1982 Headline: Ozzie Smith Dealt To The Cardinals!!!
On this day in 1982, Ozzie Smith was traded from the San Diego Padres to the St. Louis Cardinals. Part of a 6-player deal, the 2-time All-star and 1-time Gold Glove winner was the focal point of the trade.
And as they say, the rest was history…
For the next 15 years, Ozzie Smith was the centerpiece of the Cardinal team as well as the face of the franchise. Amazingly enough, he captured the hearts of the Cardinals’ fans with his amazing defensive play, and not his career .262 batting average. ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was truly a wonderful sight to see as he covered more ground, made more plays, and solidified the entire right side of the Cardinal infield for one and a half decades.
While Ozzie will never be noted as one of the better hitters in the Hall of Fame, he did excel in certain areas of offense. A speedster, Smith tallied 580 career stolen bases which puts him in 21st place on the all-time list. He also scored 1,257 runs in his career.
Ozzie went on to capture 13 Gold Gloves, 15 All-star selections, and 1 World Series Championship!!!
Though I’m a lifelong Mets fan, it was always clear that Ozzie was a class act. We could dislike the Cards as much as we wanted, but Ozzie was always respected.
I really like the above comment made by ‘ninemoreouts’
Ozzie is truly a gentleman… Hes stayed here in STL & is beloved by all.
Brian, I attended a signing today & got some great pictures of Ozzie & others. I’ll forward them to you soon.
Great blogging!