Golf With Jay Delsing - - 'The Wizard" Ozzie Smith

Jay Delsing spent 25 years on the PGA Tour and is a lifetime member of the PGA Tour and PGA of America. Now he provides his unique perspective as a golfer and network broadcaster. It's time to go On The Range with Jay Delsing.

On The Range is brought to you by Pro-Am Golf. Good morning, this is golf with Jay Delsing. I am your host, Jay Delsing Pearly. John Pearlys is with me today. Good morning, Pearly. Good morning, Jay. Glad to be here and another superstar celeb for the interview. Looking forward to it. Yeah, well, we formatted the show like a round of golf.

The first segment is called the On The Range segment. It's brought to you by Pro-Am Golf and I got to tell you about our social media outlets. Twitter is at Jay Delsing. Facebook is golf with Jay Delsing and Jay Delsing golf. LinkedIn is Jay Delsing and our Instagram is nowhere to be found.

Now what do you do specifically and technically to interact with your social media from show to show? I call Drew. Yeah. And I have Drew tell me what we do.

Yeah, Drew Thompson at BYK Digital runs that stuff for us and you know. But actually good things are happening, right? There is downloads that you and I are like blown away.

Yes. What's your mile marker? What's happening right now? Oh, several weeks ago we passed 50,000 downloads and yeah, we appreciate y'all listening. I don't know, maybe it's not amazing. Maybe it's, I don't know.

Maybe we're good? It's amazing to me. All right, so this show, Hall of Famer Ozzy Smith interview. This guy loves golf.

He does so much for the game so that's going to be fun. And then we've got some other topics that we want to talk about. One of the things, I keep getting emails and so, John, I want to get your opinion on this. You know I'll give you my opinion. Let it rip. I know.

Even though I didn't have to ask. You know, the funny thing is everyone, everyone but several people have said, talk about, you know, the golf broadcasting. Talk about who you like, who you don't like.

Talk about some of the changes and okay, so let's dive into that, right? First of all, it's basically a two horse race between NBC and CBS. However, you know, the Golf Channel just has so much content on. They do early round stuff and so.

And they're doing a better and better job all the time. Oh my gosh, do you remember when we started? Oh my God. They were the worst. We'd be out in the fairway and they'd be running behind us while we were swinging and pros would be so pissed at them. I'd like to see if it's a fact with ESPN, but I think the first time they ever televised golf was when we played at Passa Tiempo in college.

Oh, you're right. Me, you, I remember Jadon Blake was playing real well in the tournament. Steve Pate was playing. I think they had like, I think it was only like one hole they're televising. I think they did the 18th at par three. Passa Tiempo was in Santa Cruz, California.

It's an old Alistair McKinsey golf course. But that's how old we are. I think we were on the first telecast ever.

And as bad as we were, I was pumped and we were all excited that they were there, but it was a little sketchy. And this is the Fossil Network brought to you by John and Jay. So anyway, let's, let's start with CBS.

Okay. So huge change. Turn over there. Gary McCord, Peter Costas out. So how, how about that exit?

How do you think that went? Well, I think CBS did not handle it necessarily very well. Especially the way McCord and Costas presented it.

CBS executives have had no comment. Costas and McCord are still pissed off about it. And they're still, you know, ranting about it on social media and doing things, you know, they, they can't believe they were let go the way they were let go. I think they're, I think they're just bummed because they got let go. Unceremoniously is an understatement, I suppose.

I don't think it was handled well, honestly. Yeah, you know, it's too bad because, you know, they did kind of some special stuff with Johnny and not that these guys were Johnny's stature, if you will, but they were, they were big in the game for a long time. Gary McCord brought some real, if you will, interesting color to the game. And he was one of the first guys to really break through that and have that player's perspective. Cause he played the tour many years and it was an excellent player. And then to come out and kind of do the handlebar mustache and all the crazy descriptions and things that he would say and, and having fun with the guys.

So he had a major impact. So the fact that it went, I wonder what else was going on that they couldn't have found a better way to make that happen. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know the behind the scenes of the executive stuff like that, but what they did do is they brought in Davis Love, one of my favorites, great guy.

And, and he, you know, and, and then they also brought in Trevor Immelman, who's, you know, I, I know him. I just, I just am over the accents. Maybe it's cause I don't have one or Missouri accent, but I mean, the stations aren't over the accents. They love them. Every station has got to have one or two accents out there from South Africa, Australia, one of those, for some reason there, they just feel compelled to do that.

Exactly. What happened with us at Fox, we're doing the Fox thing. And the next thing, you know, Ken Brown comes over and the Ken Brown, he's a great guy and a good friend, his wife, Dawn there all the time. He's a terrific guy, but you know, we had to have that accent in on the, on the broadcast. So those guys are out. Jim Nance, I'm going to tell you this, my opinion, Nick Faldo, I didn't enjoy him much when I was playing with him, but I just don't, I just don't feel like he's necessarily that either into it or that prepared.

