Always a true gentleman, Lou Brock is on my St. Louis Cardinals Mount Rushmore
I never met Lou Brock.
I never interviewed him, or talked to him in an elevator, locker room, press box, mall, or banquet hall. I never asked for his autograph, or shook his hand. But I feel like I knew him well.
An old friend. I grew up with Lou, Lou, Lou. The Base Burglar.
I was 5 years old in summer 1964 when the Cardinals traded popular pitcher Ernie Broglio to the Chicago Cubs for a young outfielder named Brock. My grandpa didn’t care much for the trade. A proven starting pitcher for an unproven, young outfielder with some power? Gramps didn’t like the Cards dealt with the Cubs, period. But gramps spent the last years of his life thanking the Cubs for trading Brock to the Cards.
Brock added instant energy to the Cardinals lineup. Gibson, Boyer, Flood and McCarver were my favorite players. And this new guy Brock. Man, he’s fast! Brock was a Cardinals staple in left field for the remainder of the 1960s and 1970s.
I grew up with Number 20 in left field. If he got on base, you knew he was stealing second base. The only question was on which pitch he would run. He was fast and smart and Brock had the best pop-up slide to second base.
What I will remember most about Lou Brock, the player? Stolen bases, of course. But what impressed me was his positive attitude in the bad baseball years of the 1970s.
Cardinals Nation was more like a county. Old Busch Stadium could be half empty at first pitch. The Cards had Brock in his prime, and Bob Gibson past his prime, and a young catcher named Ted Simmons. We had brief visits from great players like Reggie Smith, Richie Allen, Joe Torre, Garry Templeton, Jose Cruz and Bake McBride. We traded pitchers Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss.
We had Scipio Spinks. And Joe Hague. Don’t forget Bernie Carbo.
But Lou was always in left field. Often, we sat in the left field bleachers and greeted him with, “Lou, Lou, Lou ...”
My aunt Marie made sure I had my own Brockabrella when they became popular. I lobbied but dad never bought a car from the old Lou Brock Dodge dealership in downtown East St. Louis. I remember there was a painting of Lou, Lou, Lou on the building.
Lou was a true gentleman
After he retired, Lou was an ambassador for the Cardinals. The red jacket looked natural on him. He was polite. Always smiled. A gentleman. He had a few stints as a broadcaster, but Lou was better at playing the game than talking about it.
I got mad at Rickey Henderson when he broke Lou’s stolen base record. It was not about the record. With Lou on the field at his side, Henderson raised the base above his head and told the crowd something about being the greatest ever.
Lou, just smiled, of course. My Cardinals Mount Rushmore? Easy. Musial. Schoendienst. Gibson. Brock.
Lou was part of my life. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. Not about another team or player. Always positive. Always professional. Sweet Lou, always. The Base Burglar. I feel like I knew him well.
