A pugnacious, strong-willed catcher for five NL pennant winners, Smith received his
nickname from columnist
Westbrook Pegler's Brooklynese pronunciation of his first
name. With the champion Giants of 1921-22, he ignored manager
John McGraw's signals
and defied bed checks. Traded to the Pirates, he hit .313 for the 1925 World Champions
and a career-high .346 the next season. He missed a month with the 1927 NL champions
when he was suspended for smashing the jaw of Braves manager
Dave Bancroft in an
unprovoked attack. Sold to the Cardinals the next year, he helped them to the 1928
NL pennant.
(JK)