Okay. That's just my opinion on it. But Jim Nance, spectacular.

It's like the road, he's carrying the water for the entire station. So I, I, I, I have so much time for Jim Nance. Now, how about the NBC team Pearl? So Johnny Miller gone, Paul Azinger, who's going to be on next week. Our interview next week, folks, what's that called in radio?

Pearl teas. Look at you. Wonderful interview and a fun guy. I got to actually the, some of the first mini tour events I played down in Florida, got my kick of teeth kicked in by the Florida boys. He was certainly one of them, not that he even noticed that he was kicking my teeth in, but he was without even paying attention.

Right. And I remember what a good guy he was, what a competitor he was. And so it was kind of neat to see him kind of come up through the ranks and he is a, he tells it, he tells it like he sees it. He does type of guy. He does. He sure does.

And he's got this, he's got this vibe or this mannerism about him where you almost feel like he's, he's sitting in a rocking chair, you know, with a cold one sitting on a porch somewhere, just telling an old story, you know, and I like the way he handles it. He obviously knows the game. He's, he's been there. He's been in the battles. So he comes with a great perspective. And so Dan Hicks, the whole dynamic in the booth changed so much.

So what folks are dealing with here, Pearl, in my opinion, is you know how uncomfortable change is. So now McCord and Costas gone. In comes Davis Love. Davis is a little timid, but a good guy. He'll pick it up. And women's got an entirely different take on everything, which is hard.

Okay. Then you switch over to NBC and Johnny Miller, who was opinionated on a car that you drove in, on the shoes that you wore. He had, he had not only an opinion, he had the right opinion on everything. And you have Dan Hicks and, and that, that dynamics changed with, with Zinger in there, I feel like. Yeah, I think everybody's got to get used to it. We do as the viewers, those guys have to kind of mesh and kind of see how they, they do their shtick together.

I think they'll be good. I think, yeah, it's, it's been interesting because all of a sudden Dan Hicks is kind of taking on a different role. And personally, I thought he was better than the other one. Well, no, I was going to say, there are moments where I'm like, ah, Dan's in a, this almost like unchartered water for him, you know, because I, he's more to me, like a really good ringmaster where he's juggling the act, but he's not the act. And every once in a while, there's these moments where he kind of goes in and I'm like, oh gosh, he really doesn't know a whole hell of a lot about what he's talking about right now compared to Johnny.

Well, we were talking about that when Jimmy Roberts kind of hops into the, to the system as well. And that's a real tough one for me. I'll tell you that what though, it's gotta be every sport. When somebody that hasn't played the sport before jumps into some of these situations that need the perspective of somebody whose heart was beating on that line once upon a time, it's just really tough when they cross that line or, or, or they're in that situation and they can't quite draw on what they need to draw on. Yeah, no, I think that's right. And I think that shows, I think that's what some of the folks in some of the emails that I've been getting are saying. They're like, we're not really sure, you know, what's happening here, you know, where you, but, but it's, it's not a plug and play sort of thing, right?

There has to be some chemistry and that has to take some time. I think that's, I think you've hit on it right there. And again, back to Jimmy Roberts, I think when he does his little side stories and stuff like that, I think they're fun.

They're fantastic. It's so interesting the way he pulls things together, but the off the cuff stuff to me right off, you know, off the bat, he can tell he's not a player. Yeah.

He needs to, he needs to have his stuff prepared and those kinds of heartwarming stories or those kinds of personal touches I think are neat and real special. Yeah. Yeah. Well shoot, that's our opinion, all that stuff.

Well, that's why we have a show so we can, we can voice our opinion. That's going to do it for the, on the range segment. I got to tell you about, I want to thank Donahue Painting and Refinishing for supporting the show.

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So don't go anywhere. We're going to come back with the Ozzie Smith interview on the front nine. This is Golf with Jay Delsing. The Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association is a proud sponsor of Golf with Jay Delsing. The MAGA has been the USGA Allied Golf Association in the St. Louis Central and Southern Illinois region since 1992. The MAGA provides over 30 days of competition opportunities and conducts qualifying for nine USGA championships while supporting more than 140 member clubs with amateur golf services.

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Connect with us on LinkedIn or call at 314-851-6200. Grab your clubs. We're heading to the front nine on Golf with Jay Delsing. The front nine is brought to you by the Ascension Charity Golf Classic.

Welcome back. This is Golf with Jay Delsing. Jay and Jan are here and we are going to the front nine which is brought to you by the ACC Charity Classic.

That's the Ascension Charity Classic. It's going to be played at Norwood Hills this September, October. But first let's talk about Whitmore.

They've been a great supporter of mine in this show. If you join at Whitmore, you get access to 90 holes of golf over there. You have the 36 holes at Whitmore and three other golf courses, Missouri Bluffs, Links of Dardine, and the Golf Club of Wentzville. No cart fees. No cart fees involved over there.

