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Ozzie Smith

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Template:Infobox MLB retired Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith (born December 26, 1954) is a retired American Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz", he is widely recognized as one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history, winning the Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence at shortstop for a span of 13 consecutive seasons. Over the course of his 19-year career Smith proved to be more than a one-dimensional player, accumulating 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases.

Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama, but his family moved to the Watts section of Los Angeles, California when he was six. During his childhood he unknowingly developed his future baseball skills in some unorthodox ways, such as bouncing a ball off the concrete steps in front of his house. Smith eventually earned a partial academic scholarship to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, and was later selected by the San Diego Padres in the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. After spending a full season in the minor leagues, Smith made his Major League debut with the Padres in 1978. While quickly earning his reputation as a "Wizard" with the glove, he also became known for performing backflips on special occasions while running out to his position on the field. When turmoil with Padres ownership developed, it prompted his trade to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

By becoming an important part of manager Whitey Herzog’s speed and defense-oriented style of baseball known as "Whiteyball", Smith was a major contributor to the Cardinals’ 1982 World Series championship. As Smith became increasingly noted for his defensive accomplishments, he continued to improve his offensive capabilities, hitting a dramatic game-winning home run during Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series, and earning the Silver Slugger Award in 1987. Smith continued earning Gold Glove Awards and All-Star Game appearances until injuries in 1994 and 1995 limited his playing time. After developing a contentious relationship with new manager Tony La Russa, Smith retired after the 1996 season, and subsequently had his uniform number retired by the Cardinals. In addition to working in various broadcast-related positions since retirement, Smith was host of the TV show This Week in Baseball from 1997 to 1999.

Early life

Born in Mobile, Alabama, Smith was the second of six children (five boys and one girl) to his Clovis and Marvella Smith.[1] While the family lived in Mobile, his father worked as a sandblaster at Brookley Air Force Base.[2] During this time the family also lived near Amos Otis, who, like Smith, would later become a Major Leaguer.[2]

When Smith was six, his family moved from Mobile to the Watts section of South Central Los Angeles. His dad became a delivery truck driver for Safeway stores, while his mom became an aide at an Armenian nursing home.[3] Smith's mother was an especially influential part of his life who stressed the importance of education, and encouraged him to pursue his dreams.[4] When not at the local YMCA or playing sports, Smith sometimes went with friends to the neighborhood lumberyard, springboarding off inner tubes and doing flips into sawdust piles.[5] This turned out to be a precursor to his famous backflips during his playing days.[citation needed] In addition, Smith developed his quick reflexes and defensive prowess in other ways, such as bouncing a ball off the concrete steps in front of his house, and throwing a ball over the roof, then running to the backyard to try and catch it before it landed.[6]

During the summer of 1965 the 10-year-old Smith and his family were virtually prisoners in their own home during the Watts Riots. As a passage from Wizard describes,

We were right in the middle of the Watts riots. The National Guard set up its camp right across the street from our house. I don't know how many people have ever seen the National Guard break in somewhere, but they mean business. We had to sleep on the floor because of all the sniping and looting going on.

— Ozzie Smith, from Wizard (1988)[7]

Despite some adverse surroundings, and the divorce of his parents when he was in junior high, Smith's passion for athletics continued to grow.[3] Living in L.A., Smith was a LA Dodgers fan, and would ride the bus for nearly an hour to get to Dodger Stadium, attending about 25 games a year.[3] Keeping a steady interest in athletics, he went on to play baseball and basketball at Locke High School, where he counted Marques Johnson as a teammate on the basketball squad, and Hall of Famer Eddie Murray as a teammate on the baseball side. Smith later received a partial academic scholarship to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, where he walked onto the baseball team. In addition to his classroom education, Smith learned how to switch-hit from Cal-Poly coach Berdy Harr.[8]

Career

Smith was playing semi-pro ball in Clarinda, Iowa when he was selected in the seventh round of the 1976 amateur entry draft by the Detroit Tigers.[9] The parties could not agree on a contract; with Smith wanted a US$10,000 signing bonus, and the Tigers offered only $8,500.[9] Smith went back into the draft pool the following season, and this time was selected in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres, ultimately inking a contract that included a $5,000 signing bonus.[9] Smith subsequently spent his entire first year of professional baseball, 1977, with the now defunct Walla Walla Padres of the Northwest League.[10]

