Mike Schmidt

<p> Michael Jack Schmidt in the minds of many the greatest third baseman of all time was a Philadelphia institution. From 1973 to 1989 he led the Phillies to five National League championship series and two World Series. Twelve times an All-Star Schmidt was perhaps baseball's premier power hitter during the 1970s and 1980s. His 548 home runs are seventh best all-time. In the field he was just as exceptional winning ten Gold Gloves more than any other third baseman besides Brooks Robinson. A three-time N.L. Most Valuable Player (1980 1981 and 1986) Schmidt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 his first year of eligibility.</p><p> This book is the first serious account of Schmidt's celebrated career with the Philadelphia Phillies. Concentrating on contemporary newspaper accounts periodicals baseball histories and biographies by Schmidt's teammates this long-overdue work is the full story of one of the game's greatest sluggers and one of its true heroes and role models.</p>