Mike Schmidt, the legendary Philadelphia Phillies third baseman, was in Pawtucket yesterday to throw out the first pitch at McCoy Stadium.  Like several other surviving Hall of Famers, the 58-year-old has some opinions to share about the modern day player, most of which would sound completely appropriate if followed by the phrase “dag nabbit”.

ProJo

According to Schmidt: Manny’s final days in a Red Sox uniform are “from a player’s standpoint, one of the worst things I’ve ever witnessed in the history of the game.”

Schmidt, born in 1949, has witnessed the following things:

• The Pete Rose scandal.  Schmidt was Rose’s teammate at one time.
• A work stoppage which cut the 1981 season in half, and another which caused the cancellation of the World Series in 1994.
• Rampant cocaine & speed abuse in the 1980’s.
• Rampant steroid abuse in the 1990’s.
• The rise and fall of artificial turf.
• The pinnacle of fan violence and drunkenness in the 1970’s, the most notable example being “Disco Demolition Night”.

Manny Ramirez is comparable to these?

Stick to selling soup, Mike.

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