Ozzie Smith

Osborne Earl Smith grew up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, survived the 1965 riots by sleeping on the floor to avoid stray bullets, developed his reflexes by bouncing rubber balls off concrete steps, and fashioned his first glove from a brown paper bag. He played 19 major league seasons at shortstop for the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals, won 13 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, set the all-time record for assists by any player at any position with 8,375, stole 580 bases, made 15 All-Star teams, and performed a backflip before every Opening Day from his rookie season through his last. On October 14, 1985, he hit the first home run of his career from the left side of the plate, a ball that traveled down the right field line and won Game 5 of the NLCS. Jack Buck called it on the radio, "Go crazy, folks, go crazy!" The BBWAA elected him to the Hall of Fame in 2002 with 91.7% of the vote.

Watts

Smith was born on December 26, 1954, in Mobile, Alabama. His father Clovi worked as a sandblaster and later as a delivery truck driver for Safeway. His mother Marvella was a nursing home aide. The family moved to the Watts section of Los Angeles when Ozzie was six, the second of six children. He attended Alain Leroy Locke High School and earned a partial academic scholarship to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he walked onto the baseball team. Coach Berdy Harr taught him to switch-hit. Smith set school records in at-bats and stolen bases, earned All-American honors, and was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 1977 draft.

Smith played Class A ball in Walla Walla, Washington, hitting .303 in 68 games, and debuted in the majors on April 7, 1978, at Candlestick Park against the San Francisco Giants. On April 20, thirteen days into his career, he bare-handed a bad hop grounder behind second base and threw out Jeff Burroughs. The play announced what the next 19 years would look like.

San Diego

Smith hit .258 with one home run in his rookie season and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting to Bob Horner. The bat never defined him. The glove did. He won his first Gold Glove in 1980, set a single season record with 621 assists at shortstop, and developed the style that earned him the nickname "The Wizard of Oz," first used in a 1981 Yuma Daily Sun feature. Smith could dive to his left, plant his bare hand on the dirt, spring to his feet, and throw to first in a single motion that looked choreographed because it was. "I like to add my own little touch," Smith said. "I call it flair. Some people would call it hot-dogging, but I call it flair. It's in a way like an artist."

Smith performed his first backflip during the last home game of his rookie season, on October 1, 1978, at the encouragement of Padres promotions director Andy Strasberg. The flip became a ritual before Opening Days, All-Star Games, and postseason starts for the rest of his career.

On December 10, 1981, the Padres traded Smith to the Cardinals in a six-player deal that sent Garry Templeton to San Diego. Smith held a no-trade clause. Finalizing the deal took 62 days.

St. Louis

Smith helped the Cardinals win the 1982 World Series over the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games. He batted .556 with a .615 on-base percentage in the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, a three-game sweep. His defense transformed the Cardinals infield. He led National League shortstops in fielding percentage eight times, in assists eight times, in double plays five times, and in range factor seven times.

Smith won 13 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1980 through 1992. He recorded 8,375 career assists, the most by any player at any position in major league history, and handled 12,624 total chances, the most by any shortstop ever. His 44.2 defensive WAR is the highest recorded at any position. Bud Harrelson, a former Mets shortstop, said, "The thing about Ozzie is, if he misses a ball, you assume it's uncatchable. If any other shortstop misses a ball, your first thought is, 'Would Ozzie have had it?'"

Smith's offensive peak came in 1987, when he batted .303 with 104 runs, 40 doubles, 75 RBI, and 43 stolen bases. He won the Silver Slugger Award and finished second in NL MVP voting to Andre Dawson. "What I did, I did every day," Smith said. "Anyone can make a great play every now and then on any given day. I may not drive in 100 runs each year, but I can prevent 100 runs from scoring against us."

Go Crazy, Folks

The 1985 NLCS between the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers was tied at two games apiece when Game 5 reached the bottom of the ninth inning on October 14 at Busch Stadium, the score knotted 2-2. Smith, batting from the left side, faced Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer. The count went to 1-2. Niedenfuer threw an inside fastball intending to jam him.

Smith had never hit a home run from the left side of the plate. He had batted roughly 3,000 times left-handed without one. He pulled the pitch down the right field line and over the fence for a solo home run. The Cardinals won 3-2 and took a three games to two series lead.

Jack Buck made the radio call that defined both their careers, "Go crazy, folks, go crazy! It's a home run, and the Cardinals have won the game, by the score of 3 to 2, on a home run by the Wizard!" Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called it a 3,000-to-1 shot. Smith batted .435 for the series and was named NLCS MVP. The Cardinals won the pennant in six games on Jack Clark's go-ahead homer in Game 6.

The Last Backflip

Smith announced his retirement on June 19, 1996, amid disagreement with new manager Tony La Russa over platooning. On September 28, 1996, the Cardinals held "Ozzie Smith Day" at Busch Stadium. Smith performed a final backflip, singled home a run in a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, and the franchise retired his number 1. His final career at bat came in the postseason, on October 17, 1996, when he pinch-hit in Game 7 of the NLCS against Atlanta and flew out to right field.

Smith finished with 2,460 hits, 402 doubles, 28 home runs, 793 RBI, 580 stolen bases, and a .262 batting average across 2,573 games and 19 seasons. He made 15 All-Star teams, won 13 Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and one World Series ring. The Cardinals unveiled a bronze statue of Smith outside Busch Stadium on August 11, 2002. Sculptor Harry Weber said, "You spent half of your career up in the air. That makes it difficult for a sculptor to do something with it."

Smith's assessment of his election was direct. "Going in on the first ballot means there was no doubt about being a Hall of Famer," he said. The 91.7% vote confirmed it.