Padre years

Smith started 1978 as a non-roster invitee to the San Diego Padres' spring training camp in Yuma, Arizona. Smith credits Padre manager Alvin Dark for instilling confidence in him, and Dark even told reporters the shortstop job was Smith's until he proved he could not handle it.[11] However, in a sign of the instability and turmoil to come during Smith's time with the Padres, Dark was fired in the middle of training camp.[citation needed] Smith made his MLB debut on April 7, 1978.[12]

It did not take long for Smith to make a name for himself in the big leagues, making what some consider his greatest defensive play only ten games into his rookie season.[citation needed] The Padres played host to the Atlanta Braves on April 20, 1978, and with two out in the top of the fourth inning, Atlanta's Jeff Burroughs hit a grounder up the middle.[13] As Smith describes the play in his own words:

He (Burroughs) hit a ball back up the middle that everybody thought was going into center field. I instinctively broke to my left and dove behind second. As I was in the air, the ball took a bad hop and caromed behind me, but I was able to catch it with my bare hand. I hit the ground, bounced back up, and threw Burroughs out at first.

— Ozzie Smith, from Wizard (1988)[14]

At the conclusion of the 1978 season, Smith finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Bob Horner.[15] Despite his profound defensive abilities, Smith's hitting was still a work in progress, evidenced by an 0 for 32 start to the 1979 season.[16] Adding to this was the friction that soon developed between Padre ownership and Smith and his agent at the time, Ed Gottlieb. For example, the parties got into a contract dispute before the 1980 season, and when negotiations lasted into spring training, the Padres opted to renew Smith's contract at his 1979 salary of $72,500.[17] Angered by the Padres' attitude during those contract talks, Gottlieb took out a help-wanted ad in the San Diego Union, part of which read, "Padre baseball player wants part time employment to supplement income."[18] When the wife of the club's owner publicly offered Smith a job as an assistant to the gardener on her estate, it became clear Smith's days with the Padres were numbered.[19]

Aside from the turmoil, Smith was increasingly recognized for his outstanding abilities on the field. In 1980 he set the single season record for most assists by a shortstop (621), and began his string of 13 consecutive Gold Glove awards.[20] The following year Smith found himself as a reserve in the 1981 All-Star Game.

Trade

While Smith was having problems with the Padre ownership, the St. Louis Cardinals also found themselves unhappy with their shortstop. On "Ladies Day" at Busch Stadium in 1981, Garry Templeton made obscene gestures at the home crowd before being pulled off the field by his manager, Whitey Herzog.[21] Herzog, given the task of overhauling the Cardinals by owner Gussie Busch, was looking to trade Templeton when he was approached by Padre General Manager Jack McKeon at the 1981 baseball winter meetings. McKeon offered to trade Smith, and Herzog, surprised at the offer, reminded McKeon that Smith had previously been "untouchable".[22] With relations between Gottlieb and Padres ownership quickly deteriorating, McKeon was now eager to deal.[22]

McKeon and Herzog put together a six-player trade, with Templeton for Smith as the centerpiece. While the deal was being negotiated, the Padres failed to bring Herzog's attention to a no-trade clause that had been included in Smith's 1981 contract. Upon learning of the trade, Smith's initial reaction was to invoke the clause and stay in San Diego, but was still interested to hear what the Cardinals had to say.[23] While the deal for the other players beside Templeton and Smith went through, Herzog flew to San Diego to personally meet with Smith and Gottlieb over the Christmas holiday. Smith describes how the meeting went:

Whitey told me that with me playing shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, we could win the pennant. He made me feel wanted, which was a feeling I was quickly losing from the Padres. The mere fact that Whitey would come all the way out there to talk to us was more than enough to convince me that St. Louis was the place I wanted to be.

