Cardinals great Ozzie Smith will close Southeast's Speaker Series

Ozzie Smith, Baseball Hall of Famer and a former St. Louis Cardinal, will close the 2014-2015 Speaker Series at Southeast Missouri State University at 7:30 p.m. April 20 in the Show Me Center, 1333 N. Sprigg St.

Smith, 60, known as "The Wizard" and the best defensive shortstop of all time, will give a presentation titled "An Evening with Ozzie Smith."

Tickets are $10 each and can be bought at showmecenter.biz and the Show Me Center box office.

Southeast faculty, staff and students can use a valid Redhawks ID to pick up a free ticket for the event in University Center Room 204 or the box office.

Smith retired from baseball in 1996 after playing 19 seasons in the major leagues -- the first four with the San Diego Padres and the final 15 with the Cardinals. Smith set major-league records for career assists and double plays by a shortstop and won the National League Gold Glove for 13 consecutive seasons. He was a 15-time All-Star and elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility in 2002.

He has contributed to many charities benefiting children and not-for-profits in the St. Louis area, including the American Heart Association and St. Louis Effort for Aids Dining Out for Life program, according to a Southeast news release.

Smith is president of the Gateway PGA Foundation, an organization that reaches out to inner-city youths via mentoring and golf programs. He also serves as the education ambassador for the Baseball Hall of Fame and headlines a fundraiser, "Play Ball with Ozzie Smith," each year in Cooperstown, New York, during Induction Weekend.

Since retiring from baseball, Smith has hosted "This Week in Baseball," was the color analyst for Cardinals broadcasts from 1997 to 1999 and served as the baseball analyst for CNNSI, a joint venture between CNN and Sports Illustrated from 1999 to 2002, the release said.

In 1998, 1999 and 2001, Smith was cast in three theatrical productions at The St. Louis Municipal Theatre. He had a cameo role in "Damn Yankees" in 1998. In 1999, he sang and tap-danced in "The Muny Goes British," a musical revue based on songs from various Broadway musicals. In 2001, he starred as The Wizard in The Muny's production of "The Wizard of Oz."

In 2005, the CD, "Oh Say Can You Sing," was released with Smith singing the Sam Cooke song, "Cupid." The CD includes 10 other major leaguers singing their versions of popular songs. Proceeds from the project go to the players' designated charities.