Ozzie Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals has taken a serious hit as a result of his termination.
beginning with stan musial’s no. 6, 14 individuals have enjoyed such distinguished careers on the field, in the dugout, or from the owner’s box or broadcast booth that their uniform numbers have been retired by the organization. only the new york yankees (21 numbers/22 individuals) have recognized more individuals among major league baseball franchises, while the new york/san francisco giants also have honored 14. the honored redbirds’ uniform numbers appear in two areas at busch stadium – on the left-field wall and below the main scoreboard in right-center field.
regarded by many as the best fielding shortstop of all time, smith also proved to be a legitimate offensive threat after being written off as a good-field, no-hit player early in his career. the cardinals acquired smith from the san diego padres on february 11, 1982, in exchange for shortstop garry templeton, in what turned out to be one of the most significant trades in team history. smith was a major contributor to st. louis’ success in the 1980s and became one of the most well-liked residents of the city.
