The biggest knock against Smith was a weak throwing arm and a tendency to stumble on the run, especially on artificial turf at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. Teammate Larry Bowa once referred to Smith as "Skates," saying he looked like he was playing the outfield on ice skates. The nickname stuck. Smith laughed and accepted it "because it was true."
It wasn't as funny when Smith came back to Philadelphia as a Cardinal in June of 1983, strung out on cocaine. So he asked David Raymond, the Phillie Phanatic mascot, to stop making fun of him during pre-game introductions. When he saw Raymond stumbling and falling one night, he took off running. He blind-sided Raymond, leveling him in the back of the knees, and nearly broke his leg.
"I heard the sound of pain," Smith says. "I didn't care. I said 'I told you to stop doing it,' and I ran off laughing. They had to carry him off on a stretcher. . . . It was one of the stupidest things I ever did in my life. That whole year my frame of mind was backwards and stupid."
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Via Clutch Hits.
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