There's no food or beverage minimums. There's a 24-hour fitness center, a large pool complex, tennis courts. But stop in the golf shop and go see Bummer. He is a great guy.

Take your kids in there. He's going to shake your hands. He's going to make you laugh. He's going to tell you anything and everything you need to know about golf. This guy loves to grow the game.

He'd love to help you. He and the staff are in there. They're running golf leagues and skins games, members, tournaments, couples events all year round. There's also a kids club over there.

Pearl, these things have gotten extremely popular. In the evening time, you can drop your children off. They can hang out with other kids. They can go swim. You can go have a cocktail with your girlfriend or your wife.

Go play nine holes, whatever you want. It's really great. You got to go talk to Bill Brungart. He's a membership director and you can reach him at 636-926-9622. All right.

Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, 13 gold gloves, absolute gold standard for defensive shortstops in MLB. We got him on the show. Fantastic.

Fantastic. You're bringing one superstar after another, but certainly locally, this guy's about as big as they get. All right, let's go hear what the Wizard of Oz has to say.

Ozzie, you have got to be, you are going to go down as one of the most popular cardinals of all time. And that's a big deal in this city, man. Thanks for joining me today. All right, Jay.

Thanks for having me. And, you know, this being a baseball town, but I think more importantly, I think people are starting to realize that it's just not a baseball town. Certainly it is number one here.

I guess hockey, you could say hockey is right there with it now because of the Blues winning the Stanley Cup. But, you know, this has always been a baseball town and I think now people are starting to see it as much more just a baseball and hockey town. It certainly is a great sporting town. And, you know, in 18, after having the championship here, I think people have a real appreciation for how much we love our sports around here.

Yeah, that is for sure. So as you grew up out in LA and were drafted out of high school and then got traded from San Diego to St. Louis early in your career, did you ever dream of, you know, you're a kid that grew up on the West Coast. I went to college out there. Did you ever dream that you'd wind up, you know, living most of your life here in the Midwest?

It has to be. And there's no way. No, I didn't, Jay. And I tell you, you know, for a lot of people, a lot of people think that, as you just mentioned, that I got drafted out of high school. I never got drafted out of high school, which was a little discouraging for me because in high school, I played with Eddie Murray. And so when scouts came and see our team play, it wasn't to see 145, 150-pound shortstop.

So he dominated all of the scouts that came out to check us out. And so I had to take a different route to the big league. And my route was going to a little small school in central California called Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, where I played there four years. And then after my season in 1976, I went to a little small town called Clarinda, Iowa, where I just returned from yesterday, where I helped them raise money to keep their program going, where they have parents, they call town parents, where guys stay in the homes of people there that open their homes up to them.

You work during the day and you play baseball at night. And so I went there as a kid. And in 1976, I get drafted by the Detroit Tigers. The Detroit Tigers offered me $8,500, Jay. And I finished 30 years of my schooling, you know. So I said to myself that if they give me 10 grand, you know, it'll be worth the shot. Otherwise, you know, I promised my mom I was going to get my education. I'd go back to school in hopes of getting drafted again my senior year. Well, I went back and asked for $1,500.

They say they didn't have it in the budget. So I returned for my senior year. And being the good businessman that I am, Jay, I signed for $5,000 in Washington where I started my professional career. All the young people out there, I wasn't one of those bonus babies that signed for a lot of money. But I held on to my dream, I held on to the dream that at some day, I would make myself a big league ballplayer. And just just to get the opportunity and be the best big league ballplayer that I could be. And lo and behold, I get signed by the Padres.

And in my, I was there for my first four years. And then Gary Templeton had some problems here in St. Louis, and I certainly had some problems there in San Diego. So we ended up getting traded for each other. And, you know, Gary was probably one of the most talented guys ever put on a pair of spikes. You know, he was a 2-5-2 player who could hit for power, could hit for average. He could run, he could throw, he did it all.

And he's still the only guy in the National League to get 200 hits from each side, 100 hits from each side of the plate. So that was a lot of pressure coming to an organization such as the Cardinals, you know, having to try to reprove myself over again. But here again, I believed in what I could do. I think Whitey Herzog in acquiring me believed in what I could do and felt that I could, I would be the missing link or I was the missing link to what this organization needed. And lo and behold, 1982 was a magical year for us.

And I've been here ever since. I think that is, that stuck out in my mind when I watched you play for, I had never seen anybody bring the sort of athleticism that you brought to the shortstop position. Your range was sick. I mean, it was crazy. And the way that you were able to dive, get back up on your feet and all that stuff, it was, it just never been seen before.

I mean, a 13-time Gold Glover, a 15-time All-Star. I mean, you even won the Silver Slugger Award in 1987. Man, that, from what you just talked about in the high school, you know, and then Iowa and that whole thing is, I mean, did you ever, you had to dream though. You had to think you could do it. No, you know, Jay, you know, it was just about being the best at whatever I chose to do. My mom used to preach this and I was lucky enough that I had the, I had the people that were important in my life.

