybe it's all over-blown since there really isn't much else to talk about with this losing Phillies squad.Herrera graciously accepted Schmidt's apology, not wanting to make a big deal out of the incident.. To Schmidt's credit, he didn't excuse his comments or react that his words were taken out of context, or even that it was a slip of the tongue.

He said what he said and he meant it. Sometimes being too honest isn't always a good thing.

Hopefully, lesson learned. But Schmidt has also been the type of guy who seems thoughtful and smart, choosing his words carefully, when in reality, he often drones on, so I don;t think he will change, but maybe awareness overall about words and perception will help some good come out of this regrettable interview.