A pugnacious, strong-willed catcher for five NL pennant winners, Smith received his nickname from columnist Westbrook Pegler‘s Brooklynese pronunciation of his first name. With the champion Giants of 1921-22, he ignored manager John McGraw‘s signals and defied bed checks. Traded to the Pirates, he hit .313 for the 1925 World Champions and a career-high .346 the next season. He missed a month with the 1927 NL champions when he was suspended for smashing the jaw of Braves manager Dave Bancroft in an unprovoked attack. Sold to the Cardinals the next year, he helped them to the 1928 NL pennant.