They were all preaching the same message about working hard to be the best, whatever it was that I chose to do in my life. It just so happened that I realized at an early age that my hand and eye coordination would be my ticket. It was something that was very special. It was a blessing. And I never wanted that to be something that I took for granted, you know, so I just continued to work hard at being the best baseball player that I could be.

And I would let all of those other things take care of themselves as it did. You know, my job every day was to go out there and catch and film the baseball, make as few mistakes as I possibly could knowing that there was no such thing as perfection, which will lead us into what golf is all about when we start talking about that, but that's a correlation there that I find in the two sports. But it was to be the very best that I could be with what I was given.

You know, I wasn't blessed with a lot of power. My defensive prowess allowed me to remain at the big league level to learn the art of hitting and that didn't really start for me until I came over to the Cardinals in the winter of 1981 where Whitey Herzog gave me a guy by the name of Chuck Hiller and Dave Ricketts. And all those guys helped me understand what it was that I was trying to accomplish as an offensive player. And one of the main things is learning to keep the ball out of the air and utilize my speed, you know, taking advantage of my speed. And once I had an understanding of what it was that I was going to try, that I was trying to accomplish, then I'm not going to say that it was easy because, you know, no success comes without some blood, some sweat, some tears. And I think for any kid or any person that's going to get the most out of what they do, Jay, you've got to love the process.

And the process means working. In golf for me, it means digging it out of the dirt. For baseball, it meant taking countless number of ground balls every day. And it's that same approach that I had in baseball that I use now in my approach to golf. You know, the only way I'm going to figure it out is to hit enough balls to where there's a true understanding of how to fix it when it goes bad.

Because it, it surely will go bad. But the important thing is learning how to fix it and fix it quickly enough to get yourself back on track. Yeah, you know, as one of the things, you know, my dad played big league ball. And one of the things I remember him teaching me when I watched you play, he said, Son, if this man drives in 50 RBI, but prevents 70 runs being scored, that's like 120 RBI guy. And he gave me a different look at the at watching you play one of the things as I'm not sure how you feel about this. One of the things that really caught my eye is what a good, the great hitter you made yourself because I think when you first came up, I mean, first of all, you were a switch hitter. And like you said, learning to play at, you know, Bush two with the with the turf and get the ball on the ground. But you made yourself into a good hitter. 20 nearly 2500 hits in a career Ozzy. That's impressive.

Yeah, I tell you, Jay, and here again, it goes back to what I was saying earlier about figuring it out. I can remember having a getting a batting cage put in my basement and spending countless hours to the point I had calluses in my hand and learning the art of hitting learning how to pull the ball and getting myself from from from being a number eight hitter in the lineup to being able to hit at the top of the lineup. You know, that meant a lot to me, you know, and I wanted to be I wanted to be as good a player as I could be so that when I walked away from the game, I didn't feel that I cheated myself or I cheated anybody to pay their money to come see me play and so it was it was the blood, the sweat and the tears that went into it that that that allowed me to experience the success and stuff that I've had that I had in a 19 year career and and it's part of the way that I approach golf now. You know, when I grew up, I never played golf and in high school or anything. I didn't pick up a golf club until I retired in 1996. So I just took the the work ethic and everything that I understood about the game of baseball and tried to apply it to the to the game of golf and and and you know with golf it's it's an imperfect game but it presents you a real challenge that you know you challenge yourself you challenge the course and of course you challenge the people that you play against and and I always wanted to I I want always want to be in a position where I'm I'm you know I I can compete you know that doesn't mean that I'm gonna win all the time but I want to be able to compete if I get in the in the competition and and that there's there is certainly a a great deal of pressure when you stand up over the ball on the first tee and you gotta you got people standing there expecting that because you're a professional athlete that this is easy and it's going to work I'm going to tell you it's one of the most nerve-wracking things that that I've ever done but I'm getting better at it. All right so that's going to do it for the front nine uh come back we're going to wrap up that Ozzy Smith interview we're gonna Pearly and I are going to have a few comments about it on the back nine this is Golf with Jay Delson.

The 100,000 watt long torch for St. Louis sports driven by auto centers Nissan home of the 30-day return WXOX and WXOS HD1E St. Louis 101 ESPN. Are you in the market for some new clubs maybe a bag and the latest style of sweet new shoes is this the year you decide to stop listening to your buddy's advice and get some real golf instruction if any of these appeal to you then go to Pro-Am Golf today. Pro-Am Golf has all the latest gear from all the major manufacturers call Steve today at 314-781-7775 and schedule a lesson with Tom DeGrand.

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Find all of their information at metga.org or call 314-5 67-MAGA. I'd like to thank Whitmore Country Club for sponsoring my show Golf with Jay Delson on 101 ESPN. Whitmore has been a great partner as I enter my second year. If you are considering a great place for your family to hang out you've got to go over to Whitmore Country Club. Go in the golf shop see my friend Bummer he'll tell you all you need to know about the kids club, the golf, the tennis, they've got swim teams and leagues, there's anything you and your family could want at Whitmore Country Club.

