'It's going to be rabble-rousing': Legend Mike Schmidt talks of the Phillies home field advantage

DEPTFORD, N.J. - The loss to the Houston Astros Saturday night guarantees three games at Citizens Bank Park this week, beginning Monday, Halloween night. It will be bedlam at the Bank.

"It looks like it hasn’t been touched?" asked former Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt.

"Yeah, no, it’s been in our basement forever," fan Steve Potter said.

Steve Potter greeted legend Mike Schmidt with his old baseball hit from 1975, in quite possibly the same shape he left it and now passed down through some of his family members.

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"When my dad’s brother passed away, he gave it to me. So, yeah, it’s pretty cool," Potter commented.

"Really cool to know that someone would save something like that, from that far back. That’s really special," Schmidt remarked.

Schmidt greeted a long line of fans and signed baseballs and pictures at the Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Deptford Mall on Sunday afternoon. While they were there to see him, he says his relationship with baseball now is much similar to theirs, than the players.

"I only wish the players nowadays could understand what I understand now the importance of what they are doing for the fans, especially in the World Series. This year, the postseason, they just lit up the town," Schmidt explained.

Saturday night’s loss didn’t damper that one bit, as fans sported their Phillies best, some who have waited years to tell Schmidt their story.

"I liked the way he stood in the batter’s box, because he had that butt wiggle," Barbara Stamper said.

"When I was, like, 12-year-old, I sent Mike Schmidt one of my mom’s diamonds rings in the mail," Lori Tomlin said. "I had the biggest crush on him then. She still does."

And, while he was before their time, the youngest fans walked away with a smile and cautious optimism for what this team will be able to do back home.

"It’s good, I think. I knew they weren’t going to sweep them, because the Astros swept the whole playoffs," commented Mason Buniak.

"They’re the best team ever," Killian Finley stated.

"It’s going to be rabble-rousing feeling at Citizens Bank Park, no doubt it and I’ll be there, going crazy," Schmidt added.