Claire Smith

From BR Bullpen

Claire Smith has been a sportswriter for The Philadelphia Bulletin, Hartford Courant, The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She covered a regular beat from 1982 to 1998 before becoming an editor in the sports department of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1984, she made headlines when she was asked to leave the San Diego Padres locker room while covering a game. Padres first baseman Steve Garvey served as her go-fer for quotes. Later that year, new commissioner Peter Ueberroth announced a policy allowing women equal access to male reporters. She has also been a news editor for ESPN since 2007. Smith was co-author of Don Baylor's autobiography. She served on the Veterans Committee for the 2013 Hall of Fame Election.

In 2017, she became the first woman to be honored with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Barry M. Bloom: "Smith first woman to win Spink Award: Trailblazer to be honored during Hall of Fame induction weekend in Cooperstown", mlb.com, December 6, 2016. [1]