Welcome Guest! Create an Account login email: password: remember me: BASKETBALLFOOTBALLMESSAGE BOARDCHATLINKS site searchcontact usabout usadvertise with ushelp Message Board BobcatAttack.com Message Board General Ohio University Discussion/Alumni Events Topic:  Mike Schmidt comment Topic:  Mike Schmidt comment Author Message MonroeClassmate General User Member Since: 8/31/2010 Post Count: 2,293 Status: Offline     Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 8/13/2025 3:50:06 PM  Ran into a non-Bobcat sports fan who when finding out I was a product of Athens, said that he considers Mike Schmidt an earlier version of Bo Jackson. Said he heard the MLB Hall-of-famer could drop in 30 in an intramural game and also toss the football 60 yards with an effortless flip. What do you think, could the two be in the same conversation of over all great multi-sport athletes? Or since Bo played two pro sports does that put him in a class above the Bobcat? Back to Top Kevin Finnegan General User Member Since: 2/4/2005 Location: Rockton, IL Post Count: 1,205 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 8/13/2025 5:17:04 PM  The true answer would be that Frank Baumholtz would be the Bobcat version of Bo Jackson. He played professionally in basketball and baseball. I don't think excelling in intramurals and backyard play really qualifies. Back to Top SBH General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 4,569 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 8/13/2025 5:42:31 PM  And Frank wasn't a hateful jerk (like Mike). Back to Top 100%Cat General User Member Since: 1/17/2013 Post Count: 2,663 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 12/8/2025 4:37:18 PM  SBH wrote: And Frank wasn't a hateful jerk (like Mike). I encountered Mike Schmidt one time in my life. He was signing at a card show in the Convo, I believe Paul O'Neill was also there. My takeaway, even at a young age, was that Mike was kind of a jerk. Very gruff, seemed unhappy to be there. Back to Top boydhallbobcat General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 282 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 12/30/2025 4:14:50 PM  My 8th birthday party was at the Aquatic Center. Mike Schmidt was on the sun deck giving an interview. My dad was so excited to take me up and introduce me after the interview was over. We waited patiently. Nobody else was around so we walked over and I asked for his autograph on a piece of paper. He said "Sorry young man, I can only sign Upper Deck baseball cards" and walked away...I'll never forget my one and only impression of Mike Schmidt. Back to Top SBH General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 4,569 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 12/30/2025 6:28:57 PM  An OU alum turned TV sportscaster (small market) approached him at a promotional event in the early 1990s and mentioned their mutual ties to Athens. Schmidt replied, "Go F*** yourself." A peach of a human being. Back to Top Daniel221 General User Member Since: 1/2/2026 Location: Carol Stream, IL Post Count: 1 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/2/2026 1:48:42 AM  That’s a fun comparison! Mike Schmidt was undeniably one of the greatest baseball players ever, and the stories about his athletic versatility are impressive—but Bo Jackson’s achievement of playing two professional sports at an elite level really does put him in a rare category. While Schmidt could likely hold his own in multi-sport feats, Bo’s combination of power, speed, and pro-level performance in both football and baseball makes him a unique benchmark for multi-sport greatness. Schmidt belongs in the conversation, but Bo’s dual-sport legacy arguably gives him the edge. Back to Top Diamond Cat General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 941 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/3/2026 9:39:10 AM  From what I recall, he wanted to play hoops at Ohio. Walked on the baseball team instead. It really sucks when I read comments about his behavior. I wish I could say something to the contrary but I cannot. He came to Athens in 86' or 87' for a fundraising event for Coach France. He acted like a total ass not only to people wanting an autograph or photo but to the current players. Back to Top Donuts General User Member Since: 9/22/2010 Post Count: 734 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/19/2026 1:19:12 PM  He was pretty much damaged goods in high school. I don't think D1 schools wanted him for any sport because of the knee issues. That doesn't mean he wasn't talented, but Ohio didn't miraculously win a bidding war. Like a decent amount of traditional students of that era, Schmidt opted for Ohio to be an architect. Ohio had a pretty well-known program at the time. Back to Top OhioCatFan General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Athens, OH Post Count: 15,388 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/19/2026 3:40:44 PM  Donuts wrote: He was pretty much damaged goods in high school. I don't think D1 schools wanted him for any sport because of the knee issues. That doesn't mean he wasn't talented, but Ohio didn't miraculously win a bidding war. Like a decent amount of traditional students of that era, Schmidt opted for Ohio to be an architect. Ohio had a pretty well-known program at the time. This doesn't sound credible to me. How many years did he play MLB ball with this horrible knee issue? How many awards did he win in the MLB with those knees? Also, at that time, Bob Wren had a reputation for getting players into pro ball. I think at the zenith of his career he ranked only second to a coach at Arizona in terms of the number of his former players playing pro ball. He won recruiting wars against many, many "big name" schools. The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA "It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right." Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org Back to Top Donuts General User Member Since: 9/22/2010 Post Count: 734 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/19/2026 4:29:11 PM  You can question the credibility all you want, but the information is out there directly from the person's mouth. He's not the first or last person to have health questions at one point, and then not have health questions later. Schmidt hit under .200 as a high school senior and walked on at Ohio. Wren didn't pull a recruiting miracle to get Schmidt. Last Edited: 1/19/2026 4:32:56 PM by Donuts Back to Top OhioCatFan General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Athens, OH Post Count: 15,388 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/19/2026 5:18:34 PM  Donuts wrote: You can question the credibility all you want, but the information is out there directly from the person's mouth. He's not the first or last person to have health questions at one point, and then not have health questions later. Schmidt hit under .200 as a high school senior and walked on at Ohio. Wren didn't pull a recruiting miracle to get Schmidt. OK, I checked, and it is established that he had knee issues back in high school, and settled on baseball rather than basketball because of less knee impact. I was wrong there. However, I don't buy that that's why he ended up at OHIO. I suspect a lot of coaches at B1G schools would have taken the gamble that Wren did. You are not giving credit to the draw of OHIO baseball in that era. Schmidt was not the only future MLB player on Schmidt's OHIO teams. The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA "It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right." Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org Back to Top Donuts General User Member Since: 9/22/2010 Post Count: 734 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/19/2026 8:55:22 PM  The “gamble” of holding tryouts so that a kid on campus who barely hit his weight in high school could have a lot of things click and fall into place by his second year on campus? Well, I guess you’re right, most Big 10 schools held walk on tryouts in that era. I guess it would depend on who else had a good school for aspiring architects. Back to Top OhioCatFan General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Athens, OH Post Count: 15,388 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/20/2026 12:28:58 AM  I have no idea what you are trying to say here, Donuts. In that era coaches had all sorts of ways to evaluate talent. I'm sure other coaches were willing to take the gamble that Schmidt's knees would hold out enough for him to be a major contributor to their baseball programs. I seriously doubt that Bob Wren was the only high-profile coach who thought Schmidt could be a contributor. You seem to have little understanding for the status of Coach Wren in the baseball world of that time. OHIO has never before or since had a coach of his stature. As I said, he was one of the top coaches nationally in placing grads in pro baseball at the AAA and MLB levels. Coach Wren's son sometimes posts on this board. I'm sure he could give us the straight skinny on what went down with Schmidt. Let me make clear, I'm not saying that Schmidt is a nice person. Enough people have posted here indicating that he has a mean streak in him. The story the guy told who approached him as a young kid wanting a baseball card autographed was very sad, and did not speak well of him from a fan basis. Just the opposite of my childhood idle -- Ernie Banks. Ernie was a fan-oriented player. I had a brief encounter with Ernie as a teenager and I'll just say it was the opposite of what the poster said about his encounter with Mike. And, finally, if Mike came here because of the architecture school, more power too him, And, I'm sure if that was a key point in Schmidt choosing a school that Wren was smart enough to exploit it. The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA "It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right." Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org Back to Top SBH General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 4,569 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/20/2026 8:36:03 AM  It should also be mentioned that the superstar allegedly stiffed Ohio on the pledge he made for construction of the new baseball stadium, despite the fact that he was chair of that fundraising campaign. Something about needing to buy new docks at a marina he owned in Fla. Let's hope karma plays its role. Back to Top Donuts General User Member Since: 9/22/2010 Post Count: 734 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/20/2026 10:12:58 AM  I have no idea what you're trying to say here, OCF. You're the one who led your initial response with "this doesn't sound credible to me" and dismissing it without doing any research. That I'm "not giving credit" and I "seem to have little understanding" for the status of Bob Wren. So is the goal here to actually learn a thing or two, or talk down to me some more? I shared information that has been shared multiple times in different outlets directly from Mike Schmidt. He wasn't recruited by D1 teams. He had severe knee issues in college. He had to try out to make the team once he arrived on campus because light-hitting switch hitters with bad knees who can't hit .200 against high school pitching don't get thrown offers. None of this has anything to do with Bob Wren's ability to recruit or scout up to that point. Of course, just reading your responses and non-acceptance over this shared information readily available online, I'm sure you're going to continue to believe in whatever you want to believe happened 60 years ago. Maybe share an irrelevant story or two to listen to yourself type in a response as well. Doesn't feel so great getting talked down to and having people assume about you, does it? Back to Top BillyTheCat General User Member Since: 10/6/2012 Post Count: 10,717 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/20/2026 10:25:03 PM  OhioCatFan wrote: Donuts wrote: He was pretty much damaged goods in high school. I don't think D1 schools wanted him for any sport because of the knee issues. That doesn't mean he wasn't talented, but Ohio didn't miraculously win a bidding war. Like a decent amount of traditional students of that era, Schmidt opted for Ohio to be an architect. Ohio had a pretty well-known program at the time. This doesn't sound credible to me. How many years did he play MLB ball with this horrible knee issue? How many awards did he win in the MLB with those knees? Also, at that time, Bob Wren had a reputation for getting players into pro ball. I think at the zenith of his career he ranked only second to a coach at Arizona in terms of the number of his former players playing pro ball. He won recruiting wars against many, many "big name" schools. You are better at Ohio History and Civil War stuff than you are to get into this conversation. He had knee issues throughout his career, all that is very well documented. Back to Top stub General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 1,002 Status: Offline     RE: Mike Schmidt comment    Posted: 1/22/2026 7:27:55 PM  Baumholz is the only bobcat to be a first team all American. He’s also one of only five players to have played professional basketball and baseball in the same year! 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