SIDELINES : Schmidt Named Player of ‘80s

Retired third baseman Mike Schmidt, who hit more home runs than any other player during the 1980s, has been named Baseball Player of the Decade by the Sporting News.

Schmidt began his career in 1972 with the Philadelphia Phillies. By 1980 he had led the National League in home runs three times and had earned four Gold Glove awards.

In the 1980s, Schmidt hit 313 of his 548 home runs, had 929 of his career 1,595 RBIs, earned three Most Valuable Player awards and played in two World Series. He also earned six more Gold Glove awards and played in eight All-Star games. Schmidt had 30 or more homers in each of the first eight years of the decade, winning four home run titles and sharing a fifth.

He retired last May.