| DATE SHOT: 1976 SUBJECT: Reggie Smith APPROXIMATE SIZE: 10"x8" MARKS / STAMPING: Hand-signed by Reggie Smith ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Signature is original, Photo is Original - Printed from the original negative in the time period in which it was shot SIGNER: Reggie Smith COMMENTS / CONDITION: As with all of my signed items, the signature is guaranteed to pass further inspection by any major authenticator, or your money back. See scans for signature quality and photo condition. BIO: Carl Reginald Smith was born in 1945 in Shreveport, LA. He played major league baseball from 1966 to 1982 as outfielder and 1st baseman for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, appeared in the 1967, 1977, 1978 and 1981 World Series, and was selected 7 times as an All-Star. Smith was contacted by the Yomiuri Giants in 1982 but instead went to the San Francisco Giants when Yomiuri refused to disclose finances in detail. The next season Yomiuri offered Smith three cars and a million-dollar contract, more than doubling what San Francisco had been paying. They also allowed Smith to become the first player in Yomiuri history to have facial hair or a long hair-style (Reggie had an Afro at the time). It was obvious from the get-go that Reggie's personality was too different from the Japanese norm. He got into arguments with coaches and criticized pitchers who would not offer him a pitch in the strike zone. In April of 1983, he injured his knee while sliding and was relegated to the bench for almost two months, earning him the media moniker "Million-Dollar Bench-warmer". While unable to play the field, Smith was used as a pinch-hitter. One game he was in the on-deck circle when the batter doubled. He told manager Motoshi Fujita to let someone else bat instead, as he would be pitched around. Fujita agreed, but the media made it into a scandal and called for Smith's release. The argument was made that Smith was encouraging Americans to look down on Japan and was not taking Japanese culture, baseball or business seriously. Additionally, Smith was the target of many racial insults. While Smith hit well after he was healed, he also struck out a lot and became known as the "Giant Human Fan". He also started to criticize the umpires; like many other gaijin he felt that they employed a double standard, using a larger strike zone for foreign players. Once Reggie intentionally struck out to drive home his point, drawing more criticism for a lack of effort. In August 1983, Smith donned his uniform backwards with the help of his teammates. He then ran backwards onto the field, stunning the assembled crowd and infuriating his coaches further. When he was ordered off the field and prevented from taking batting practice, he came back to hit a 3-run homer that game. While Smith was very critical of Japanese baseball (calling it 50 years behind the times and forced labor), he incorporated some of Sadaharu Oh's methods into his coaching with the Los Angeles Dodgers after his retirement. Smith coached for Team USA in the 2000 Olympics and 2007 Baseball World Cup. The Olympic team won Gold, the first time the US had done so. The World Cup team also won Gold, its first such medal in a Baseball World Cup in over 30 years. SKU: L14800
Item: L14800
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