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USA mortgage has closed over 500 million dollars in loans in nearly 30 years in the business and over 2 million alone to Delsings. We're halfway there it's time for the back nine on golf with Jay Delsing. The back nine is brought to you by St. Louis bank. Welcome back to golf with Jay Delsing I'm your host Jay I got my buddy Pearly here and we are headed to the back nine brought to you by St. Louis bank. All right John we just got to jump right back into this Ozzy Smith interview and let's listen to the wizard. Well so let's talk a little bit about that because one of the things I love about the show is I want to talk know how many people have played you know shortstop on big league level and to your level especially zero very few but let's talk about some of the mental challenges the similarities the differences because I can promise that if there were two outs and in the ninth inning there was one guy on that infield that wanted the ball hit to him and that was you and when that's a state of mind and when you play golf and it's not your number one let's say the thing that you're most proficient at you know you're a ball player but now all of a sudden as you're going to stand over you know those four foot putts you've got to figure out a way to get that ball in the hole and it's not easy is it no it's not I mean it's the same it really is the same uh it's the same approach you know you have to get yourself in the middle state of mind that uh or being the level of confidence that you can do this baseball was a lot you know it's a lot more a lot easier for me because it's what I did when I was young and I was growing up and as you know it's it's tougher to learn the game of golf the older you are and I think one of the things that makes it real tough is in baseball Jay we we don't we can't move until the pitcher moves you know which kind of you you got to find your rhythm you find your rhythm there in golf everything is is stationary you have to create that momentum you have to create the the rhythm and all of that on your own and that was one of the toughest things for me uh was just starting from a stagnated position I have never in in any of the athletics that I played uh any of the sports you know I'm all you're always moving and so when you get to golf and you're standing over it it's like standing at the plate and the pitcher's holding on to the ball because there's a guy on first base when there's when when when you have when it's when it's stagnated like that it makes you more nervous and and you're and you get tighter so you you have to figure out a way to make that happen and for me it's a little unorthodox but I probably you know I probably uh move a lot more you know my feet I've always believed that your feet are what puts you in a position to be able to uh do it as you do athletically and so I find that to be the same way with golf you know it's my feet that put me in a position to be able to to square the club up and square it up on a consistent basis well as it's important because your feet are the only thing that has any sort of contact with the ground I try to tell people you're not only gaining and I know you I've seen you swing the golf club I know you know how to you know transfer and use the ground to help you transfer energy but there's so much feeling and so much interpretation of what's going on through your feet yeah that's that's right and and so when I first started playing see I was like everybody else well I'm gonna start here still and I'm gonna let it let it go and and it in it's not for me it didn't present enough I didn't have enough moving to really kind of get in the flow of it and it wasn't until I I said that I had to free myself up as I did when I played baseball that things started I started to have understanding of what it was I was trying to accomplish and how I could get the club back to square because ultimately what it boils down to is being able to square that club up at club and ball contact now just like in baseball we all start in different positions but what we're trying to do is get square at at contact it's that's it's the same thing with golf down at the bottom you want to be square at contact and do that do that as consistently as you possibly can knowing that it's it's impossible to do it all the time but that's the goal no there's no doubt as did you ever dream I mean hitting a baseball has been written I don't know how many times that the hardest thing in sport to do did you ever dream that a ball stand it still could be so hard to hit squarely well how hard can this be it can't be that hard can it but it has turned out to be one of the most challenging things that I've ever done in my life you know being able to find that consistency and I finally got myself to a point to where when I go out there I have enough confidence to say that you know I am going to shoot in the 70s my goal now is to each year from this point forward is to shoot around in the 60s well one or maybe two rounds a year in the 60s and you know that if I do that then it means that I'm playing pretty consistent golf and I'm not shooting over 80 a whole lot you know so that's that's my challenge these days I love it so tell me how did you get into the game I know that and at least for a lot of the other athletes and I've come on they they love the fact that golf has kind of filled that competitive Jones you know for us all but how did you who introduced you to the game and I know you love when you get out of it Jay yeah there certainly is a competitive boy and golf fills that voice because you know that is a sport that you're never going to perfect it's all about getting yourself to a point of consistency that will allow you to go out and compete against the guys all the time and I was no different as far as I was concerned so knowing that I'm never going to perfect it but making it making my game a respectable game when I go out play you know it's something I felt I wrote to myself well and and so let's talk a little bit about the cool things that you've done with Peter you've done uh with PGA reach you know I started the first tee a while back and I'm not involved with those guys anymore but let's talk about the PGA reach and and and what you created there and then the PGA championship was just uh I mean if there's such a thing as a five-run home run as that the PGA championship just killed it for the city that yeah that was and and um like all of us Jay I think you've been a part of it with the first key of trying to get kids exposed to the game early on and and what we what we were doing is pretty much the same thing exposing kids because