Lou Brock is dead

[Beetlegeuse]

The 1967 Cards-vs-Red Sox World Series was what lit my fire for baseball. I still remember who played every position on that St Louis team. Lou Brock played left and batted sixth in the line-up.

Orlando Cepeda on first, Julian Javier on second, Dal Maxville at shortstop, Mike Shannon on third, Lou Brock in left, Curt Flood in center, Roger Maris in right, Tim McCarver behind the plate and their ace starting pitcher was the most intimidating hurler on the mound until The Big Unit came along, Bob Gibson. Gibson's middle name was "Chin Music" and any batter who contested the ownership of the inside edge of the plate did so at their own peril.

Brock played left field and if you could go to jail for stealing bases, he'd have died in prison. He stole three bases in the 7th game alone of the '67 series, which the Cards won handily, 7-2. Stole a record 118 bases in the 1974 season (caught 33 times) on 194 base hits and 61 walks. Which means if he got on base, odds were 46% he was going to steal another.

Over his 19-year career he hit .293, .410 slugging percentage, .959 fielding percentage, 3023 hits, 193 homers, 900 RBIs, 938 stolen bases. He got 13 base hits in the 1968 series, tied for best in a WS ever with Marty Barrett in the 1986 series. And his batting average in World Series games is the best of any player with more than 20 WS games played, .391. Two World Series rings, six-time All-Star, eight-time national league stolen base leader.

And he was inducted into Cooperstown on his first ballot in 1985.

That's what I call one damn fine career. And one damn fine ball player.




Thanks for the memories, Lou.

[slfmade]

"The 1967 Cards-vs-Red Sox World Series was what lit my fire for baseball."

Hot Damn, you're old!!!

[Beetlegeuse]

"The 1967 Cards-vs-Red Sox World Series was what lit my fire for baseball."

Hot Damn, you're old!!!

Hot Damn, you're old, sir, you young whippersnapper!!!


Hell, that ain't nuthin'. I remember my elementary school class being led outside to the front lawn of the school to watch the American flag being lowered to Half Staff ...

... because JFK had just been declared dead.

EDIT:

“Over my 25-plus years of being his agent, he was perhaps the happiest Hall of Famer I’ve ever encountered,” [Dick] Zitzmann [Brock’s longtime agent and friend] said. “I think he led a life that will never be duplicated.”