Bill Althaus: Schmidt, Ripken recall All-Star Games of yesteryear

When the Kansas City Royals met the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1980 World Series, I was a first-year reporter for the Kansas City Kansan, covering my first-ever Fall Classic.

I was hoping to grab a quick interview with Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt, who would win the World Series and National League MVP awards after leading the Phillies to their first world championship.

He graciously agreed to a quick interview after the Phillies took batting practice. We sat down in the locker room to chat when a Phillies public relations official informed Schmidt that he had to leave to catch the team bus back to the Hyatt Regency.

The power-hitting third baseman told the official that he had promised an interview and that he would skip the bus and take a taxi to downtown Kansas City.

I quickly volunteered to drive him to the team headquarters, and to my surprise, he agreed.

The reason I bring up that story is because I spent some time with Schmidt, Iron Man Cal Ripken Jr. and comic/actor/radio host/baseball fan Jay Mohr Tuesday morning at the Pepsi Max Field of Dreams exhibit at the All-Star FanFest located in Bartle Hall.

Mohr, who hosted a public session with the two legendary Hall of Famers, caught Schmidt at the end of the event and said, “This guy just said the nicest things about you – how you gave him an interview back at the 1980 World Series. You look so tough, but you must really be a nice guy.”

Schmidt, who like Ripken was known as the ultimate competitor when he starred for the Phillies, just grinned.

“I really don’t remember it,” Schmidt said, “but I’m happy I was able to help him with that interview.”

He paused for a moment and added, “I hope I gave him some gas money.”

No gas money, just a lifetime memory from an era when the game was actually the big event at the Midsummer Classic rather than all the bling that goes along with today’s All-Star contest.

“I’m about 10 years older than Cal,” Schmidt said, “and I’m from that generation where we went to the All-Star Game, and we played the game, and that was pretty much it.”

Cal’s generation was part of the group that witnessed the change, when so many other things were added to the game, and today’s generation doesn’t know anything other than all the events that are associated with the game today. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just different.”

Ripken and Schmidt have taken part in many FanFest events, clinics, promotions and media sessions, and the man who saved baseball in 1998 seemed to be enjoying himself.

“I enjoy meeting the fans – especially the kids – and doing anything I can to promote baseball,” said Ripken, who broke Lou Gehrig’s all-time consecutive game streak of 2,130 games Sept. 6, 1995 in Camden Yards just a year after a baseball strike that left many fans in search of a hero.

They found one in Ripken.

After he broke the record, he received a 22-minute standing ovation.

“I’ll be honest with you,” he said, before signing autographs for the fans who had gathered around the exhibit, “winning the World Series meant more to me than breaking the streak. But I’ll never forget that ovation – it seemed like it lasted forever.”

At the urging of his teammates, he walked around Camden Yards, shaking hands and high-fiving the joyous fans.

“I didn’t expect that,” he said, shaking his head. “You can’t even dream of something like that. It was spontaneous, and it was special.”

Ripken enjoyed countless memories during his Hall of Fame career, and he shared many with Royals Hall of Famer and All-Star teammate George Brett.

“I remember my first All-Star Game in 1984 – it was in San Francisco,” Ripken said. “George was playing third and I was playing shortstop and you know how the wind blows so crazy in the Bay? Well, George tells me, ‘Kid, you get all the pop ups.’

“George was one of the greatest competitors I ever played against or with, on the All-Star teams. He was the guy you tried to emulate. No one played harder, or had more fun. I know Kansas City realizes how special it was to have George play here his entire career. He’s done a great job this week representing the city during the All-Star Game.”

As Ripken and Schmidt wrapped up the interview session, Mohr talked about the ways the Royals could return to their glory days, how his father Jon Wood Mohr could be Ripken’s twin and how “devastatingly handsome,” Schmidt was in person.

I think he was getting his baseball geek on in much the same fashion I was enjoying this all-too-brief brush with greatness.

As Schmidt left the exhibit, he tapped my shoulder and said, “Hey, don’t wait 32 years to say hello.”

I won’t, Mike. Believe me, I won’t.