If you need to be warmed up on this cold January day, take a listen to Jack Buck’s legendary call of Ozzie Smith’s game-winner in 1985.
From MLB Network on tonight’s installment of My Most Memorable Game.
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Co-hosted by Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, Ozzie Smith will reminisce about his walkoff home run to end Game Five of the ‘85 NLCS at 9 p.m. ET and Bob Gibson talks about his record-setting 17 strikeout performance in Game One of the ‘68 WS at 9:30 p.m. ET
Bob Gibson:
When I struck out [Al Kaline], it was 15 and that’s when Tim [McCarver] was making me look at the scoreboard and I had no idea what he wanted me to do. I just wanted the ball so we could keep going, and then I turned around and looked at the scoreboard and I said, “Okay, fine. Let’s go.” I wasn’t concerned with the strikeouts. We needed to win the ballgame.
On his mound presence:
After my career was over and I hear all these horror stories about this ogre that was out there on the mound, it surprised me. And I thought to myself, if I had known that, I probably would have been a lot uglier than I was when I was out there. … I didn’t like to waste time. I just wanted to get the ball and let’s go. Even to the point where I rushed the hitter a lot of times without really meaning to, and I think most of the hitters thought I did that on purpose and I really didn’t.
On losing the 1968 World Series:
We had a problem with Mickey Lolich. … Before we started playing, [Roger Maris] said, “We don’t have a problem trying to beat anybody on that team except Lolich. You got to watch Lolich because he’s got a really, really good slider.” And that’s the way it turned out. … The reason it hurts is because I think we had a better ballclub. They had more power, [but] I think we had a better defensive team [and] a faster ballclub. We could do some things. … Even though we didn’t win it, I believe we had the best team.
Ozzie Smith:
We all live for those special moments. … For me, playing the game 19 years, I don’t know if it gets any better than that because that really is the dream, the dream to be at the plate in the bottom of the ninth to get the hit to win the ballgame.
I looked at myself and the team as being very fortunate in that we were able to go to three World Series, and there are a lot of guys who play this game for 20 to 25 years and never experience that. So, that in and of itself was a blessing for me and all my teammates, and I would not change anything with what happened to me through the 1980’s because it was the best time of my life. I think it was the best of times for anybody that was a baseball fan, not just Cardinals fans.
It created a memory that will last for a lifetime. … Of course the legend Jack Buck on the call with, “Go crazy, folks.” When I sign things now, it is signed with, “Go crazy, folks.” … It’s become a part of my life.