Are Mike Schmidt and Chuck Norris the Same Person?

Look at Mike Schmidt, sporting a beard and toting some hardware on his 1982 Fleer card.

1982 Fleer Mike Schmidt #637

Now look at this picture of Chuck Norris from a similar time period.

I'm going to ask a bold question here:

Are Mike Schmidt and Chuck Norris the same person?

Should I have kept that to myself?

I don't know. But I have the strange feeling that any minute now, Chuck is going to knock down my front door and give me a roundhouse kick . . .

It's too late to take back the whole theory now, so I may as well continue.

Just compare the two images side by side.

It's not just the face and the beard and the ruggedness. Look at the way they're both standing, for goodness sake. It's an eerily similar pose. On the right, Chuck Norris is almost telling us that he should still be carrying those baseball trophies under each arm.

For further intrigue, let's look at a specific piece of the timeline:

The Chuck Norris film Silent Rage debuted in theaters in 1982. According to sources, filming began in the summer of 1981, and only took 30 days.

Do you know what was happening in Major League Baseball during the summer of 1981?

The strike.

That's right. From June 12th to August 10th, there were no Major League Baseball games.

Coincidence? Or did Chuck Norris (a.k.a. Mike Schmidt) try to plan filming around the strike, so he wouldn't miss any baseball games?

I'm not going to dive deeper into this for now, but I'll leave you with one other piece of information:

In Mike Schmidt's (a.k.a. Chuck Norris') first five games back from the strike, he put up 2 doubles and 3 home runs. Seems like he was itching to get back into the batter's box after all that filming.

Listen, I'm just putting the information out there. Take it however you'd like.

With that being said, I'm reminded of those email threads containing "Chuck Norris facts" that were so popular back in the early 2000s.

You know, the kind that listed incredible feats and legends pertaining to Mr. Norris, like these:

Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.

When Chuck Norris jumps in the water, he doesn't get wet. The water gets Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris can make lemons out of lemonade.

And Chuck (a.k.a. Mike Schmidt) was so dominant during his prime—Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, All-Star selections, MVP winner, home run leader, World Series Champion—that it only makes sense for us to come up with some baseball-themed Chuck Norris facts.

I'll start things off:

Chuck Norris can hit a 5-run home run.

Chuck Norris once turned an unassisted quadruple play.

Chuck Norris can steal home from second base.

Chuck Norris is the only player who knows where 4th base is.

Now it's your turn. Share any of your favorite Chuck Norris facts (or make up some more baseball versions) in the comment section.

I look forward to your humor. (Just be careful what you say.)