| | | Star photo by Anita Briggs
Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith pitches Tuesday as Tuyaymya Osuna watches. Smith played host to an electronic field trip from the Hall. |
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>Staff Writer
COOPERSTOWN — Ozzie Smith’s plaque is only one way to catch a glimpse of the 2002 Baseball Hall of Famer.
The Hall’s Education Ambassador since February, 2003, Smith visited the area Tuesday to lead an interactive electronic field trip broadcast to an estimated 15 million nationwide.
"This is a vehicle of staying in the game through education," said Smith, the key player in two sessions of "Discovering our American Spirit: Finding Common Ground in the National Pastime."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]"It’s living and talking about what I did," Smith continued. "That made it easy. It’s talking to kids in the classroom environment through technology. We’re talking about life and learning in the classroom."
Tuesday’s event covered three eras between 1845-1900. Hall of Fame director of education Jeff Arnett said the program is set up to show students how life and baseball have intertwined throughout history.
Students in classrooms throughout the country called in and e-mailed questions as they watched on PBS, cable and the Internet.
"Our education program is continuing to grow under Jeff Arnett," said Smith, who spent 19 years as a shortstop with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. "I see it growing and more people getting involved."
Smith, 50, also got the chance to work with 11 student hosts. Seven traveled from High Tech High Institution in San Diego, and four from Richfield Springs.
"We’ve brought together two groups of kids from two different cultures — Southern California and upstate New York," Arnett said. "Baseball is a unifying sport and a way to blend people from different backgrounds."
One of the hosts from High Tech, Tuyaymya Osuna, 14, spent much of her time during the program with Smith.
"I liked the game, but I wasn’t a fanatic," said Osuna, who had a chance to learn the pitching style of 19th-century teams with Smith. "When I got here, I was like ’I like baseball so much!’ It’s a lot of fun. When you come here, you learn more."
Smith is using his Hall of Fame status to make a positive impact on today’s students, Arnett said.
"There are a lot of Hall of Famers who place a high value on education, but Ozzie goes beyond that," Arnett said. "When he speaks about baseball as a platform for learning, the kids get it."
Known as the "Wizard of Oz" during his playing career — partly because his acrobatic backflips and dynamic fielding — Smith seems to be flourishing in his new role at the Hall.
"Education permeates everything we do," Hall communications director Brad Horn said. "That’s why I think Ozzie’s profile is so large. He’s a guy who transcends all states and school situations. When you reach 15 million students in one day, it shows what we’re doing in Cooperstown."
Reaching that many people in one day seems all the more impressive when one considers that roughly 13 million have visited the Hall since it opened in 1939.
And while Smith has been focusing on education, his son has stolen the spotlight. Nikko Smith, 22, competed on TV’s American Idol before being voted off the show April 6.
"It was a neat experience for all of us," Ozzie Smith said. "It’s gratifying to see your kid experience his dream and that’s all we can ask for. He did it with class and dignity.
"We voted every week," he continued with a laugh. "I learned not to like TV on Tuesday and Wednesday."
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P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.
