FRANK CHESTERFIELD IS A PLUMBER FROM CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY, AND ONE OF THE FEW SURVIVING BLOOD RELATIVES OF LORD CHESTERFIELD. HERE, FRANK WILL OFFER HIS OWN UNIQUE 21ST CENTURY TRANSLATION OF ONE OF “UNCLE CHETTY’S” FAMOUS QUOTES.
When I was 15 years old, I thought Mike Schmidt was the greatest baseball player who ever lived. Better than Mickey Mantle, better than Willie Mays, even better than Babe Ruth himself. I would tell anyone who challenged me that they were crazy if they thought otherwise. I even punched my cousin in the nose for having the nerve to call Schmitty a “bum who couldn’t carry George Brett’s jock strap.” (He was big fan of Brett who, at the time, was the Major’s other great third baseman.)
Even though the Phils were coming off their first World Championship in team history and Schmitty was the reigning National League MVP, in hindsight I’ll admit that my opinion of #20 was a little overinflated. What do you expect from a kid from Camden who grew up as a “Fightin’ Phils” fan in tough neighborhood full of Yankee fans?
My point is, my Uncle Chetty was right on the money when he said young people overrate men and things. When you’re young, you don’t really have the life experience you need to really measure how great (or not great) something is. At that age, your favorite ballplayer is the best that ever lived, your dog is the smartest one on the block, and your mom’s lasagna is the best this side of the Mississippi. But then you get older and you realize none of that is really true. Just don’t tell my mom I said that.
