the "wizard" is going to Cooperstown

[alphachiohmy]

All of St. Louis is beaming with pride. Read more below! This article was taken from www.stltoday.com.

Go Crazy, Folks! Ozzie is in the Hall of Fame


Compiled From Post-Dispatch News Services
01/08/2002 12:59 PM

Cardinal great Ozzie Smith, regarded as the finest-fielding shortstop ever, was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try by an overwhelming margin today.

Smith was the only player picked, with Gary Carter falling just short.

A 13-time Gold Glove winner while with the Cardinals (1982-96) and San Diego Padres (1978-82), Smith was chosen on 91.7 percent of the ballots.

The Wizard of Oz became the 37th player picked in his first year of eligibility.

Smith was selected on 433 of 472 ballots. To be elected, players had to be listed on at least 75 percent of the ballots of 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

``I never played the game to make it to the Hall of Fame,'' Smith said in a media conference call. ``I played it because I loved it. To get the number of votes I had, I think it speaks to the impact I had at my position.''