ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - When the greatest shortstop in the history of the game says he could play a few more innings, the hair on the arms of St. Louis Cardinals everywhere starts to stand up. He says he's could still play a few innings.
The Hall of Famer, 13-time Gold Glove-winning and 15-time MLB All-Star joined The Dave Glover Show on KMOX Tuesday. Glover asked him how close he'd be to being able to suit up and play in a game right now?
"You know what, if given some time – and I'm 66-years-old now – if I'm given enough time to prepare myself I can probably play two or three innings and then I'll have to go somewhere and sit down," Smith says.
Listen to the full interview with Smith, here. The president of PGA REACH discusses his organization which is the charitable arm of the PGA:
Sure, he laughed after he said it. But I don't believe he was joking one bit.
"I say this because I know there are guys that can play beyond the number that's given to you. You know, everybody reaches 40-years-old and it's over. No, it's not. Tom Brady is proving that it's not over, Adam Wainwright, they're proving that if given the opportunity they can still be productive. I'm not saying that they're going to be able to do the same thing that they did when they were 25-years-old, but they can still be pretty good to any team that they're part of."
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Smith said something similar to the Cardinals last season when they were in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak that postponed their season for weeks and had dozens of players testing positive.
Both the starting and backup short stops, Paul DeJong and Edmundo Sosa were on the COVID list in early August. So Smith texted coach Willie McGee that he "has got a couple of innings left in him" if needed. Manager Mike Shildt said he'd expect Smith could be ready in a matter of days if truly needed.
“The Red Jacket might get you less than 5 (days)," Shildt said, in reference to the red sports coat that is given to all Cardinals Hall of Famers. "I think you take a test and wait two days and he would be ready.”
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