Ozzie Smith

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 cited as one of the greatest defensive players of all time, having won 13 consecutive Gold Glove Awards during his career. Over the course of his 19-year career Smith accumulated some impressive offensive statistics as well, retiring from Major League Baseball in 1996 with 2,460 hits.

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, 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. Smith retired after the 1996 season, then held various broadcast-related positions until he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2002.

Early life

Smith was the second of six children (five boys and one girl) born to his father Clovis and mother Marvella.^[1] While the family lived in Mobile, Alabama, his father worked as a sandblaster at Brookley Air Force Base, and they also happened to live 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 changed occupations to become a delivery truck driver for Safeway stores, while his mom became an aide at an Armenian nursing home.^[2] Smith's mother was an especially influential part of his life who stressed the importance of education, and encouraged him to pursue his dreams.^[3] When he wasn't down at the local YMCA or playing sports of some kind, Smith sometimes went with friends to the neighborhood lumberyard, springboarding off inner tubes and doing flips into sawdust piles. This turned out to be a fun precursor to his famous backflips during his playing days. In addition, Smith developed his quick reflexes and defensive prowess in other unusual ways, such as bouncing a ball off the concrete steps in front of his house, and even throwing a ball over the roof, then running to the backyard to try and catch it before it landed.^[4]

However, reality hit home during the summer of 1965, as 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)^[5]

Despite some adverse surroundings, and the divorce of his parents when he was in junior high, Smith's passion for athletics continued to grow.^[2] Living in L.A., Smith was a LA Dodgers fan, and he would ride the bus for nearly an hour to get to Dodger Stadium, attending about 25 games a year.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8] The parties couldn't agree on a contract though, with Smith wanting a $10,000 signing bonus, and the Tigers only offering $8,500.^[8] 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 with them.^[8] Smith subsequently spent his entire first year of professional baseball in 1977 with the now defunct Walla Walla Padres of the Northwest League.^[9]

The Padre Years

Smith started off 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 went as far as telling reporters the shortstop job was Smith's until he proved he couldn't handle it.^[2] But 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. Nevertheless, Smith made his MLB debut on April 7, 1978.^[10]

It didn't 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. 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.^[11] 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)^[12]

At the conclusion of the 1978 season, Smith finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Bob Horner.^[13] Despite his profound defensive abilities, Smith's hitting was still very much a work-in-progress, punctuated by an 0 for 32 start to the 1979 season.^[2] Adding to this was the friction that soon developed between Padre ownership and Smith and his agent at the time, Ed Gottlieb. As an 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 contact at his 1979 salary level of $72,500.^[2] 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."^[2] 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.^[2]

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 concurrently began his string of 13 consecutive Gold Glove awards.^[14] The following year it wasn't a surprise when Smith found himself as a reserve in the 1981 All-Star Game.

The 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.^[15] 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 of what he said the last time Herzog inquired about Smith, saying "you said he was untouchable."^[15] With relations between Gottlieb and Padres ownership quickly deteriorating, McKeon was now eager to deal.

With little haste, 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.^[2] 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 holidays. Smith describes how the meeting went:

Whitey told me that with me playing shortstop for the 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)^[16]

After some more behind-the-scenes wrangling, Smith became a St. Louis Cardinal on February 11, 1982.^[17]

The Cardinal Years

1982

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.^[18] 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.^[19]

Not wanting to rest on his defensive laurels though, 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."^[20] 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.^[15] 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."^[2]

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.^[21]

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.^[22] 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.^[23] After Bruce Sutter struck out Gordon 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 of 1983 that paid Smith a million dollars a year.^[24] With high expectations to meet, the Cardinals were in first place on June 1st, 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.^[25] Smith later referred to the trade as an event that "mentally drained" the team and contributed to sub-par play later in the season.^[26] 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.^[26] 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.^[27] Smith's return to the lineup a month later still wasn't enough to propel the Cardinals to a postseason birth.^[27]

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 – until now.^[28] He golfed 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.^[9] 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."^[9] 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.^[29]

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.^[22] Despite an anemic .185 batting average as a team, the Cardinals took a three games to two Series lead into Game 6.^[22] However, a blown call by umpire Don Denkinger rendered Smith's defensive prowess moot, as the Royals took the Series in seven games.^[22]

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.^[4] 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", 180 pound 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.^[28] 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...."^[31]

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.^[32] 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.^[28] 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.^[33] 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.^[28][3]

The Pinnacle - 1987

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.^[35] 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. 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.^[34] 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.^[36] Following the 1987 season, Smith was awarded the largest contract in the National League at $2,340,000.^[37]

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.^[38] With the passing of owner Gussie Busch in 1989, change was inevitably on the horizon, and not in a beneficial way for the Cardinals. Brewery executives now running the team were more concerned about the team's finances than investing in players, leading a frustrated Herzog to quit in 1990.^[39]

The Torre Era

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 some 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.^[39] 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-long illness in late July after he contracted chicken pox for the first time in his life.^[40] As a testament to his national visibility during this time, Smith even 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.^[41] After nearly a month, he resigned with the Cardinals on December 6, 1992.^[41]

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.^[42][43] Even with injuries limiting his on-field accomplishments, 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 additional role of honorary chairman and official spokesman for the Missouri Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Health.^[44]

1996

As Smith entered the twilight of his career in 1996, he once again witnessed a complete 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, La Russa said there would be an open competition between Smith and Clayton, with the starting job going to whoever had the best spring.^[32]

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. The disagreement between Smith and La Russa, and the resulting tension it created, 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.^[39] This extra motivation to win for Smith help propel the team to their first postseason birth since the aforementioned 1987 season.

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.^[45]

After 19 seasons, Smith's career culminated in a special retirement ceremony before the game against the Cincinnati Reds on September 28, 1996, known as "Ozzie Smith Day." 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.

Even though his number was retired, Smith wasn't done playing just yet. First, the Cardinals faced some tough games against Smith's old team, the San Diego Padres, in the 1996 NLDS. 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.^[46] 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 couldn't 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.^[47] 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.^[3][48]

Career MLB statistics

Hitting^[49][50][51]

T = tied

Rankings as of March 4, 2008.

Fielding^[50][51]

T = tied

Rankings as of March 4, 2008.

Post-retirement

Upon retirement, Smith took over for Mel Allen as the host of the long-running TV series This Week in Baseball in 1997.^[52] It was around this time Smith's personal life also went through dramatic change, as his marriage to longtime wife Denise ended in divorce.^[32] Concurrent to his role on TWIB, Smith became color commentator for local Cardinal games broadcast on KPLR-TV.^[53] 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.^[32]

Cooperstown & Beyond

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, named on 433 of the 472 ballots cast.^[54][55][56] 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.^[4]

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.^[57] Days later on August 11, Smith was back at Busch Memorial Stadium for the unveiling of the statue pictured above in this article.^[58]

Smith continues to remain a visible figure around the St. Louis area, playing the role of the Wizard in the St. Louis Municipal Opera's summer 2001 production of The Wizard of Oz.^[32] 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.^[59] 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 San Luis Obispo.^[60][61]

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.^[62] Today, 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.^[63]

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players with 2000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 500 stolen bases
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 stolen bases

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
• baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
• St. Louis Walk of Fame