RIP Willie Smith

[NCCubFan]

I haven't seen anything about this elsewhere on this board. Former Cub Willie Smith died of an apparent heart attack earlier this week. Smith played for several teams in the 60s and early 70s, including the Cubs from 68 through 70. He started his major league career as a pitcher and then switched to the outfield. He is the only black player with over 20 pitching and position appearances in the major leagues. He was the Cubs' top pinch hitter in 1969 and his biggest Cub moment was probably his game-winning pinch-hit home run in extra innings on Opening Day in 1969.

[CuseCubFan69]

RIP Willie. He was one of my first Cub baseball cards.

[The Voice of Reason]

Remember coming home from school and watching the end of the first game in 1969 an seeing Willie's two run homer. It was the start of a great 5 months of Cubs baseball - too bad the season lasted six months.

 

 

From Barry Rozner

 

Remembering Willie

 

When we in Chicago think of Willie Smith, we undoubtedly remember the game-winning blast on Opening Day 1969, the Jack Brickhouse call, and the dinger that set the tone for the ’69 season.

 

But did you know that Smith, who died of a heart attack Monday at age 66, is the only black player in major-league history to pitch in more than 20 games and play the field in more than 20 games?

 

Smith began in the Negro Leagues and played for five major-league teams, beginning as a left-handed pitcher for the Tigers in 1963 and finishing with the Reds in 1971. In ’64 with the Angels, he started as a pitcher and moved to the outfield.

 

For his career, Smith hit .248 with 46 homers and 211 RBI, and as a pitcher he went 2-4 with 2 saves and a 3.10 ERA in 29 appearances.

 

Smith deserves at least a few moments of your time as we remember an important part of Chicago baseball history.

[Lefty]

Hey Jon Davis, could you get us the audio of Brickhouse's call?

[NCCubFan]

I have that call on the Jack Brickhouse Presents Great Moments In Cubs Baseball record (which came out in 1971). A little over a year ago I got a copy on eBay, had it transferred to CD (since I don't have a turntable anymore), and then donated the vinyl record as a prize for last year's predictions contest.

[Jon]

Here's the radio call of it, I believe: http://www.jonmdavis.net/williesmith.mp3

 

Like NC, I got it off eBay last year, although mine was a bootleg CD.

[Backtobanks]

Hey Jon Davis, could you get us the audio of Brickhouse's call?

 

It sounds like the call was by Vince Lloyd with Jack Brickhouse's famous "Hey Hey" in the background. Thanks for the audio, it brings back lots of good memories.

[NCCubFan]

Here's the radio call of it, I believe: http://www.jonmdavis.net/williesmith.mp3

That is the radio call. The television call is elsewhere on the same CD (in the introductory material at the very beginning, right before Jack's narration begins).

 

"Deep to right. Back, back, back, HEY-HEY! It's all over! Willie Smith just homered, and the Cubs win the game!"

[Jon]

Ah, okay. Here's the Brickhouse call from the beginning of the album:

http://www.jonmdavis.net/williesmith2.mp3

[Soz]

April 8, 1969, was one of the three or four most memorable Cub games I ever attended. I was a senior at Fenton High School in Bensenville, and 15 of us from the World Lit class skipped school that day to attend Opening Day. It's hard to believe today, but this was the first Opening Day of the Modern Era, the first Opening Day to draw a capacity crowd in a generation. Leo was turning things around, and this was going to be our year! Again, hard to believe today, but in 1969, 22,000 seats went on sale the day of the game, including Opening Day. Mr. Wrigley believed that if you got up in the morning and wanted to see a game that day, you could do it. Our group sat in the upper-centerfield bleachers, first and second rows, just above the concession stand. We watched Ernie Banks hit two home runs, one of the last games where Ernie had a major impact. We watched the Phillies' Don Money hit two home runs, one, I think, to send the game into extra innings, the second to put the Phillies up 6-4 in the top of the 11th. Then, in the bottom of the 11th, Willie Smith, whom we had never heard of before, slammed the three-run shot to win it! It was bedlam! The bleacher basket hadn't been built yet, and fans started jumping onto the field. My friends and I filmed a home movie of the day, including Ernie's two homers and Willie's game-winning shot. Our sound included Brickhouse's call, which we recorded off the replay that night on WGN's 10 p.m. news. It was the start of a great, great summer ... at least until September. I've had the privilege through the years of meeting several members of that team: Ernie, Fergie, Bill Hands, Randy Hundley, Gene Oliver, Jimmy Hickman, even Leo, the year before he died. When I met Jimmy Hickman a few years ago, I told him I still cried over 1969. "So do we," he replied.

 

This is my first post to this site. Willie Smith -- and all the boys of 1969 who made for such a memorable summer -- will always be with me.

[RockTheIvy]

April 8, 1969, was one of the three or four most memorable Cub games I ever attended. I was a senior at Fenton High School in Bensenville, and 15 of us from the World Lit class skipped school that day to attend Opening Day. It's hard to believe today, but this was the first Opening Day of the Modern Era, the first Opening Day to draw a capacity crowd in a generation. Leo was turning things around, and this was going to be our year! Again, hard to believe today, but in 1969, 22,000 seats went on sale the day of the game, including Opening Day. Mr. Wrigley believed that if you got up in the morning and wanted to see a game that day, you could do it. Our group sat in the upper-centerfield bleachers, first and second rows, just above the concession stand. We watched Ernie Banks hit two home runs, one of the last games where Ernie had a major impact. We watched the Phillies' Don Money hit two home runs, one, I think, to send the game into extra innings, the second to put the Phillies up 6-4 in the top of the 11th. Then, in the bottom of the 11th, Willie Smith, whom we had never heard of before, slammed the three-run shot to win it! It was bedlam! The bleacher basket hadn't been built yet, and fans started jumping onto the field. My friends and I filmed a home movie of the day, including Ernie's two homers and Willie's game-winning shot. Our sound included Brickhouse's call, which we recorded off the replay that night on WGN's 10 p.m. news. It was the start of a great, great summer ... at least until September. I've had the privilege through the years of meeting several members of that team: Ernie, Fergie, Bill Hands, Randy Hundley, Gene Oliver, Jimmy Hickman, even Leo, the year before he died. When I met Jimmy Hickman a few years ago, I told him I still cried over 1969. "So do we," he replied.

 

This is my first post to this site. Willie Smith -- and all the boys of 1969 who made for such a memorable summer -- will always be with me.

 

Best "First Post" ever!

[Soz]

Just listened to the Vince Lloyd and Jack Brickhouse replays linked above, and my memory failed me slightly ... Willie hit a two-run homer, not a three-run homer to win the game. Thanks for the links!

 

The radio broadcast of the entire game is available on CD from one of the dealers on the Web who sell sports broadcasts; I bought it a couple of years ago.