482. Hall-of-Fame Baseball Writer Claire Smith

Claire Smith is a pioneer in sports writing. She was the first ever female Major League Baseball beat writer, covering the New York Yankees for five seasons starting in 1982. She became a national columnist and worked at the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and later ESPN. In 2017, she was the first female to win the Baseball Hall of Fame’s BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award. She is currently a professor at Temple University.

In this episode, Smith tells stories from her illustrious career. She tells stories of both racism and sexism, including a 1984 incident where she was asked to leave the San Diego Padres clubhouse during the NLCS because she was a woman. She told stories about dear friends and allies Steve Garvey, Dave Winfield, Don Baylor, Dusty Baker, and countless others. She is an icon in her profession.