|
|
|
Ozzie Smith Missouri
|
||
On July 28, 2002, Ozzie Smith was inducted into the Baseball
Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He is just the
37th player chosen in his first year of eligibility and he is the
22nd shortstop to make the Hall.
Ozzie, known in baseball as "The Wizard"
has emerged as the best defensive shortstop of all time.
He retired after the 1996 season after playing 19 years
in the major leagues, the first four years with the San Diego
Padres and the last fifteen with the St. Louis Cardinals.
His nickname describes his style of play. He performed magic
with his glove and played baseball with amazing acrobatic agility.
Ozzie broke countless records during his nineteen years of service:
all-time assist leader at shortstop with 8,375 assists, all time
leader at turning double plays with 1,590, 13 consecutive
Gold Glove Awards at shortstop, was selected for the All Star game
15 times, with 10 consecutive years as the National League
starting shortstop, and in 1987 and 1988 he was the top vote
getter in the All Star balloting. In 1994 and 1995 he received
the most votes in the National League All Star balloting.
Since Ozzie's retirement, he has been named the new host of This Week in Baseball, succeeding Mel Allen, and joined the KPLR Channel 11 Cardinal broadcast team as color analyst for all home televised games on the station. |
||
CCSB Home | Sports Personalities | Past Bookings | Speaker Request | Clients | Contact CCSB Copyright © 1998-2008 Capitol City Speakers Bureau. All rights reserved. |