Four inducted into Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame

Wieters, Florie, Smith, Jones comprise 2008 Hall class

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Bryce Florie (far left), Bubba Jones (for his father Danny Jones), Brian Smith (for his father Charley Smith) and Richard Weiters accept Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame awards Friday night at Riley Park.

When he was a young ballplayer, Richard Wieters was told of the legend of Charley Smith and chasing down home run balls hit by a young but powerful Gorman Thomas at the local fields.

"You'd go chase his home runs and the balls would come back oblong he hit them so hard," said Wieters, who can now stand alongside as a peer to his boyhood legends as one of the newest members of the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame.

Wieters joined Smith, Bryce Florie and Danny Jones as the class of 2008 on Friday as they were inducted during a ceremony at Riley Park.

Wieters and Florie, a former major leaguer, were the only living members of the class. Family members accepted the awards for Smith, a former major leaguer, and Jones, an influential recreation director.

Wieters eventually made his own legend, first at St. Andrews High School and then at The Citadel, playing for another hall of famer, Chal Port. He was a two-time Southern Conference player of the year, a first-team All-American and an academic all-American. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Atlanta Braves in 1977 and played minor league baseball until 1982.

"It's just special from being in a hall of fame that Coach Port's in. He's one of the most respected people in baseball. I grew up with his son and we did

everything together. (Port) taught me everything I know about baseball. He was Mr. Fundamentals, and that's basically what baseball is — if you know how to do the fundamentals, you have a chance," Wieters said. "When I was growing up, Charley Smith was pretty big. He was before me and I had never seen him play, but everyone told me he was the best ballplayer they had ever seen in Charleston. Everything I heard about Charley Smith was unbelievable."

Smith, a Chicora/North Charleston native, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957 and played 10 years for seven major league clubs. He had a career batting average of .239 and was part of the 1966 trade that sent Roger Maris from the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals. He passed away in 1994 in Nevada.

"This means a lot, especially here in Charleston," son Brian Smith said. "His mother, Lester Smith, it means the world to her. And it means a lot to me that my kids could see this. He would have been thrilled to death (by this) — maybe a little embarrassed."

Florie, a 1988 Hanahan High School graduate, came to the ceremony wearing the orange of his alma mater.

"I didn't know which hat to wear. I wore about 50 of them. So, I wore Hanahan colors. That's where it all started," he said.

Florie was drafted in the fifth round by the San Diego Padres in 1988 and played from 1994-2001 for four different teams. He had a big league pitching record of 20-24 with a 4.47 earned run average in 261 games. Perseverance was the theme of his career, starting with the shock of experiencing professional baseball for the first time.

"The reality set in when I went to A-ball when I was so bad," he said. "I was so bad, but I was so young. It's hard to go from the top of the pile to the bottom of the pile in one year. I started learning about failure and bouncing back and all those things."

He went through a bigger test after he reached the majors and was struck in the face in 2000 by a line drive that threatened more than his baseball career.

"At one point, I didn't know if I'd ever see again, much less nine months later running out to the mound. I had all day to get ready, and as I was trotting out, it was a full-house standing ovation type thing," he said. "I felt like that was another first time because nothing was promised when I was taken off the field after I got hit. I think it was harder getting back from that than it was to get to the big leagues."

Jones was the first recreation director for the Cooper River Parks and Playground Commission in 1955 and was instrumental in bringing recreation youth baseball to the state. He also was a leader in other areas of the state's recreation community, and a pool and sports complex were named in his honor in North Charleston.

"This is one of the most heartwarming things to happen for our family in a long time," said Bubba Jones, the fifth of Danny Jones' seven children. "Our father was all about family, sports and community."

Reach Bill Henley at 937-5595 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.