Tell us which neighborhood park in the Miami Valley you think deserves a makeover. Send your responses to mkatz@Dayton DailyNews.com.
DAYTON — Almost every day after school, Mike Schmidt would drop his books at home and run outside to the park, across the street and only three houses down.
“The joke was,” said Lois Schmidt, the Hall of Fame third baseman’s mom, “I’d always have to call him home for dinner.
“I’d yell, ‘Michael, Michael,’ and he’d holler back, ‘One more at-bat. One more at-bat.’ ”
Mike Schmidt said he remembered wandering home a half-hour late once and a paddling awaited. He said he was never late again.
It has been a long time since Mike Schmidt has seen Ridgecrest Park, tucked in north Dayton among the tidy homes on Ridge Avenue, Pinecrest (the street where Schmidt’s parents still live), Fieldstone and just off busy Dixie Highway. He was surprised it was in such good shape after going on radio and television last week asking his mom for some help.
Schmidt is helping promote Sears’ greening of America project, which can be found on the Internet at moregreenacrossamerica.com. Communities are being asked to submit photos of local parks and an essay saying why Sears should spend $30,000 to upgrade their neighborhood park.
The promotion runs through next week with the winning entry announced the first week of May.
“He was on the (ESPN) Mike & Mike Show,” Lois Schmidt said, “and he was telling them how much time he spent in that park. After he said that, he looked right at the camera, pointed a finger and said, ‘Mom, I know you’re watching. I want you to write in and get Ridgecrest Park in the running.’”
Lois Schmidt laughed and said, “The more I thought about that, I thought, ‘shoot, that’s probably one of those things you’re not eligible for if your family is involved in the works of the whole thing.’ Then he called me and asked if the kids are still using it. I said, ‘Not as much as you kids did, but every once in awhile there are some kids down there playing basketball.’ ”
Schmidt lives in Florida but was reached in Rhode Island, where he was visiting his first grandchild. “The park was our home,” he said. “All my friends (went). Whatever season, that’s what we played. We mixed in a little golf, too. The hoop courts came when I was in high school in the early 1960s. They also had a summer program with park directors and organized activities for younger kids.”
While there are no signs promoting the park, there are entrances off Pinecrest and Fieldstone as well as a small entry way through the fence reached by a small alley off Ridge. It has a shelter building, swing and slide sets, a basketball court, a backstop for baseball and two bench areas. Mature trees are everywhere, the grass is green and the baseball field is plenty big for a good game. Earlier this week, a father and three children were playing on the swing and slide set.
“Ridgecrest Park was our safe haven,” Mike Schmidt said, “and a major reason I became who I am today.”
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