Lee Smith, 1994 Leaf Limited #6

Happy 54th birthday to Lee Smith...a day early! Yep, the closer that I rooted for as a middle-schooler in 1994 is nearly eligible for AARP benefits. Well, that's just ducky.

Lee Smith, 1995 Score Hall of Gold #HG40

The birthday train keeps on a-rollin' with Shreveport, Louisiana's own Lee Arthur Smith. The barrel-chested fireman blows out 52 candles tomorrow, and it just so happens that he is on this year's Hall of Fame ballot. Many members of the BBWAA are filling out their ballots right about now, and in a month's time we will know whether Lee Smith and/or former teammates Andre Dawson, Harold Baines, Barry Larkin, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Ray Lankford, Don Mattingly, David Segui, and Todd Zeile are bound for Cooperstown next summer. In case you're counting, Lee played alongside nine out of the 25 other players on the ballot. What can you say? The dude got around: eight teams in 18 years. I'm sure he'd like nothing more for his birthday than to get a belated gift in the form of a call from that little rural town in New York. For now, he'll just have to play the waiting game.

Since I know for a fact that some of you fine readers are as fond of The Simpsons as I am, I'll leave you with one of my favorite Homeric quotes:

"Aww, the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos."

Lee Smith, 1995 Topps #394

This card evokes a bittersweet memory for me, as Lee Smith was an All-Star in his only season in Baltimore. He was already 29-for-33 in save opportunities at the break, but he blew a save for the American League by allowing a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning to Fred McGriff. The National Leaguers went on to win in the tenth when Jason Bere yielded back-to-back hits with no outs. Bleah.

However, there are a lot of close, tight games represented in this card. 2,141 games pitched in a combined 39 major league seasons. 902 saves altogether. Lee stands third all-time with 478 games saved, and John Franco is fourth with his 424. Will Cooperstown come calling? Time will tell.

Lee Smith, 1995 Pinnacle #64

It's that time of year again; Hall of Fame ballots have been mailed. The older I get, the more disillusioned I become with the selection process. The Baseball Writers' Association of America is an exclusionist, flat-Earth society and too many writers treat their vote like a joke. After Woody Paige's admission that he picked Goose Gossage because he was nice to him, and the mere fact that somebody voted for Todd Stottlemyre, I can't begin to predict how badly the BBWAA will screw up the Class of 2009. But this is first and foremost a baseball blog, so let's talk shop. The former Orioles on this year's ballot are Harold Baines, Jesse Orosco, Tim Raines, and Lee Smith. All four had long and remarkable careers, but they are not all Hall-worthy.

Harold Baines is one of my favorite players and by all accounts a first-class human being, but he was never head and shoulders above his peers- never great. Regrettably, knee injuries robbed him of his speed and made him incomplete. He was an impressive hitter, but he didn't put up the sort of numbers necessary to gain entry to the Hall as a one-dimensional player.

Jesse Orosco is notable primarily for his longevity. Making a living as a major league pitcher for 24 seasons is nothing to scoff at, but he was a highly specialized role player for much of his career, not even averaging an inning per appearance in any season from 1991-2003.

Tim Raines meets my criteria for the Hall of Fame. He was one of the premier leadoff hitters of the 1980s, getting on base at an impressive .385 clip, and his 808 stolen bases are fifth all-time. I doubt he'll get in this year, since Rickey Henderson is on the ballot and voters will want to compare the two, but that's apparently the nature of this beast. He might also be hurt by memories of his admitted cocaine abuse in the Eighties, but he's long since rehabilitated himself and there are plenty of worse scoundrels enshrined in Cooperstown (see: Cobb, Tyrus).

In my opinion, Lee Smith also passes muster. In an era when closers are finally gaining entrance to the Hall (Eckersley, Sutter, Gossage), you can hardly exclude the man who amassed a record 478 saves, a mark since surpassed by Trevor Hoffman. The barrel-chested, long-legged Cajun struck out 2.5 batters for every walk in his 18-year career, and his 131 adjusted ERA+ (which accounts for home ballpark and league averages - 100 is average) was better than the figures for Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and Dennis Eckersley.

So if I had my way, two ex-O's would be headed to Cooperstown next summer. They may not have spent much time in Baltimore, but they're a part of our history nonetheless.

Lee Smith, 1995 Stadium Club Members Only #42

Every morning from Monday through Friday, it seems that I'm forever hurrying. Climbing out of bed with a start, knowing that even a five-minute snooze will put me behind schedule. Jumping in the shower, scrubbing myself off quickly, not taking a moment to soak in the refreshing steam from the hot water. Shoveling spoonful after spoonful of cereal into my mouth so I can hustle out the door to my car. I drive to the train station on pins and needles, certain that today will be the day that I miss my train. Though one red light here or there has never made me late to my knowledge, I still groan in frustration as I see the light turn from green to yellow on the near horizon. I don't start my days with a particularly positive or peaceful outlook.

I think we could all take a cue from Lee Smith. The classic image of the former all-time major league leader in saves is one of leisure. The call would go out to the bullpen for the righty, and he would come sauntering out through the door in center field, jacket in hand. He wouldn't run, because the game wasn't going to resume without him. He wouldn't jog or even power-walk. He would just stroll out to the mound, barrel chest resting on top of long, powerful legs, completely in control of himself and his surroundings. It was as if he was saying, "Here I am. What have you got for me?".