Former 3B Coach to Appear on Reality Show
Former Phillies third-base coach, WFC, and current Cleveland Indians third-base coach Steve Smith (he was part of the trade that netted us Cliff Lee, if you remember) will be a contestant on The Amazing Race with his daughter Allie. They will be one of 11 pairs of contestants on the 16th season of the CBS reality show premiering February 14. (They do two season per year, by the way. It has not, in fact, been on since 1994.)
As I’m assuming most of youse aren’t really the Amazing Race type of reality show people – more a fan of Jersey Shore, right? No? Lil’ Jersey Shore? – here’s Wikipedia’s explanation of The Amazing Race, seeing as I’ve never actually watched it myself, either.
“The race utilizes progressive elimination: the last team to arrive at a designated checkpoint (Pit Stop) leaves the game. The race starts in a US city. Teams must then follow clues and instructions and make their way to checkpoints in places around the world, eventually racing back to the finish line in the US. Along the way they perform tasks that represent the culture of the present country or city. Tasks include Detours (an option between two tasks of various difficulty) and Roadblocks (a task that can be done by only one member of a team); additionally, other optional markers, if reached first, can provide a team with a Fast Forward (allowing a team to skip remaining tasks and go to the checkpoint), a Yield (the ability to delay another team for a short amount of time) or a U-Turn (the ability to force another team to do the other detour they did not choose). Teams race with limited possessions and are given a fixed amount of money for all travel purposes save for airline tickets, which are paid for by production-issued credit cards.”
On CBS’s page for the show, they ask each of the 22 contestants a series of questions about themselves and their partners. ATJ, some of Steve’s and Allie’s answers that I thought were particularly interesting…
“Steve Smith
Current occupation: Professional baseball coach (Cleveland Indians), World Series Champion coach (2008 Philadelphia Phillies)”
I really hope he introduces himself to people as a “World Series Champion coach,” brings it in interviews, and even puts it on his business card.
Maybe in an ode to the late, great Phil Hartman/Troy McClure, “Hi, I’m Steve Smith! You may remember me from such World Series Champions as the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies!”
Or, possibly, a la the also late, also great Billy Mays, “Hi, Steve Smith here! Do you have World Series you want to win? I’ll take your runners, and tell them to stop at third, they’ll run through my stop sign and score, winning you more ballgames!”
“People would be surprised to learn: It took me 20 years in professional baseball before I finally made it to the big leagues.”
And as a coach, too! Hey, I guess it’s better than spending 20 years in the minors before being called up to the big leagues. No, actually, it’s not. Because that way, you could write a book about how you’re the oldest rookie in baseball (possibly ever), at 40-something-years-old.
“Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on the race together: Not getting lost, because we tend to get lost in our own neighborhood.“
(Puts on John Madden voice): “That’s probably not good if you’re going to be on a show where you have to travel. You see, these people, they get lost in their own neighborhood. Your neighborhood is usually where you live, and you’re probably gonna be familiar with where you live. (John Madden laugh) But these people aren’t even familiar there! If you live in a neighborhood, and you should be familiar with your neighborhood, but you’re not familiar with your neighborhood, and you spend more time in your neighborhood than in other countries, and you aren’t familiar with other countries, then how are you gonna know where you are when you’re in other countries?”
Holy crap, that was actually smarter than anything Madden has ever said!
“Allie Smith, 23
Pet peeve about your teammate: He’s always late and likes to embarrass me.“
I’d say she has a bit less confidence in her partner than vice versa, and trashed him quite a bit more. (Steve, answering the same question: “She’s a very talented person, but occasionally lacks the confidence in her God-given abilities.”) Her father isn’t technically a “God-given ability,” so apparently she also tends to lack the confidence in her partners to get their side of things done. (That’s what she said.) What a team they’ll make!
“If I could switch places with someone: Phil Koeghan. Talk about a job I’d be passionate about.”
I’ll admit that she does a great job of sucking up to the host. Too bad that won’t count for anything. Phil Keoghan doesn’t really look like the kind to give “extra credit,” if you know what I’m saying. (Also what she said.)
“What are you passionate about? My relationship with God, Pepperdine, baseball, golf, dance, traveling the world, spending time with fantasy and friends, and fantasy football.“
Okay, I suspected it before, but now it’s official. She HAS to be the sports fan’s dream girl. Let’s go through the checklist.
Would watch/go to most any sporting event with you. CHECK.
Willing to go golfing with you. CHECK. (True, that could be a blessing and a curse.)
Has a good deal of knowledge about baseball. CHECK.
Would join your fantasy football league. CHECK. (Also could be a blessing and a curse. The top two things a man does not want to lose to his wife/girlfriend in would most likely be golf and fantasy football.)
No daddy issues. CHECK.
Comes from a wealthy family. CHECK. (I’m making an assumption on this one, but it’s not like you could pick a homeless guy up off the street, make him your third-base coach, and win a World Series. Well, maybe you could, but nonetheless…
Her and family at least somewhat partial to the Phillies. CHECK.
“People would be surprised to learn: My father is a World Series-winning professional baseball coach, but during the only year I played (8th grade) I made it to first base once and was promptly picked off.“
Don’t worry, I don’t think your father is very good at playing baseball, either.
*Stay tuned for more Amazing Race coverage, as I might write a preview of the other pairs later in the week or over the weekemd. Surprisingly, Steve Smith isnot the only remotely interesting contestant on the show.*
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