RIP Lou Brock

[thomas35forever]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29826575
RIP to quite the speedster.

[TDog]

Lou Brock knew how to play baseball and did things right. He was a great base stealer, but didn't start stealing bases for the sake of stealing bases, simply to break Ty Cobb's record, until he was in his mid-30s. If he came into baseball with Rickey Henderson's mindset, he might still hold the stolen base record.

Ernie Broglio died a little over a year ago in San Jose. There probably wasn't a moment of silence at that night's Cubs game.

[Soxsince70]

The crazy thing is, Cards fans didn't want to part with Ernie Broglio, who won 20 games for them in 1963. The Cards won this trade when Brock got to St Louis, and helped the Cards erase a 10 1/2 game deficit on their way to beating the Yankmees in 7 in the WS.Then he helped the Cards get back to the Series in '67 (win) and '68 (loss).Rest In Peace,Mr.Brock.

[berwyn]

Talk about guys for whom the light went on after getting traded, he was the greatest. Remember when Harry had him in the Sox broadcast booth as sidekick for a trial period? He wasn't that good at it and it didn't last.

[Wsoxmike59]

RIP Mr. Lou Brock. I remember watching the 1968 World Series, my first one I ever remember watching when Lou Brock ripped a single to CF and promptly stole 2B. I told my Dad, “man they can’t get this guy out!” He replied to me, “He’s a Hall of Famer.”

To my 8 year old self it was a profound statement. In my mind HOFers were from my Dad’s era and beyond. Images of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and even further back Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Honus Wagner raced through my mind and I thought to myself....”wow Dad puts him in amongst those guys.”

It was hard for a youngster such as myself to think of modern day ball players as HOFers, but then I started to look at players In terms of future Hall guys. It dawned on me that the Johnny Bench’s, Willie May’s, Henry Aaron’s, Ernie Bank’s, Roberto Clemente’s and Lou Brock were going to be HOFers when their careers were cover.

I remember Lou amassing great career statistics, compiling hits and SB’s at a great rate year after year and always thinking back to that day in 1968 that old Dad was correct. Lou Brock was a Hall of Famer. Until Rickey Henderson came along Lou Brock was the GOAT in the lead off spot, in my lifetime anyway. RIP #20.

[LITTLE NELL]

I was a vendor at both Comiskey and Wrigley in 1962. It was opening day at Wrigley and a few of us vendors were sitting out in the LF bleachers while waiting for the gates to open. It was officially Brock's rookie year though he appeared in 4 games in 1961. Lou was shagging fly balls right below us almost on the warning track. I yelled out to him "good luck Lou" and flipped him a penny and he picked up and put it in his back pocket and said thanks. I like to think I had given Lou some help in him becoming a HOFer. May he rest in peace.

[TDog]

I was a vendor at both Comiskey and Wrigley in 1962. It was opening day at Wrigley and a few of us vendors were sitting out in the LF bleachers while waiting for the gates to open. It was officially Brock's rookie year though he appeared in 4 games in 1961. Lou was shagging fly balls right below us almost on the warning track. I yelled out to him "good luck Lou" and flipped him a penny and he picked up and put it in his back pocket and said thanks. I like to think I had given Lou some help in him becoming a HOFer. May he rest in peace.

A great story and obviously a special memory that left Lou Brock a player you would have rooted for regardless of his uniform.

Those of us who have to wait for the gates to open often miss the home team. Being a vendor back in the day, you probably have other similar memories.

[LITTLE NELL]

A great story and obviously a special memory that left Lou Brock a player you would have rooted for regardless of his uniform.

Those of us who have to wait for the gates to open often miss the home team. Being a vendor back in the day, you probably have other similar memories.

TDog, I mentioned this one a few times. Yankees at Comiskey in July or August of 1962 and again we are sitting this time in the right field grandstand waiting for the gates to open, Whitey Ford and another Yankee pitcher are doing wind sprints on the warning track from center field to the right field foul pole, they would then walk back to CF and and do another sprint. Whitey wasn't wearing his cap and as he walked by I teased him about his lack of hair on his head and he looks up at me and says "hey kid, go **** off".
What would you expect from a lousy self admitted cheat even though I have to admit at 16 years old I was sort of a smart aleck.

BTW, you never see pitchers in this day and age running between starts like they did back then. The great White Sox pitching coach Ray Berres was a firm believer in having his staff do wind sprints and no one can argue with him as evidenced by the great pitching the Sox had in the 50s and 60s.

[BigKlu59]

You should have said “I think they got you nickname wrong.. It should be cue ball instead of Whitey!!! If you’re gonna go smart aleck go big Little Nell.

Lou was a big favorite of mine. I always wanted to be a speed demon on the base paths and on many occasions when I was playing ball in that era, would try to run each chance on the catcher I got. I remember one coach saying to me as I scored on a throw into center field on a steal of second.... Who you trying to be, Lou Brock? My poop eating grin oathed, sure, wouldn’t you want to be?

RIP Lou. You were a phenomenal player and teammate.

BK59

[TDog]

TDog, I mentioned this one a few times. Yankees at Comiskey in July or August of 1962 and again we are sitting this time in the right field grandstand waiting for the gates to open, Whitey Ford and another Yankee pitcher are doing wind sprints on the warning track from center field to the right field foul pole, they would then walk back to CF and and do another sprint. Whitey wasn't wearing his cap and as he walked by I teased him about his lack of hair on his head and he looks up at me and says "hey kid, go **** off".
What would you expect from a lousy self admitted cheat even though I have to admit at 16 years old I was sort of a smart aleck.