as a kid growing up in south central Los Angeles I was never exposed to the game so I wanted to expose kids as early as I possibly could why at the same time teaching them the skills of life responsibility all those things that the game of golf present you know being able to compete in and compete in an honest and and and respectful way so with PGA reach we we've now expanded that to veterans and giving everybody who otherwise would not have an opportunity to not only enjoy enjoy the game of golf but the bit the business of golf as well you know so I've always felt it was important for if a kid finds that thing that he loves doing and he does it at an early age he'll never work a day in his life so um through that is is how PGA reach came about and my interest in PGA region in especially for kids here in in in St. Louis in the inner city who have never been exposed to the game of golf all all the kids know it's basketball and football and and stuff so putting a club in their hand early on could really open the door for a lot of young kids so that's the purpose of it and and hopefully one day I'll be able to sit here and say that we we built a a facility in the inner city that hopefully allows kids the opportunity to go over and learn not only the game of golf but the business of golf as well right on us I mean I want to support that that vision as well I I can impress upon you from a so I grew up in North County and I grew up as a caddy but there weren't any African-American people playing golf when I was a kid the fact that you are who you are and you've done what you've done in a baseball town and and now it's a full-blown sports town with the blues and everything else and having your image associated with golf and then these kids can see oh wait a minute man Ozzy Smith's playing golf that's cool I can play yeah that's a big deal that's really what it's about it since it's given those kids you know something that they can something that they can they can actually see and and know that they can be a part of it if they apply themselves the right way education is probably the most important thing that we stress but it's it's it's it's something that I think that through education and exposure these kids will hopefully be able to make something of themselves you know you know something as one of the things that I'm so grateful for about my career is that I still got to play the tail end of my career I still got to play and play golf with Tiger Woods and be a part of it in a very very small way and I've talked to him and I've read about him I've sent him notes every year thanking him for raising everybody's water level and we're all making more money and things like that but he'll say that one of the most significant things you know that that he brought to the table he considers himself a multi-racial guy in us all of these doors that were closed before opened up in the game and it's unbelievable yeah he um you know he certainly was a spearhead of that and here again it was one of those things that now Pete young kids young African-American kids all kids um can see that you know if you if you work hard you put forth the effort great things can happen and the most important thing is being able to give back and I think you know we we talk about the greatness of Tiger Woods and his ability to hit the golf ball and do this and do that and all the records and stuff but one of the most important parts of his legacy is what he's been able to give back to his foundation and which he continues to do which I think is probably more important than any of the other records that he's achieved on the he's achieved on the golf course yeah and I and I think as he ages you're seeing a such a different athlete and such a different human being you know he's letting down some of the barriers that he used to hold up and it it's uh it's really nice to see and I think it's great for the game yeah let me give him back is one of the most important trophies that you can have on your mammal and you know through it all I I think that when we look at Tiger Woods that probably is one of the most important things uh to me this is one of the things that stand out so Oz what is your greatest golf memory I I've got to tell you um I got to play with Tommy John and we were playing at the AT&T you know and this was back in the 80s and he was in my group but not my partner and it he and his partner were moving up the leaderboard and all of a sudden there was a dramatic change in in him and we had lunch afterwards I said I asked him I said hey I'm on the 14th green I noticed you know and he's he he said something that you said earlier he said to me he goes Jay I don't do this you know I I got to a point where I made myself extremely uncomfortable and he really struggled the rest of the day you know and I said but Tommy you know you're getting professional hitters out and you can't throw 83 miles an hour and he goes I know but that's what I do I'm confident in that I know what I'm doing out here I don't I tell share with some of the cool golf memories that you have I know how much you love the game I know how much you played around the world yeah I got I had a chance to play AT&T a couple beats and this was before I become as decent as I am now you know so that was a real challenge that that that was always special you know uh Spyglass uh Spyglass is one of my favorite courses to play I I love playing down in uh in Augusta and uh I've had a chance to play Augusta National three times um but there's another course down there called Sage Valley that I love playing one of my favorite courses and I've had a chance now to go to Ireland uh Scotland New Zealand uh where I've played so through golf uh after I retired from baseball it is a it is afforded me the opportunity to travel a lot and uh develop friendships with people that I probably otherwise would not have had the opportunity so from a golfing standpoint being able to just be outside and and experience what it is to um to be to be down in a match and being able to come back and you know going to the grind the way you had to do in baseball you know you had to bear down all of those things all those similarities all they come into play when you when you play the game the game of golf and um it's just been been wonderful I get a chance to play and uh make Tahoe every year um the American century uh they don't put the they don't put us guys old all the time but but we've there I've been there 10 15 years and I finished 24th out of 96 or 97 last year so wow I'm moving up hopefully that'll get that'll get a little bit better this year and I'll get on television a little bit more Jay that's the goal yeah that's