This story was excerpted from John Denton's Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ST. LOUIS – “As the shortstop and the leader of the infield, you need to know where you are on the field at all times,” Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith told campers young and old before showing them exactly what he meant – something that caused many mouths to open in amazement.
Fielding a slow roller in the direction of a makeshift second base, Smith contorted his body in a way that allowed him to shovel the baseball behind his back to former MLB player Scott Cooper at the bag. Amazed ooohs and ahhhhhs filled the air as Smith flashed that welcoming, trademark smile of his to those attending the “Turn Two with Ozzie” event put on by the Cardinals.
Even at 70 years old and retired from baseball for 29 years, Smith has still got it – still got a way with people, still got a warm, caring heart when it comes to investing in others, still got a way of making fielding baseballs look like ballet. On Friday at Busch Stadium, Smith flashed that famous smile of his when 51-year-old Chad Phelps recounted his baseball memories from more than 40 years ago, and Smith also listened intently when 14-year-old Zack Williams told him about watching his highlights via YouTube.
“It’s through their parents that I have been able to connect with so many fans,” Smith said following the 90-minute session he spent with Cardinals fans while teaching them the many intricacies of turning double plays. “Events like these speak to the legacy of the Cardinals and my legacy as a player because I still have that connection with so many fans. That’s why it’s important for me to do things like this, because it gives people the opportunity to stay close to something that they loved.
“One of the greatest rewards for me as a retired player is having people come up to me and say, ‘You’re the reason I love the game,’ or, ‘You’re the reason I got to spend so much special time with my grandmother or my grandfather.’ So to hear those stories, that’s memories that last a lifetime and are never going away, and that means so much to me.”
Friday’s event – one of several Smith does with Cardinals fans – certainly meant a lot to people like 41-year-old Chris Ortiz, who made the five-hour drive from Lexington, Ky., to meet the player that “I grew up wanting to be him, basically.” It meant a lot to Phelps, who smiled throughout the event and came dressed in his red No. 1 Cardinals jersey, one he vowed he would never wear again after Smith signed it on the No. 1.
The same could be said of Josh Fieldbinder, of Springfield, Ill., who took home with him the memory of getting playfully mocked by Smith after he overthrew first base and was told to go and chase down the baseball. “C’mon man, if you are going to wear that No. 1 O-Smith jersey, you’ve got to represent,” Smith joked.
Fieldbinder said he’ll forever remember his miscue, and forever remember getting chided by his boyhood hero.
“It’s an absolute dream come true to meet him,” Fieldbinder said. “Ten-year-old me would be so incredibly happy right now. Ten-year-old me would be doing backflips like Ozzie back in the day.”
Even though he hasn’t played an MLB game since 1996, Smith still proudly wears the mantle of “one of the greatest living baseball players.” Upon being introduced to the crowd, Cardinals Corporate Partnerships exec Larry State did it this way: “The only introduction needed is this: ‘The greatest shortstop of all time, The Wizard, Ozzie Smith.’”
Smith told the group about how he grew up wanting to play like Maury Wills and how he idolized Roberto Clemente because he played with his own unique style – something Smith successfully did during a career that included 15 All-Star Game appearances, 13 Gold Gloves, the 1982 World Series championship with the Cardinals and a first-ballot Hall of Fame election in 2002.
The Wizard told the group about hitting conversations with Willie Mays; turning two with Cardinals Hall of Famer Tom Herr, who was “like a coach on the field”; how George Hendrick, Jim Kaat and Gene Tenace taught him leadership; and how Vince Coleman might have stolen 200 bases now with today’s rules. And he told it all his theories on being arguably the best defensive player in the history of the game – something the younger generation certainly took away from the session.
“Fielding is a feeling,” Smith said. “The harder the ball was hit, the more relaxed I was with my body and my hands. The ball has a sixth sense about it, and it knows if you’re scared of it. So you have to be relaxed.”