— Ozzie Smith, from Wizard (1988)[24]

After more behind-the-scenes wrangling, Smith became a St. Louis Cardinal on February 11, 1982.[25]

Cardinal years

1982 season

The year 1982 marked the dawn of a new era for both Smith and the Cardinals. Herzog's newly assembled team sprinted into first place with a 12-game win streak early in the season, and remained atop the National League East division the rest of the year.[26] The style of baseball Herzog utilized (namely speed on the basepaths, hit-and-run plays, and sacrifice plays) was soon termed "Whiteyball". With excellent speed on the basepaths, his Gold Glove worthy defense, and aptitude for hitting line drives and ground balls at the plate, Smith exhibited traits that coincided with the essence of Whiteyball. In fact, Herzog later claimed that at his peak Smith saved 75 runs per year with his glove.[27]

File:Ozzie Smith statue.JPG
Smith's statue outside Busch Stadium

Not wanting to rest on his defensive laurels, Smith knew that to improve offensively, he would have to use his speed and hit the ball on the ground. Approaching Smith one day during spring training, Herzog said, "Every time you hit a fly ball, you owe me a buck. Every time you hit a ground ball, I owe you a buck. We'll keep that going all year."[28] The bet worked well, and Smith won close to $300 from Herzog during the season.

The '82 season was also notable for Smith on a more personal level. He became a father for the first time with the birth of his son O.J., today known as Nikko, on April 28 in San Diego. When outfielder David Green tore a hamstring muscle less than a month later, the Cardinals brought up prospect Willie McGee from their Triple-A affiliate in Louisville.[29] Thrown together by their status as newcomers to the Cardinal organization during Spring Training 1982, Smith and McGee got to know each other fairly well. Once McGee joined the big league roster, the two developed an even closer rapport, and Smith likes to think he "helped Willie get over some of the rough spots of adjusting to the major leagues".[30]

Smith got his first taste of postseason action when the Cardinals took on the Atlanta Braves in the best of five 1982 NLCS. Making the most of the opportunity, Smith drove in the series' first run by hitting a sacrifice fly that scored Willie McGee in Game 1, ultimately going five for nine over the course of St. Louis' three-game series sweep.[31]

Just as Herzog had predicted when he told Smith the Cardinals would win the pennant with him on the team, Smith found himself as the team's starting shortstop in the 1982 World Series. It was a matchup of completely opposite strategies; Herzog's Whiteyball pitted against the Milwaukee Brewers and their power-hitting lineup know as "Harvey's Wallbangers". From an individual stance, Smith had a low-key Series, going five for 24 at the plate.[32] Despite his overall average in the Series, Smith contributed offensively when it mattered most. With St. Louis trailing three to one with one out in the sixth inning of Game 7, Smith started a rally with a base hit to left field, eventually scoring the first of three runs that inning.[33] After Bruce Sutter struck out Gorman Thomas in the 9th, Smith celebrated a World Series championship with his teammates.

Go crazy folks

Fresh off the World Series championship, Smith and the Cardinals quickly agreed on a new contract in January 1983 that paid Smith a million dollars a year.[34] With high expectations to meet, the Cardinals were in first place on June 1, but that ultimately proved to be the high point of the year. On June 12, Lonnie Smith admitted himself into rehabilitation for drug addiction, and three days later the team received another shock when star Keith Hernandez was traded to the New York Mets.[35] Smith later referred to the trade as an event that "mentally drained" the team and contributed to sub-par play later in the season.[36] The most notable highlight for Smith in 1983 came when he was voted in as the National League's starting shortstop in the All-Star Game for the first time.[36] During the 1984 season, Smith went on the disabled list on July 19 after suffering a broken wrist, a result of being hit by a pitch during a game against the Padres.[37] Smith's return to the lineup a month later still was not enough to propel the Cardinals to a postseason berth.[37]

File:Ozzie sidewalk.JPG
Sidewalk paver outside Busch Stadium commemorating Smith's "Go crazy" home run

