Ozzie Smith, the former shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals who was recently inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, is speaking out about teaming up with Budweiser to make Major League Baseball’s Opening Day a national holiday by submitting a petition to the White House. “There was a survey done recently said that 22 million people have played hookie at some point in time on Opening Day,” Smith told Uinterview exclusively. “We’re trying to get 100 thousand signatures to make it an official holiday.”

Smith is highly regarded as one of baseball’s greatest defenders, having been inducted into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2002. During the span of his career (1978-1996), Smith, known by many as “The Wizard,” for his skills in the infield, set the MLB record for career assists for a shortstop with 8,375. He is also second all-time in career double plays executed (1,590) and claimed 13 Gold Gloves for being the best shortstop in the National League.

Smith has remained an active voice in the world of Major League Baseball, speaking out against the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs in the game. “I think Major League Baseball and the Commissioner’s office has done a great job at putting in a deterrent,” Smith told Uinterview. “I think we have something in place now, and we’re hopefully getting to that point where the focus is more on the field than it is off the field.”

Q: Why do you support making baseball’s Opening Day a national holiday? - Uinterview First of all, I’m honored to be teaming up with Budweiser to make it an official holiday. There was a survey done recently said that 22 million people have played hookie at some point in time on Opening Day, so it’s already an official holiday. We’re trying to get 100 thousand signatures to make it an official holiday.

Q: How can people show their support for the petition? - Uinterview Very, very easy. All you have to do is go to Budweiser.com/openingday and sign the petition and become a part of history.

Q: Should players who use performance enhancing drugs be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame? - Uinterview Well, I think the sports writers have spoken very loudly and very clearly. I think it's kinda a temperature of where America is as far as that's concerned, if you're a baseball purist then you know the last 10 or 15 years have been turbulent as far as the game of baseball is concerned. I think Major League Baseball and the Commissioner's office has done a great job at putting in a deterrent, and a deterrent being something that deprived someone of the ability to do what it is that they love to do. I think we have something in place now, and we're hopefully getting to that point where the focus is more on the field than it is off the field.

Q: Should payers who use Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame? - Uinterview Well, I think the sports writers have spoken very loudly and very clearly. I think it’s kinda a temperature of where America is as far as that’s concerned, if you’re a baseball purist then you know the last 10 or 15 years have been turbulence as far as the game of baseball is concerned. I think Major League Baseball and the Commissioner’s office has done a great job at putting in a deterrent, and a deterrent being something that deprived someone of the ability to do what it is that they love to do. I think we have something in place now and we’re hopefully getting to that point where the focus is more on the field than it is off the field.

Q: Do you think there will ever be a player unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame? - Uinterview Well, I don't know, to this point we haven't had any unanimous votes and I don't know. It's kinda like a badge of courage not to let someone at this point be unanimous, but hopefully we will see that in the near future.

Q: Is baseball doing enough to get African Americans kids playing? - Uinterview Well, you know, here again I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to do enough to get them back interested in the game again. You know a lot of the programs that the kids had early on have been eliminated, but I think Major League Baseball through its RBI program and programs that are sponsored by ex-major league players are ways that we’re working on trying to get more African American players interested in the game.