absolutely you know when you're on tv whether it's good or bad once you're on there you've earned your way up there you know you've put yourself in a good good position well Ozzy thank you so much for joining me today I really appreciate it your interest in the game has been just our we have reaped the benefits of that here locally and even around the country we love having you appreciate you loving the game so much and appreciate you coming on the show all right Jay thank you so much for having me man and uh you know anytime that uh that I can help you out and anything just let me know that's going to do it for the Ozzy Smith interview uh man I um the stuff that he did in baseball forget it you know cardinal hall of fame or uh MLB hall of famer and now he's he's bringing his efforts and his energies and uh to the game of golf and raising money and stuff I like the fact that you're getting to interview him and 20 years ago 30 years ago did you ever think you'd be in this situation no can you believe that no that's so that's going to wrap it up for today I'm going to talk to you about going to wrap up the the the back nine but don't go anywhere Perley and I are going to be back on the 19th hole and we're just going to talk Ozzy and talk about that interview and talk about he and his golf and things like that so this is golf with Jay Delson come on back the 100,000 block blow torch for st louis sports driven by auto centers nissan home of the 30-day return wxos and wxos hd1 e st louis 101 espn for the last 48 years pro-am golf has been providing outstanding customer service to the greater st louis area for all of our golf needs from top of the line equipment to full service club repaired lessons and instructions they now have their own retail outlet as well as state-of-the-art computers cameras and things to customize all of your personal club fitting needs pro-am golf carries all the major brands they also have the latest fashion trends from puma golf whatever your needs pro-am golf will meet them and have the best customer service in the industry call us at 314-781-7775 or find us at pro-am golf usa.com this is dan mclaughlin tv voice of the cardinals st louis is one of the best sports cities in the country we also have a tremendous history of supporting professional golf we're excited to bring golf back to st louis with the inaugural ascension charity classic september 28th through october 4th at norwood hills country club don't miss your chance to see pga tour champion legends proceeds will benefit st louis area youth including the urban league mary grove the boys and girls club and more for tickets and sponsorship information head to ascension charity classic.com let me tell you about a strength training program that helped me and it can improve your golf game and overall fitness as well and all it takes is 20 minutes once a week 20 minutes to fitness targets the muscle groups used in golf because you work with a trainer on physical therapy equipment it also reduces the chance of exercise related injuries to almost 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supporting the show when i was out playing golf in my mind i would see a picture that i wanted and i try to hit the shot the way it was painted in my mind the way you see your home is what donahue painting and refinishing can make your home look like grab your friends a cold one and pull up a chair we're on to the 19th hole on golf with j delsi the 19th hole is brought to you by the metropolitan amateur golf association welcome back it's golf with j delsi you ever had a cold one on the 19th hole there pearly what 19th hole yeah 19th holes absolutely i always want to have a cold one of the 19th hole i mean that's that's the that's why we're playing golf to be able to sit down and talk about it and tell some stories and plan the next time we get to go play well let's talk let's tell some stories let's talk about ozzie smith i mean one of the things you said at the break that's so cool and so true you know i'm a ridiculous baseball fan i love the game and always have first true love in my whole life and for me to get to interview ozzie was just really kind of cool and i hope folks you you bear with that interview a little because i i mean i just you know got kind of stumbling all over myself but 25 years ago or 30 years ago would you said i got to interview ozzie smith for a golf show we'd be like what yeah so cool absolutely so cool i just love what he so many things that he referenced though but it's kind of all the reasons why you said you wanted to have this show you know part of it is how important it is in his life now meaning golf how it helps him with the transition of being competitive being in an arena where he could compete in baseball and then you know what's he going to do with his time and his energy and his competitive spirit uh afterwards absolutely and then some of the other things he can do in the community again because of golf just all the all the things golf help with transition etc he kind of encapsulates most of it well he does and i mean think about that comparative think about our game compared to baseball you know so you can stay in the game in baseball but there's this social aspect john about golf where you mix it with business where you mix it with charity whether you mix it with competition whatever it just transcends these other games that way because i'm not saying it's a better game than baseball a better game than hockey it's different but you're playing he's playing it when he's 65 well and and then he can bring the different sports and different people together i mean that's a huge fun part of it so we've seen that with you and him for example and you said you haven't played with him but you played in events around him absolutely and those types of things and as a matter of fact you know we know what see his house when we play one of the favorite golf courses around here which is a lot of fun that's the other thing that struck me you guys talked quite a bit about that here's a guy that could go live anywhere he wants literally in the world at a very high fun level and he's decided to be in st louis i told i said that in i said that in the interview i said do you ever think a kid growing up in compton you and i know what compton's like especially back then growing up in compton whatever think man i'm gonna i i'm gonna go live the rest of my life in st louis and he was like man if you had told me that you know no chance it speaks a lot to this to the city which you're always promoting and and and pumping up because here's a guy that got to see the best of cities all over the country for many many years and would have