Well before he blossomed into a baseball Hall of Famer, Mike Schmidt took his swings in another sport.

"I played a ton of softball as a kid," he said. "Down at the playground, that's what you did. I think we were all weaned on softball."

Now Schmidt is returning to the roots of those days in Dayton, Ohio. He is the commissioner of the United States Professional Softball League, a slow-pitch circuit that plans to go nationwide starting next spring.

In the development stages for several years, the USPSL hopes to have from 12 to 24 teams playing in minor league ballparks and college stadiums beginning in April.

The league, which has former NFL star Jim Kiick as one of its directors, approached Schmidt last summer. The former Philadelphia Phillies third baseman liked what he heard.

"It sounded pretty interesting to me," Schmidt said this week. "I'm trying to help them build a unique product."

"I'm not doing a lot of commissioning yet," he said. "But I'm involved on the ground floor."

Schmidt envisions a fast-paced game where the only thing slow is the lob pitching, where speed and skills overshadow pure slugging.

"We don't want this to be a beer league where they hit 10 home runs in a row," said the man with 548 career homers.

Ideally, the league would attract a mix of some recognizable names -- Schmidt mentioned Jose Canseco and Pete Rose Jr. as players who might fit in -- with other young ballplayers.

"There's no reason a lady player couldn't make it," Schmidt added.

Proposed franchises range from Maryland to Sacramento, Calif., and the league plans to hold its World Series in September. Tickets would be $7 for doubleheaders, and games would be played on weekends.

Other pro softball loops have met with varied success over the years. The Women's Pro Softball League had several games televised on ESPN and ESPN2 from 1999-01.

"We're excited about the prospect of a new league and look forward to supporting them," said Brian McCall of the Amateur Softball Association, the sport's strongest organization.

Getting TV coverage would certainly help boost the USPSL, as would the addition of some familiar players.

"It's a matter of how it catches on," Schmidt said. "It could build as an arena football kind of loyalty."

Not that Schmidt is looking to come out of retirement. At 53, he's plenty busy with other ventures, including his continuing association with the Phillies as a spring-training instructor and part-time adviser.

"My job will be to promote the league," he said, "not to come out and hit."