If Your Birthday is December 26th....

 

...you share it with Chris Chambliss.  The 1970s Yankee first baseman became a franchise icon with his walk-off home run in the 1976 ALCS that gave them their first pennant in a dozen years.   This image is from Old Timers Day in 2010, just days after the passing of George Steinbrenner.

Also in the day-after-Christmas birthday circle: Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith.  A statue depicting his acrobatic style, is located just outside Busch Stadium.
A 15-time All Star and 13 time Gold Glove winner, Smith was a perfect catalyst on Whitey Herzog's speed, contact and defense-first clubs that won three pennants, including the 1982 World Series. A player with far more speed than power -- reflected by having more than twice as many career stolen bases as home runs -- he crafted a magical Cardinal moment:  a walk-off home run that won Game Five of the 1985 NLDS.  The play was immortalized by Jack Buck's "Go crazy, folks!" call. 
A first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2002 , here's Smith's Cooperstown's plaque. 

And we remember Al Jackson, who pitched bravely for some of the worst teams of all time -- the 1962-'65 Mets, earning the respect of his teammates and fans for his gritty effort. How's this for a measure: 10 of his 43 wins as a Met were shutouts!

Traded to the Cardinals for Ken Boyer, he returned to Queens for 1968 and the first part of the 1969 season, before being sold to the Reds where his career ended.  Jackson spent many years as a coach in both the majors and minors -- I snapped this photo when he was working with the Mets at Spring Training in 2011.

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