Curt Smith
Senior Lecturer | University of Rochester
Rochester, NY, UNITED STATES
Curt Smith was a speechwriter for George H.W. Bush and is a recognized authority on baseball broadcasting
Areas of Expertise (4)
Rhetoric
Baseball broadcasting
Presidential speechwriting
American Politics
Media
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Links (2)
Biography
Curt Smith was a speechwriter for George H.W. Bush, both during and after his time in office. Smith, a former senior editor for The Saturday Evening Post, joined the Bush White House (1989-1993), writing the 41st president’s “Just War” Persian Gulf address, his speech aboard the USS Arizona memorial site on Pearl Harbor’s 50th anniversary, and Bush’s later eulogy to Ronald Reagan at Washington’s National Cathedral.
Smith transformed his lifelong interests in sports and history into a second career as an authority on baseball broadcasting. He's the author of 18 books, including Memories from the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting and Voices of The Game, which was listed among Esquire magazine's 100 best baseball books ever written. The Library of Congress asked Smith to contribute an essay to its National Recording Preservation Registry on one of the 25 recordings chosen in 2022 for permanent archiving−Hank Aaron's 715th career home run, which broke the revered record held for decades by Babe Ruth.
In 1998, Smith joined the English department faculty at the University of Rochester, where he teaches courses in public speaking and presidential rhetoric.
Education (1)
SUNY Geneseo: BA
Selected Media Appearances (5)
Under Biden and Trump, the presidential first pitch has disappeared
Washington Post print
2024-03-31
Donald Trump, despite being a star baseball player in high school, skipped it. So has President Biden. With the two men set for a rematch this fall, the D.C. presidential first pitch — like complete games and pitchers taking their turn at bat — could be headed to oblivion. “It’s been a tie, a continuity, an advertisement for baseball that it indeed has been the national pastime,” said Curt Smith, author of “The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House” and a former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush. Smith called its possible demise “very sad.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, infuriated Washington when he skipped the 1953 opener — his first as president — to go golfing in Augusta, Ga. The game was rained out, giving Ike a mulligan, so he came back to Washington later that week for the makeup game to attend to his baseball duties. Then he left after 1½ innings to return to his golfing trip. “He was so thoroughly eviscerated by the American press — even though he was a war hero — that he never made that mistake again,” said Smith, the author, who also teaches public speaking and presidential rhetoric as a senior lecturer of English at the University of Rochester. “So essentially, we do have a precedent of someone maybe appearing to break the tradition, but then reverse himself very quickly.”
A World Series of runaway wins and punishing losses; Yet it all came down to a Bill Mazeroski crusher!
Sports Broadcast Journal online
2023-07-13
By CURT SMITH - Criticized by some for seeming anachronistic, major league baseball adopted several changes this year to enliven its entertainment and rate of play. Today concludes a four-part retrospective of an event that thrived at both: the 1960 World Series, particularly Game Seven, a pyrotechnic classic taking barely two and a half-hours.
Virtual Author Series: Memories from the Microphone
National Baseball Hall of Fame online
2021-08-10
Curt Smith discusses his book Memories from the Microphone, during a guest appearance on museum's Virtual Author Series.
Curt Smith on the Relationship Between Presidents and Baseball
C-SPAN tv
2018-07-17
Curt Smith talks about his book The Presidents and the Pastime, on the history of the relationship between US presidents and baseball.
Rochester's Curt Smith remembers Vin Scully
University of Rochester online
2022-08-22
The author of multiple books on baseball, its storied stadiums and legendary broadcasters, recalls a baseball broadcasting legend.
Selected Articles (7)
Why baseball analyst Tim McCarver was the best of the modern era
University of RochesterCurt Smith
2023-02-27
Curt Smith reflects on the life and career of former Major League Baseball catcher and sports announcer Tim McCarver, who died at the age of 81.
Curt Gowdy: Rise and fall of the dominant play-by-player of his day; The ‘Uncle Al Michaels of his time’
Sports Broadcast JournalCurt Smith
2022-08-17
Part two of Curt Smith's tribute to legendary sports announcer Curt Gowdy.
Curt Gowdy: Tutored by Mel Allen, he owned network TV play-by-play, from the 60s through much of the 70s
Sports Broadcast JournalCurt Smith
2022-08-16
Part one of Curt Smith's tribute to legendary sports announcer Curt Gowdy.
Hank Aaron's 715th Career Home Run
Library of CongressCurt Smith
2022-04-13
Curt Smith was invited by the Library of Congress to contribute an essay to its National Recording Preservation Registry on Milo Hamilton's radio call of Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run, which broke the decades-long record held by Babe Ruth.
Vin Scully: A Remembrance, Part One; An Unbeatable Announcer
Sports Broadcast JournalCurt Smith
2022-08-05
Curt Smith remembers veteran baseball announcer Vin Scully, who died at the age of 94. (Part one)
Curt Smith on Russ Hodges: Author of baseball’s most famous call ever; “The Giants WIN the pennant!”
Sports Broadcast JournalCurt Smith
2022-04-17
Curt Smith discusses one of the most famous calls in baseball history.
Historian Curt Smith says changes make HOF’s Ford Frick Award even better; Ballot goes from 8 to10
Sports Broadcast JournalCurt Smith
2022-04-25
The Baseball Hall of Fame revised the voting process for the Ford C. Frick Award, given annually to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball"—and Curt Smith approves.
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