Ozzie Smith

A hero is someone who puts others before themselves. A hero is someone who lives his or her life with passion. Heroes must be great at what they do. To me, heroes seem almost invincible. When I think of these classifications, one name comes to mind; Ozzie Smith.

Ozzie was born into poverty. He grew up in Mobile, Alabama. He was so poor growing up, that when he practiced baseball, he would use a paper bag and a tennis ball. He would throw the ball over the roof of his house and then run around and catch it before the ball could touch the ground. This is where he says he developed his “foot speed.”

Ozzie Smith doing a backflip before an inning.

When Ozzie was young, he lived in a very hostile environment. When Ozzie was ten years old, Ozzie and his family found themselves right in the middle of the Watts Riots. During the riots, the National Guard set up camp right across the street from Ozzie’s house. This made things incredibly dangerous. Ozzie and his family had to sleep on the ground. This had a very negative impact on Ozzie’s life. But, his love for baseball kept growing.

Ozzie’s first six years in the pros were spent in San Diego with the Padres. After the first six years, Ozzie was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. Ozzie played his next thirteen seasons with the Cardinals and retired in St. Louis in 1996. Ozzie was always a crowd favorite in St. Louis. From 1980 to 1992 Ozzie won the Gold Glove award for the shortstop position. Over his career, Ozzie had five hundred and eighty steals. He appeared in twenty-one World Series games, winning the World Series with the Cardinals in 1982. Ozzie was a big producer both offensively and defensively.

Ozzie played the game with great enthusiasm. You could tell that he played the game for the love of it, rather than for fame or fortune. Before every inning, Ozzie would run out to his shortstop position, and do a complete back flip. This made him seem almost like a super hero, since not a lot of people can run and do that.

Everyone knew Ozzie would be going to the Hall of Fame, but no one knew he would go in the way he did. He was inducted in 2002, his first year of eligibility. Not only was he inducted his first year of eligibility, he was 2002’s only inductee. He went in as a Cardinal with the number one jersey. It is a very big accomplishment and honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and it is only right for Ozzie to be inducted.

Ozzie Smith is my hero because he turned a life that seemed to be going nowhere into a very successful life. Ozzie was poor growing up, and now he is very wealthy and he shares his wealth with the needy. Ozzie played the game for the love of it. He played with so much passion and made baseball exciting. Ozzie is an inspiration to many. He shows that no matter what your money situation is, with a little bit of hard work, you can be successful and live a good life. There will never be another Ozzie Smith.