It wasn't until 1985 that the Cardinals returned to championship form by reaching the postseason again. Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, a split of the first four games set the stage for a pivotal Game 5 at Busch Stadium. With the game tied at two runs apiece in the bottom of the ninth inning, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda called upon closer Tom Niedenfuer to hold the Cardinals at bay and send the game to extra innings. After inducing Willie McGee to pop up to third, Smith came to bat against Niedenfuer. Never before in his previous 3,009 left-handed Major League at-bats had Smith homered from that side of the plate.[38] Smith then proceeded to golf a fastball down the right field line and over the fence for a home run, ending Game 5 in a 3–2 Cardinal victory. The ball hit off a concrete pillar behind the right field wall and bounded back onto the field, but despite the ball being thrown into the infield by right fielder Mike Marshall, it had clearly hit above the home run line.[10] Commenting on his home run, Smith said, "I was trying to get an extra-base hit and get into scoring position. Fortunately, I was able to get the ball up."[10] Smith's feat was later voted the greatest moment in Busch Stadium history by Cardinal fans, and has been made even more famous for its radio call by broadcaster Jack Buck.[39]

Smith corks one into right, down the line! It may go…Go crazy folks, go crazy! It's a home run and the Cardinals have won the game, by the score of three to two, on a home run by the Wizard! Go crazy!

Jack Buck[40]

Smith's dramatic feat against the Dodgers set the stage for the 1985 World Series against the Kansas City Royals. Once again the story was not what Smith did at the plate (two for 23), but his outstanding defensive play that sportswriters were quick to draw attention to.[41][42] Despite an anemic .185 batting average as a team, the Cardinals took a three games to two Series lead into Game 6.[43] However, a blown call by umpire Don Denkinger rendered Smith's defensive prowess moot, as the Royals took the Series in seven games.[44]

Smith's season and big hit in the NLCS are made all the more remarkable by a health issue that developed in 1985 and continued the rest of his career, that of a torn rotator cuff on his right shoulder.[45] After injuring his shoulder diving into first base, Smith then tried to compensate by changing the angle of his throws, leading to the rotator cuff tear. The 5'-10" (1.52 m), 180-pound (82 kg) Smith rarely spoke of the injury during his career, opting to forgo surgery and instead built up the strength in his arm the natural way in the weight room, playing through whatever pain he encountered.[38] Says Smith, "I didn't tell anybody about the injury, because I wanted to keep playing and didn't want anybody thinking they could run on me or take advantage of the injury. I tried to do almost everything except throw a baseball left-handed;opening a door, turning on the radio, everything. It didn't get any better, but it was good enough that I didn't have to have surgery."[45]

In light of his injury, Smith was unable to perform his traditional Opening Day backflip for the start of the 1986 season. Instead, Smith opted to let his now four-year-old son O.J. perform the backflip for him in front of the Busch Stadium crowd.[46] Smith's most "eye-popping" play in a Cardinal uniform came on August 5, 1986 during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium.[38] In the top of the ninth inning Phillies first baseman Von Hayes hit a short fly ball to left field, which was pursued by both Smith and left fielder Curt Ford.[47] Running with his back turned to home plate, Smith leaped forward, simultaneously catching the ball while parallel to the ground, and leaping over the diving Ford, avoiding a collision by inches.[38][4]

Pinnacle: 1987

A couple of the balls we hit in the Metrodome were hit solidly, but once they got to a certain point in the outfield, they seemed to stop. Yet some balls that the Twins hit, once they got to the same point, seemed to carry. I don't have any proof that it was the blowers, and it may or may not be true, but in the back of my mind I will always wonder whether that had something to do with why the Twins were such a different team at home and on the road.

Ozzie Smith comments on the 1987 Minnesota Twins[48]

The most productive season Smith ever had at the plate came in 1987, when he had a .303 batting average, 43 stolen bases, 75 RBIs, 104 runs scored, and 40 doubles, good enough to earn him the Silver Slugger Award. Combined with his consistently Gold Glove worthy defense, it marked the best all-around season Smith had. Baseball fans rewarded Smith for his exceptional play by making him the leading vote-getter out of all players in the 1987 All-Star Game.[49] He mostly batted second in the lineup, and his plate discipline allowed him to post a career high on-base percentage of .392. This performance lifted the Cardinals into the playoffs, where they first faced the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. Smith contributed a triple during the series, as the heated contest was won by the Cardinals in seven games.

