Cardinals cast 'The Wizard' in bronze

ST. LOUIS -- Ozzie Smith defied gravity many times playing shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals.

In a statue unveiled Sunday afternoon outside Busch Stadium, a bronze Smith will forever be airborne. Smith is stretched horizontal to the ground, trying to grab a ground ball in the hole.

Smith's 12-year-old daughter, Taryn, pulled the drawstring to reveal the statue to a large crowd that chanted "Oz-zie, Oz-zie." Besides Smith's family and friends, others in the crowd were legendary Cardinals Stan Musial, Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst and former manager Whitey Herzog.

"You know Ozzie, this is the ultimate," Herzog said. "I was in Cooperstown but when you're a Cardinal and they make a statue out of you, you've done something good."

Smith spoke briefly, thanking God for giving him the gift of playing shortstop. And he thanked the Cardinal organization.

"I loved playing shortstop, Smith said. "Wearing the birds on the bat was the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my life."

Smith also recited a short poem he wrote. It concluded with these couplets: "This journey played out in this stadium where you came out through thick and thin, and in doing so, gave me the kind of support that kept rekindling my passion within, so please pardon this humble Wizard and my lack of magic in all this ado, for the only possible words that can possibly say it all is when I say, I love you, too."

After his daughter unveiled the statue to much applause, Smith admired it and posed for numerous photographs.

"You did a great job capturing me in the air," Smith said to sculptor Harry Weber.

Smith was hard to capture in bronze, Weber said.