Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons has long been regarded as one of the best catchers in St. Louis Cardinals history, and this weekend marks his return to the Spa City for the Third Annual Hot Springs Baseball Weekend.
The event, which was originally scheduled for May, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will feature appearances by Simmons, Cardinals color commentator Al Hrabosky and Hall of Fame pitcher Lee Smith. The trio is expected to be at Friday's groundbreaking for the new youth baseball complex at historic Majestic Park.
After a positive response at their appearance at last year's event, Simmons and Hrabosky were invited back for this year's Baseball Weekend, giving fans another opportunity to talk with these veteran baseball players.
Simmons, who was a catcher for the Cardinals for most of his Major League Baseball career, was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year, and the installation for this year's class will be held next year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After playing for the Cardinals from 1968-1980, Simmons went on to play for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1981-1985 and the Atlanta Braves from 1986-1988. Considered to be one of the best hitting catchers in the history of professional baseball, Simmons said that his favorite Cardinals memory was after he joined the Brewers.
"My favorite memory about the Cardinals happened actually while I was playing on another team, and it happened in 1982 while I was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers," he explained. "I ended up, ironically enough, playing in the World Series in 1982 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers against the St. Louis Cardinals, which was very, at times, confusing and ironic to say the very least.
"In a seven-game World Series, those who live and die Cardinal baseball, it turned out absolutely first-rate for them because in the seventh game of the World Series, they won four games and lost three to the Brewers. I went away dismayed, but came back very shortly to St. Louis where I lived at the time. ... During that time period, (it) was very interesting and the highlight of my career in St. Louis, however disjointed that sounds."
Simmons retired with the National League record for home runs by a switch-hitter (182) while leading all major league catchers in career hits (2,472) and doubles (483), and ranking second behind Yogi Berra in RBI. He also had six 20-home run seasons and caught 122 shutouts.
Simmons recognizes how the coronavirus pandemic has reached all corners of the world.
"The pandemic has certainly affected the industry of Major League Baseball dramatically," he said. "But more important -- way more importantly -- it's affected the entire world in a way that has caused everything to change. And socially, we are now on a path to get this under control, so that we can get back to a normal environment here in the United States, and specifically in Major League Baseball in the United States."
Simmons said an understanding of how sports and fans can impact everyday lives gives Simmons hope that, with proper adherence to health department guidelines, the country can regain some sense of normalcy and a familiar lifestyle.
"Major League Baseball impacts its citizenry so profoundly, and sports in general does that," said Simmons. "But it does it all over the world. ... In other places in the world, it's becoming more under control. We got a late start here, and it's taken a while for people to pay attention closely. Hopefully they are now doing that through the use of distancing and masks, etc., and paying attention to scientific people who in medical terms know what they're talking about. And hopefully we can get this under control so that maybe, with all fingers crossed, everybody's hard work and good intentions can get the whole world back in place."
Recent efforts by the MLB to salvage the season inspires Simmons to stay positive about how the country will grow and readjust to life as things move forward.
"It's remarkable that Major League Baseball has been able to -- somehow in this unworldly environment -- been able to put together even 60 games, in an effort to keep themselves stable, of course, but to help stabilize the society in general because it's so fractured right now," Simmons added. "Major League Baseball could help everyone kind of work their way back to a normal lifestyle.
"Society is upset. For whatever reason, as a whole, when it's upset, it needs a distraction. ... To stay focused on the bad news is disheartening, and sports offers a diversion to that. Whether it's baseball or hockey, basketball, football or soccer or any athletic endeavor, it distracts the society from it's pandemic ... People need a relief and sports offers that."