The 1987 World Series marked the team's third trip to baseball's biggest stage in six years, where they proceeded to win all three games played at Busch Memorial Stadium against the Minnesota Twins. They couldn't manage to scrap together a single win in Minnesota's Metrodome however, dropping the Series in seven games. In 28 at-bats during the Series, Smith scored three runs and had two RBIs.[42] After the Series had concluded, Smith was left wondering whether the Metrodome's use of air-conditioner blowers during play was the reason behind the Twins' dominance at their home park.[48] Smith finished second in MVP balloting to Andre Dawson, who had played on the last-placed Chicago Cubs, largely because he and teammate Jack Clark split the first-place vote.[50] Following the 1987 season, Smith was awarded the largest contract in the National League at $2,340,000.[51]

While the team wouldn't see the postseason the rest of the decade, Smith continued racking up All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves. Combined with the attention he received from his recent contract, Smith continued to be a national figure. Always known to be a savvy dresser, he received the ultimate recognition in that arena by making the April 1988 cover of GQ magazine.[52] With the passing of owner Gussie Busch in 1989, change was inevitably on the horizon, and not in a beneficial way for the Cardinals. After the team posted a 33–47 won-lost record through the first 80 games of the 1990 season, a frustrated Herzog decided to quit.[53]

Torre era

No one paid attention to my offense. So having 2,000 hits is one of the things that is an accomplishment.

Ozzie Smith, from the 1993 St. Louis Cardinals Yearbook[8]

While players like Willie McGee and Vince Coleman left the Cardinals under the watch of Anheuser-Busch, Smith remained in St. Louis. Joe Torre took his turn at the Cardinals' helm next, but the postseason remained elusive for the team during the first half of the 1990s. While the Cardinals' celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1992, Smith marked milestones of his own, stealing his 500th career base on April 26, 1992, then notching a triple on May 26 in front of the home crowd for his 2,000 hit.[54] While St. Louis had a one game lead in the National League East division on June 1, injuries took their toll on the team, including Smith's two-week illness in late July after contracting chicken pox for the first time.[55] As a testament to his national visibility during this time, Smith appeared in a 1992 episode of The Simpsons titled "Homer at the Bat". When his contract expired at season's end, Smith became a free agent for the first and only time in his career.[56] After nearly a month, he resigned with the Cardinals on December 6, 1992.[56]

After winning a Gold Glove for the final time in 1992, injuries started to creep up on Smith. He appeared in 98 games during the strike shortened 1994 season, then sat out a large portion of 1995 after having shoulder surgery on May 31, ultimately appearing in only 44 games that season.[57][58] Even with injuries limiting his accomplishments on the field, Smith was increasingly recognized for his positive work off the field. For instance, his community service efforts were rewarded with the 1994 Branch Rickey Award and the 1995 Roberto Clemente Award. In February 1994, Smith took on the role of honorary chairman and official spokesman for the Missouri Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Health.[59]

1996

As Smith entered the twilight of his career in 1996, he experienced a new round of change in his life both on and off the field. Away from baseball, Smith finalized a painful divorce from his longtime wife Denise during the first half of the year.[60][61] Meanwhile, Smith once again witnessed a reboot of the Cardinal franchise, as new ownership gave the task of restoring the Cardinals' winning tradition to manager Tony La Russa. After the team acquired shortstop Royce Clayton from the Giants in the offseason, Smith claimed La Russa had told him in January there would be an open competition between Smith and Clayton, with the starting job going to whoever had the best spring.[60][61] When spring training concluded, Smith had amassed a .288 batting average and zero errors in the field, while Clayton batted .190 with eight errors.[60] Smith believed he outplayed Clayton during the spring, but La Russa disagreed, as evidenced by awarding Clayton the majority of playing time in the platoon situation that developed, where Smith typically saw action every third game.[60] Commenting on Smith's perception of what La Russa said in January, La Russa himself said, "What I told him (Smith) was the guy who plays better will play the most, and Royce has been one of our two best players this year. I think it's fair to say Ozzie misunderstood how he compared to Royce in spring training."[60]

