Wizard Ready To Dive Into Retirement Cardinals Shortstop Ozzie Smith, 41, Announces This Will Be His Last Season

Even the real Wizard of Oz eventually had to call it quits.

At age 41, his fabled defensive skills on the decline, his playing time almost nil, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith announced Wednesday he will retire at season’s end.

“I feel that the time is here now,” Smith said during a tearful news conference before the Cardinals played the Philadelphia Phillies. “This is the best time. I’m ready for it. I know it is in my heart.”

Smith wasn’t in Wednesday’s lineup and has started only 15 games this season, while 26-year-old Royce Clayton has become the regular shortstop.

Although Smith was expected to retire at season’s end, the news conference attracted a media mob that hasn’t been seen around Busch Stadium since 1987, when he helped the Cardinals make it to the World Series for the third time in the decade.

Before the game, the video board played some of his greatest fielding plays to the tune of “Singular Sensation.” And then he drew a 45-second standing ovation from a crowd, many of whom were surprised to hear the news, when he stepped on the field and doffed his cap.

“I have the pleasure and honor of knowing one of the greatest persons that I’ve ever met, and definitely the greatest shortstop I’ve ever seen,” said teammate Willie McGee, who joined Smith for the news conference.

Ask 10 people about Smith’s greatest defensive stop and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. Smith’s personal favorite came in his first major-league season, 1978, when he dove to his left and made a barehanded grab of a bad-hop ground ball by Jeff Burroughs of Atlanta, then popped to his feet and threw to first for the out.

The Wizard was born.

“Sometimes when nicknames are given to you, you don’t have any choice,” the 13-time Gold Glove choice said. “You just kind of go with it. It just kind of happened, and it stuck.”

Smith holds major-league records for games played at shortstop (2,474), assists (8,250) and double plays (1,564).