been welcomed anywhere uh and and to to choose here i just think it's neat and i guess technically right he didn't finish his career here do i have that no he did he finished his career he didn't started here he started in san diego but that's where i got wrong the way he started was fascinating and just uh you know back in the day you know here's a well i don't know what he said 150 pounds or something you know shortstop that was um that didn't hit very well but but played defense at a an entirely different level and um i i i asked him in that interview i said man you know 2500 hits us that's a magnificent accomplishment especially considering you know when you started out they were thinking they might run you out of here because you're not going to be able to hit it all and he turned himself into i love it it's kind of a rocky story when you say he was in his basement uh uh in some kind of an in-house batting cage of some sort that he built for himself right i just think it's uh interesting i think he did the same thing with his golf so it's uh oh you know he's tenacious uh to get that part of it down get the fundamentals down and like so many of the other great athletes we've had on the show john they talk about how golf fills that competitive jones for them yeah and and it stays i'm sure helps them stay connected with their their buddies so they can play in all the different events uh that kind of thing um yeah i just i just think it's great how cool is it for an inner city kid to go i'm gonna go learn something anything from ozzie smith i mean it's one thing if if i go there and try to you know help some kids or something but they're like ozzie smith come on man let me in yeah this guy i mean even though he's long retired now he's still iconic in the city absolutely i'm sure will be for a very long time uh iconic in the game yeah how many other guys ran out there and flipped seriously was there anybody else i i don't remember i'm not a baseball fan like you are i certainly i followed cubs and it's a lot it's a good sport and that kind of me cut the mic we had a cubs reference on this show yeah i thought i thought i stuck that in there with you not noticing um i've never seen anybody you know and um that's it's it's almost like like he was some sort of elite dancer that played baseball i mean the way that he the the way that he ran the range that he showed and that some of the places some i'll never forget the one pop fly out into short left with vince coleman who could also fly these guys are sprinting at one another and ozzy somehow is running away from home plate just swipes his glove out there makes his catch and then does this sort of like some sort of weird divey thing to miss vince coleman coming in like a ray train it was awesome i liked some of the stories too and you hear it i think from really anybody that's had any success is how instant it was you know everybody thinks that it happened overnight and it wasn't and and what was it eddie murray that he got kind of bypassed as far as nobody's paying attention to him because eddie was uh taking all the attention all the scouts and all the uh all the whoever anybody was in baseball were were watching eddie play and there was another hall of famer i mean right so well you know what are the odds of that but it's just kind of interesting to hear the stories and you can tell he spoke fondly of them too it wasn't you know looking back and negative stuff he was he was just out there and he was uh coming up through the ranks just like anybody else and that's where you're you're made to be whoever you're going to be yeah you know the thing that the thing that i love is that he um the stuff he's doing with pga reach you know we talked about when i was involved with the first tee and and when the pga championship was here john ozzie was one of the chairs of the whole thing i think he was like honorary chair or something you know that's how much he um loved the game and loved getting you know put up right in the front and i mean i mean we talked a little bit about tiger in that interview and uh one of the things and uh and i know i think we were off here when ozzy and i talked about this but one of the things that is still so cool about tiger for for an african-american kid who grew up in a really poor area like ozzy did to have to have someone like tiger woods burst on the scene and he's involved in this you know it's more than a hobby for ozzy but there's what how how ozzy's involved in the game now and to open all of these doors that should have been opened years ago i mean how cool is that because i'm sure those guys pro saw stuff racial segregation wise all that stuff was that they would have been like who from compton they were going to be playing golf yeah yeah yep great stories great stories across the board yeah now he gets to go hang out at some of the best places in the world he's got a he's got a uh a great game to go with it and uh and he's committed to man he talks and when he talks you can tell he's so in to this game and wanting to learn and he started we were uh again off the air and he said you know man my short game i'm like oh that's i might be able to help you there that's kind of what i hope you do i hope you do i hope there's something we're gonna i'm gonna we're gonna text each other and go t it once well actually one of his group was gonna help you physically with something and uh let them help you there and get uh teach him how to use that bounce that'll change his world it'll change his world some of the guys are depending on him missing those chips and he starts hitting it using his bounce and he doesn't miss the chips anymore he's gonna love that it's not gonna be so fun for those guys i'm just gonna have some of their cash well that's gonna wrap up the man that's the 19th hole we gotta sign off we gotta sign off sign off i want to thank uh donahue painting and refinishing for supporting the show i want you guys to look out on my youtube channel for what i call the delsing report i'm gonna have some equipment uh all sorts of different equipment clothes shoes lasers the latest stuff uh i'm going to check all that stuff out and tell you what i think about it um so that'll be the delsing report well bro thanks for joining me today thanks for doing the show meet thanks for working the board and keeping us on time somewhat sort of kind of this is golf with j delsing hit them straight st louis that was golf with j delsing brought to you by whitmore country club tune in next sunday for more from j john and the other pros and experts from the golf world in the meantime you can find all of j shows at 101 espn.com as well as at jdelsongolf.com