Smith missed the first month of the season with a hamstring injury as ill feelings continued to abound between Smith and his manager in the situation that developed.[60] In a closed-door meeting in mid-May, La Russa asked Smith if he would like to be traded.[60] Instead, Smith and his agent Mark Goldberg met with Cardinals management to reach a compromise, agreeing to what effectively became a $2 million buyout of special provisions in his "lifetime" contract with the team.[60] The decision prompted an emotional press conference at Busch Stadium on June 19, 1996, where Smith announced his retirement from Major League Baseball, effective at season's end.[62]

One of the lighter moments of the year came in the form of a commercial that Smith recorded with newly returned teammate Willie McGee. As part of the team's "Baseball like it oughta be" ad campaign, Smith and McGee, under the aliases of "Henry Smith" and "Walter McGee" respectively, partially ad-libbed several TV spots dressed as two old men sitting in a bar talking about the Cardinals. Shocked that the shy McGee would do such an outrageous thing, teammates were enthralled by watching outtakes from the TV spots, some of which can be seen on a commemorative video about the Cardinals' 1996 season.[63]

Ozzie Smith's number 1 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996.

As Smith made his final tour of the National League he was honored by many teams, and received a lengthy standing ovation at the 1996 All-Star Game.[60] Smith also experienced a mini-resurgence in the midst of a pennant race, hitting .287 entering September.[64] On September 2, Smith tied a career high by scoring four runs, one of which was a home run, and another on a close play at home plate in the bottom of the tenth inning to secure the win for the Cardinals against division leader Houston.[65] The win moved the Cardinals to within a half game of Houston in the National League Central Division, as the Cardinals went on to win the division by six games, earning their first playoff birth since 1987.[65][66] After 19 seasons, Smith's career culminated in a special retirement ceremony at Busch Stadium before the game against the Cincinnati Reds on September 28, 1996. Noted for his ritual backflip before opening days, All-Star Games, and postseason games, Smith chose this occasion to perform it for one of the last times.

Although his number was retired, Smith was not done playing just yet. First, the Cardinals faced tough games against Smith's old team, the San Diego Padres, in the 1996 National League Division Series. After sitting out Game 1, Smith got the start in Game 2 at Busch Stadium, helping his team go up two games in the series by notching a run, a hit and two walks at the plate, along with an assist and a putout with his glove.[67] The team carried on from there, sweeping the series by winning Game 3 in San Diego.

After surprising the entire baseball world by going up three games to one on the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 NLCS, the Cardinals could not get the extra win to put themselves into the World Series. After Game 7 in Atlanta had turned into a blowout, Smith pinch-hit in the sixth inning, marking the end to his Hall of Fame career.[68] With all the accolades he achieved in his career, not the least of which was accumulating more than 27.5 million votes from fans in All-Star balloting, it is interesting to note Smith currently holds the record for the most at-bats without hitting a grand slam.[4][69]

Retirement

Upon retirement, Smith took over for Mel Allen as the host of the long-running television series This Week in Baseball in 1997.[70] Concurrent to his role on TWIB, Smith became color commentator for local Cardinal games broadcast on KPLR-TV.[71] He was able to cheer on Willie McGee after McGee's pinch-hit ninth inning home run to win the Cardinals' 1997 home opener, and witnessed Mark McGwire's record-setting year from the broadcast booth the following season. When his stint on This Week in Baseball concluded, Smith then moved on to do work for CNN-SI beginning in 1999.[72]

Cooperstown and beyond

Smith fields a ground ball at Doubleday Field in 2002.

On January 8, 2002 Smith received a phone call from Jack O'Connell, the secretary of the Baseball Writer's Association of America, informing him that he had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot.[73][74] As it happened, the Olympic torch was passing through St. Louis on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Smith served as a torchbearer in a ceremony with St. Louis Rams' quarterback Kurt Warner that evening.[75] Smith was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame during ceremonies on July 28, 2002. During his speech, he compared his baseball experiences with the characters from the novel "The Wizard of Oz", after which his son Dustin presented his Hall of Fame plaque.[76] Days later on August 11, Smith was back at Busch Memorial Stadium for the unveiling of a statue in his likeness, made by sculptor Harry Weber, that is pictured above in this article.[77]

