Thirty-seven years ago, Whitey Herzog put the finishing touches on a trade with the San Diego Padres that would transform the St. Louis Cardinals from a young contender into one of the best teams of the rest of the decade. At the time, Herzog wanted to upgrade his defense, add speed, and solve the Garry Templeton problem at shortstop. His solution for all of those needs would become a one-named legend in a baseball mad town. Thus began the story of Ozzie Smith in St. Louis.
Early in his career, Smith had struggled at the plate even by the 1981 standards that focused on batting average, homeruns, and RBI.