OHIO UNIVERSITY

Athens, Ohio - At first, the young batter looked like he was "swinging with a sword," but then he connected on four straight shots, all traveling well over 400 feet; and Mike Schmidt, playing in a Dayton Summer League as a college sophomore in 1968, was "discovered".

An Ohio University ball player home for the summer, Schmidt and his father kept badgering Ted Mills, who was managing the Parkmoor Restaurant Team, for a chance to play in Dayton's National Amateur Baseball Federation Summer League.

"I had an excellent team returning, and I turned Schmidt down a number of times; but he kept after me," said Mills.

"Schmidt, 18 at the time, filtered his way to shortstop and became our regular at a position where I normally look for more experience," said the manager, "He was the youngest shortstop I've ever had."

"As in many cases, fate plays a definite role in the development of many great ball players," said Mills who pitched his college baseball at the University of Cincinnati until a neck injury short circuited his career.

"In Schmidt's case, the fact that Ohio University's Rich McKinney had signed (opening a spot in the line-up) was a big break for him as a college sophomore.

"After the summer, I called Bob Wren (Ohio University's baseball coach) and told him of Schmidt's great summer. Schmidt's fielding had the look of a professional, and his hitting (especially his power hitting) was sensational. I wrote the California Angels about him, too.

"Mike was fortunate to play for Bob Wren, a dedicated knowledgeable baseball man," said Mills who added, "If I did anything, I was perhaps first to recognize him as a possible professional player.

"No one at Ohio University could believe the amazing improvement in his baseball in just a summer. His roommate, Bill Toadvine (also a Dayton product), said, "In the fall upon his return, Mike started talking about playing in the big leagues and how he was going to hit a home run off Bob Gibson, the great Cardinal pitcher. I'm not positive, but I think he did hit one out against Gibson," said Toadvine.

"The amazing thing is how big he made it in baseball," said Mills.

"I had encouraged Mike to play for Wren at Ohio University, because I knew Bob and his great baseball background," said Mills. "I had sent no fewer than seven area players to Wren (Mike Schmidt, Mike Murphy, Bo Kleiber, Malcom Smoot, Bill Toadvine, Terry Wenger, and Smith).

"Bob Wren and I agree that Mike Schmidt is the perfect example of what can be accomplished by a boy, not drafted in high school, who had natural athletic ability and determination," said Mills.

Mills, who had coached two national championship teams and one runner-up in Dayton Class AA baseball, helped Schmidt in a turning point of his baseball career.

"Finding Mike Schmidt, seeing him develop, and knowing that you encouraged him in some small way is beyond description," explained Mills. "When I saw Mike play in Veterans Stadium and after that final game of the 1980 World Series, I cannot describe the feeling," he said.