Smith continues to remain a visible figure around the St. Louis area, making appearances as varied as playing the role of the Wizard in the St. Louis Municipal Opera's summer 2001 production of The Wizard of Oz.[78] Plus, Smith still was receiving accolades even after his playing days. For instance, in 1999 he ranked Number 87 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and finished third in voting at shortstop for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[79] Then in 2003 he was given the additional honors of induction into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma-mater Cal-Poly.[80][81] Additionally, Smith has chosen to limit his association with the Cardinals for as long as La Russa remains manager of the team, still upset with the situation that unfolded in 1996.[82] Currently Smith keeps busy with a restaurant at Westport Plaza in St. Louis that bears his name, a location he used to cheer on his son Nikko as he cracked the top ten finalists of the 2005 edition of American Idol.[83]

Career MLB statistics

Hitting[84][85][86]

Category G AB AVG R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SB SO OBP SLG
Statistic 2573 9396 .262 1257 2460 402 69 28 793 1072 580 589 .337 .328
All-time rank 39th 42nd - - 93rd - - - - 80th 21st - - -

T = tied

Rankings as of March 4, 2008.

Fielding[85][86]

Category G PO A CH E DP FP RFg
Statistic 2511 4249 8375 12624 281 1590 .978 5.03
All-time rank for SS - - 1st 1st - - - -

T = tied

Rankings as of March 4, 2008.

