Back on June 25, 2008 I made a trip to see the Reading Phillies play Harrisburg. The real reason for my visit was to see Hall of Fame and Philly legend Mike Schmidt.
I grew up a Phillies fan and followed them until Schmidt’s retirement in 1989. I then followed the San Frisco Giants until the baseball strike in 1994. Since then I just try to enjoy the game and follow players and not a specific team.
Schmidt, along with Giant’s legend Willie Mays, are my all-time favorite players. To be able to participate in a press conference in a professional capacity was an exciting time for me.
He was in Reading, as part of a 5-stop minor league stadium tour, to talk about benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and encourage men to see their doctor for an annual prostate screening exam.
Before I get into the photos I want to add a disclaimer: Each image has been heavily tagged (some you can see while other you can not) and saved in low quality to discourage people from borrowing images. All images in this post are Copyright 2008 © Will Bentzel/Major League Baseball Advanced Media. All rights reserved. The images on this site are for on-screen viewing only and may not be copied, reproduced, manipulated or used in any way, for personal or commercial use.
Arriving at First Energy Stadium it was clear who was the main attraction that night….
Walking in to where the press conference was held, which is also a inside batting cage, statements/words of encouragement line the walls.
As previously mentioned, Schmidt smiled/laughed a lot during the press conference.
In deep conversation with Reading Phillies Manager PJ Forbes
Throwing out the first pitch.
Following the first pitch, he spoke about his personal experience with BPH and encouraged fans to get checked.
Schmidt was scheduled to sign autographs for 30 minutes but ended up signing for close to an hour.
For more information on BPH please visit Talk About BPH
Additional media coverage of Schmidt's return to Reading:
Reading Eagle: In Reading, Schmidt offers thoughts on Phils
Reading Eagle: Mike Schmidt returns to Reading, where his career began
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Mike Schmidt Returned to Reading 6/25/08
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1 comment:
Mike Schmidt was a GREAT baseball player and continues to be an even better person! The same can be said for Willie Mays!! Will, you "followed two of the best!!!"
Jane
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