BTW, you never see pitchers in this day and age running between starts like they did back then. The great White Sox pitching coach Ray Berres was a firm believer in having his staff do wind sprints and no one can argue with him as evidenced by the great pitching the Sox had in the 50s and 60s.

My pregame access was limited to the gates opening, except on a couple of very special occasions, but I used to hang around in the front row while the players were warming up. My favorite memory was Alex Rodriguez, working out in the right-field corner in Anaheim. Among the fans screaming for his autograph was young couple with a baby asked if he could sign the baby's plush ball. He signaled at them to wait until he finished. He not only signed the baby's ball, but he held the baby for pictures. It was an incredibly touching thing to watch. Unfortunately, this was August 1994 and the season shut down a few days later.

Earlier, and maybe I mentioned this on the old WSI, when I was in the photo box next to the visitor's dugout in Old Comiskey, an opportunity I had as a photographer for the Indiana Daily Student (we also got courtside passes to Pacers games), the pregame show production people had left a microphone on the ground. Gaylord Perry, the next day's starter for the Rangers, was charting pitches. A young boy was sitting in the front row in front row just past the corner of the dugout. Perry started talking to the boy and as the game went on, when anything happened in the game (and it was brutal -- Claudell Washington homered against the Sox, another Sox refugee, Ken Henderson had a standup inside the-park home run), Perry would pick up the microphone and ask the kid for comment. The next day, Sunday before driving back to Bloomington, I had seats up behind the walk behind the first base dugout. This was early enough in 1977 that even the weekend crowds were small. Perry retired only one hitter and gave up six of the eight first-inning Sox runs. He was pulled after Oscar Gamble's two-run triple, and while Nancy played the Na-Na song, I was standing and applauding Gaylord Perry.

A little off topic, except that memories of such players showing they cared about the fans, as Lou Brock did with the penny, is one of the things that makes baseball special.

[LITTLE NELL]

My pregame access was limited to the gates opening, except on a couple of very special occasions, but I used to hang around in the front row while the players were warming up. My favorite memory was Alex Rodriguez, working out in the right-field corner in Anaheim. Among the fans screaming for his autograph was young couple with a baby asked if he could sign the baby's plush ball. He signaled at them to wait until he finished. He not only signed the baby's ball, but he held the baby for pictures. It was an incredibly touching thing to watch. Unfortunately, this was August 1994 and the season shut down a few days later.

Earlier, and maybe I mentioned this on the old WSI, when I was in the photo box next to the visitor's dugout in Old Comiskey, an opportunity I had as a photographer for the Indiana Daily Student (we also got courtside passes to Pacers games), the pregame show production people had left a microphone on the ground. Gaylord Perry, the next day's starter for the Rangers, was charting pitches. A young boy was sitting in the front row in front row just past the corner of the dugout. Perry started talking to the boy and as the game went on, when anything happened in the game (and it was brutal -- Claudell Washington homered against the Sox, another Sox refugee, Ken Henderson had a standup inside the-park home run), Perry would pick up the microphone and ask the kid for comment. The next day, Sunday before driving back to Bloomington, I had seats up behind the walk behind the first base dugout. This was early enough in 1977 that even the weekend crowds were small. Perry retired only one hitter and gave up six of the eight first-inning Sox runs. He was pulled after Oscar Gamble's two-run triple, and while Nancy played the Na-Na song, I was standing and applauding Gaylord Perry.

A little off topic, except that memories of such players showing they cared about the fans, as Lou Brock did with the penny, is one of the things that makes baseball special.

There is something special about great memories. That's why it breaks my heart when greats like Stan Mikita, Tom Seaver and others fall to alzheimer's and dementia.

As far as the early opening of the gates, back in the day when you got there early there was so much going on at one time, you'd have coaches hitting fungoes to the outfielders while another coach would ge hitting grounders to the infielders and the pitchers getting their running in on the warning track, I cant remember anyone ever beaned with a ball.

[JazzyCyclist]

Lou Brock is one the reasons why I am such a strong advocate for aggressively utilizing speed in baseball. RIP, Mr. Brock.

[Harwar]

RIP Mr. Lou Brock. I remember watching the 1968 World Series, my first one I ever remember watching when Lou Brock ripped a single to CF and promptly stole 2B. I told my Dad, “man they can’t get this guy out!” He replied to me, “He’s a Hall of Famer.”

To my 8 year old self it was a profound statement. In my mind HOFers were from my Dad’s era and beyond. Images of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and even further back Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Honus Wagner raced through my mind and I thought to myself....”wow Dad puts him in amongst those guys.”

It was hard for a youngster such as myself to think of modern day ball players as HOFers, but then I started to look at players In terms of future Hall guys. It dawned on me that the Johnny Bench’s, Willie May’s, Henry Aaron’s, Ernie Bank’s, Roberto Clemente’s and Lou Brock were going to be HOFers when their careers were cover.

I remember Lou amassing great career statistics, compiling hits and SB’s at a great rate year after year and always thinking back to that day in 1968 that old Dad was correct. Lou Brock was a Hall of Famer. Until Rickey Henderson came along Lou Brock was the GOAT in the lead off spot, in my lifetime anyway. RIP #20.

Lou Brock was the first baseball player outside of the White Sox that i followed religiously . the 68 World Series took me by storm . Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek were amazing . it made me a fan of both the Cardinals and Red Sox . the White Sox were my team, but both the cards and other sox became favorites because of that series, that is until ESPN came along and ruined that . it's still the most exciting series for me, even including the 2005 one . i guess because i was 13.

[FielderJones]

You might mean the 1967 World Series. Detroit played in 1968.