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ Associated Press (2002-07-28). "'Wizard of Oz' on deck for enshrinement". Sports Illustrated.com. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  2. ^ a b Smith and Rains (1988) p. 6
  3. ^ a b c Smith and Rains (1988) p. 9
  4. ^ a b c Eisenbath (1999) pp. 284-285
  5. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 7
  6. ^ Smith and Rains (2002) pp. 24-25
  7. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 4
  8. ^ a b Lang, Dave. "There is Only 1 Ozzie Smith." St. Louis Cardinals Official 1993 Yearbook. 1993. 17
  9. ^ a b c Hollander, Dave (2007-08-08). "Still, Nothing in Baseball Gets Past Ozzie". AOL. Retrieved 2007-10-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b c Hummel, Rick (2007). "Ozzie's 'Go Crazy' Home Run". Commish & the Cardinals. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Books. pp. 57–61. ISBN 978-0-9661397-9-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 17
  12. ^ "San Diego Padres 3, San Francisco Giants 2". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  13. ^ "San Diego Padres 2, Atlanta Braves 0". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  14. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 21
  15. ^ "Baseball Awards Voting for 1978". Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  16. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 31
  17. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 34
  18. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 35
  19. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) pp. 35-36
  20. ^ "Shortstop Assist Records". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  21. ^ Herzog and Horrigan (1987) pp. 135-136
  22. ^ a b Herzog and Horrigan (1987) p. 137
  23. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 51
  24. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 52
  25. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 57
  26. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 63
  27. ^ "The Ballplayers - Ozzie Smith". BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  28. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 61
  29. ^ Herzog and Horrigan (1987) p. 141
  30. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 66
  31. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals 7, Atlanta Braves 0". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  32. ^ Schoor (1990) p. 417
  33. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals 6, Milwaukee Brewers 2". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
  34. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 81
  35. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) pp. 84–85
  36. ^ a b Smith and Rains (1988) p. 87
  37. ^ a b Smith and Rains (1988) p. 95
  38. ^ a b c d St. Louis Cardinals 2005 Media Guide. Hadler Printing, 2005. C-26.
  39. ^ Leach, Matthew (2005-09-30). "Ozzie's homer tops in Busch history". MLB.com. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  40. ^ Garner (2000) p. 98
  41. ^ Schoor (1990) p. 362
  42. ^ a b Schoor (1990) p. 418
  43. ^ Schoor (1990) p. 363
  44. ^ Schoor (1990) p. 364
  45. ^ a b Smith and Rains (2002) p. 43
  46. ^ Rains and Reid (2002) p. 111
  47. ^ Hummel, Rick (2007). "Ozzie's Greatest Catch". Commish & the Cardinals. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Books. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-0-9661397-9-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ a b Smith and Rains (1988) p. 176
  49. ^ Smith and Rains (1988) p. 160
  50. ^ "Baseball Award Voting for 1987". Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  51. ^ "1988 National League Leader Boards". Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  52. ^ Boswell, Thomas. "The Wizardry of Ozzie Smith." GQ. April 1988.
  53. ^ Hummel, Rick (2007). "Herzog Gives Up". Commish & the Cardinals. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Books. pp. 121–123. ISBN 978-0-9661397-9-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  54. ^ Rains (2003) p. 251
  55. ^ "History:Cardinals Timeline". St. Louis Cardinals. 2005-03-22. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  56. ^ a b "Ozzie Smith Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  57. ^ "Smith Has Shoulder Surgery". New York Times. 1995-06-01. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  58. ^ "Ozzie Smith Stats, News, Photos". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  59. ^ "History:Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Health". Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  60. ^ a b c d e f g h i Geffner, Michael (1996-07-22). "Cardinal singe - shortstop Ozzie Smith". The Sporting News. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  61. ^ a b Rains and Reid (2002) p. 110
  62. ^ Rains (2003) p. 252
  63. ^ Baseball Like it Oughta Be - The Story of the 1996 St. Louis Cardinals. Videocassette. Orion, 1996.
  64. ^ "The 1996 STL N Regular Season Batting Log for Ozzie Smith". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  65. ^ a b Hummel, Rick (2007). "Golden Oldies Ozzie & Willie". Commish & the Cardinals. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Books. pp. 129–135. ISBN 978-0-9661397-9-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  66. ^ "The 1996 Season". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  67. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals 5, San Diego Padres 4". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  68. ^ "Atlanta Braves 15, St. Louis Cardinals 0". Retrosheet.org. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  69. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (2006-08-17). "The grand slam … unusual, yet fun". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  70. ^ "Ozzie Smith Gets Job in Television". NYTimes.com. 1997-01-15. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  71. ^ Robinson, Tom (1997-5-22). "Ozzie Puts Down Glove, Picks Up Mike". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2007-12-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  72. ^ Rains and Reid (2002) p. 109
  73. ^ Rains and Reid (2002) p. 107
  74. ^ Bodley, Hal (2002-01-09). "Ozzie Smith voted into Hall of Fame". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  75. ^ Smith and Rains (2002) pp. 18-19
  76. ^ Leach, Matthew (2002-07-28). "A Day of Celebration". MLB.com. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  77. ^ Associated Press (2002-08-11). "Cardinals Unveil Ozzie Smith Statue". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  78. ^ Rains and Reid (2002) p. 114
  79. ^ Associated Press (1999-10-23). "All-Century Team final voting". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
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  81. ^ "Baseball Great Ozzie Smith To Be Cal Poly's Honored Commencement Speaker". CSU Newsline. 2003-05-09. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  82. ^ "Ten years later, Ozzie Smith, La Russa still feuding". ESPN.com. 2006-05-22. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  83. ^ Wald, Jaina. "When it's "Idol" time at Ozzie's, folks go crazy for Nikko." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2005-04-06. E3. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  84. ^ "hall of famer career hitting stats view". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
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  86. ^ a b "Baseball Records and Baseball Record Books". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved 2008-01-07.

References

  • Eisenbath, Mike (1999). The Cardinals Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. ISBN 1566397030.
  • Garner, Joe (2000). And The Fans Roared. Naperville: Sourcebooks. ISBN 1-57071-582-3.
  • Herzog, Whitey (1987). White Rat - A Life in Baseball. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-080910-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Hummel, Rick (2007). Commish & the Cardinals. St. Louis Post-Dispatch Books. ISBN 978-0-9661397-9-2.
  • Rains, Rob (2002). Whitey's Boys: A Celebration of the '82 Cards World Championship. Chicago: Triumph. ISBN 1-57243-485-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Rains, Rob (2003). Cardinal Nation (2nd edition ed.). St. Louis: The Sporting News. ISBN 0-89204-727-5. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  • Schoor, Gene (1990). The History of the World Series. New York: William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-07995-4.
  • Smith, Ozzie (1988). Wizard. Chicago: Contemporary Books. ISBN 0-8092-4594-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Smith, Ozzie (2002). Ozzie Smith - The Road to Cooperstown. Sports Publishing L.L.C. ISBN 1-58261-576-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)


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