Legendary closer Lee Smith, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Cub last season, has rejoined the organization this year as an “ambassador.”
“Whatever the hell that means,” he said with a laugh Sunday as Cubs Convention concluded with morning panels that included a star-studded group of 1980s fan favorites.
“When Mr. Ricketts calls me to do something, I’m going,” he said of chairman Tom Ricketts. “It is awesome. It’s really good to be back home. I’m loving it, man.”
Smith, who joined Fergie Jenkins and former teammates as Ryne Sandberg, Gary Matthews, Andre Dawson, Bobby Dernier on Sunday’s panel, left the Giants organization, where he was a minor-league pitching instructor.
Smith, a seven-time All-Star who earned 180 of his 478 career saves during eight seasons with the Cubs, also weighed in on the Astros’ electronic sign-stealing scandal and a new rule in 2020 impacting use of relievers.
“Man, I couldn’t figure all that crap out,” he said when asked about the sign stealing. “I was just trying to figure my way to the bullpen. You’ve still got to throw it over the plate, man. You’ve still got to hit the ball.
“Still, it’s illegal, man.”
Smith said, “They’ve probably been doing it for years,” but downplayed suggestion the Astros wouldn’t have been successful without cheating.
“They’ve still got to pitch and play. They’ve got to go on the road and things like that,” he said. “When I was in Chicago, I remember the guys saying [about the Cubs], `Oh, man, they got something going on out in the center-field clock.’ I’m like, `You do know we lost 96 damn games that year.’ “
As for the new rule that requires a reliever to face at least three batters or finish an inning, the man who averaged five batters per relief appearance in his career said he likes it.
“Because you can see and learn how to pitch by facing hitters,” he said. “You learn to pitch by seeing hitters.”
