Rodney Shy took his first trip to Busch Stadium nearly 20 years ago.
Over the course of that day's game between the Cardinals and Cubs, one player really stood out to him.
"That was my first memory of seeing Ozzie play," said Shy of Oran, Mo.
On Saturday, Shy and several hundred Ozzie Smith fans got their chance to get books, memorabilia and souvenirs signed by Smith in Cape Girardeau.
For Shy, Saturday's signing was an opportunity to meet a player he admired not only for the outstanding defensive plays he made but also for the way he carried himself.
"It's just that there was not a ball he couldn't get, and if he couldn't get it, it was uncatchable," Shy said.
Shy said he remembers enjoying the atmosphere of the Cardinals' teams of the 1980s and how players like Smith, Terry Pendelton and Willie McGee interacted.
"He just seemed to get along with everybody," Shy said. "It would have been really cool to play with those guys."
Shy said he's heard people describe shortstops like Cal Ripken Jr. as the best ever, but he'll take Smith.
"Ozzie always did the everyday stuff," he said. "There wasn't a routine play to Ozzie. Every play was important to him."
Shy, 35, said while most of the children in line are more familiar with players like Albert Pujols or Mark McGwire, for his generation Smith was the star. And despite having to wait in line for more than two hours, Shy didn't mind.
"I played little league as a kid, and getting to watch the games is awesome," Shy said. "But to meet a legend is very humbling."
For Steven Reams of Chaffee, the Smith signing was a way for a lot of fans to reminisce.
"This brings back a lot of memories," Reams said. "I saw him play a lot of games at Busch, and I have a lot of good memories."
Reams said he first saw Smith play in the early 1980s.
"I saw him play a few games where he made some plays that I thought were pretty amazing," he said.
Since his early introduction with Smith, Reams said he's been a loyal fan.
"I'm a big Ozzie fan, and I always have been," he said. "You can't argue with what he's accomplished in baseball."
Smith signed at Buffalo Wild Wings from 1 p.m. until nearly 3:30, more than 30 minutes longer than scheduled. The line of waiting fans stretched to Hastings several store fronts down.
"We had people here at 9 a.m.," restaurant owner Bill Zellmer said. "We had about 50 in line before we opened at 11."
jjoffray@semissourian.com
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