OZZIE: WINNING FANS BACK WILL TAKE TIME

Winning back the loyalty and respect of baseball fans will be a long process, according to one future Hall of Famer.

Veteran St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith said it is understandable that fans should feel alienated by the lengthy labor troubles which cut last season short and delayed the start of the current campaign. However, he feels that goodwill can be restored if a legitimate effort is made to do so.

"I think baseball will bounce back, but it will take time," Smith said.

Smith made his comments Wednesday morning while in Cape Girardeau to visit with students at May Greene Elementary School. Later in the day, the Cardinals placed Smith on the 15-day disabled list due to a sore shoulder.

Following the end of the baseball players strike and the resumption of play in April, attendance has declined significantly at most major league ballparks, despite free or reduced price tickets.

"Our crowds are probably better than a lot of other teams," Smith said. "Our attendance is down about 30 percent while some others are down around 60 percent. We're very fortunate to have some great baseball fans."

Smith, however, feels that although fewer people are actually in the stands, they are probably still following the sport on television.

"I think they're just watching in more comfortable surroundings," Smith said.

To make people want come out to the ballpark, Smith said, the Cardinals organization is making a greater effort to entertain fans and create a "carnival atmosphere" than at any other time in his 15 years with the team. Whether their efforts will come to fruition remains to be seem.

"It's very hard to forecast how long it will take to get them back," Smith said. "I think it will be a slow process."

However, the primary factor which determines how many fans are in the stands is the team's performance. A run at the National League pennant, Smith said, will quickly refill Busch Stadium.

"If we start playing as well as we are capable of playing and create the excitement we had in the 80s people will come back out," he said.

Unfortunately for that scenario, as of Wednesday morning the Cardinals were in second-to-last place in the Central Division, six games out of first.

"I think at this point that we haven't done a whole lot consistently," Smith said. In particular he said the team needs to be more productive at the plate and needs its pitching staff to get and remain healthy.

Smith said that signing autographs and spending time with children, such as he did at May Greene, is one of the more enjoyable and rewarding parts of the celebrity that comes from being successful in the major leagues.

"When they called and asked if I would come down it originally conflicted with my schedule, but they were persistent," said Smith, who was eventually persuaded to make time for the visit.

"All people want to do sometimes, especially fans, is to be a part," Smith said. "My coming down adds the personal part of what we do. ... We're not untouchable. We're real people and have problems too."