Brock’s first pitch produces another special Opening Day moment

Opening Day 2012 produced a memorable photo of Bob Gibson, Whitey Herzog, Ozzie Smith and the other Redbird Redcoats huddled around Stan Musial and his golf cart.

Such a gathering of the Cardinals' Cooperstown Club is a spring-time tradition at Busch Stadium. But that particular meeting had added poignance because of The Man's obvious frailty and the bittersweet realization that it was likely the last time we’d see that dream team together.

And so when news broke late last October that the great Lou Brock lost part of his leg below the knee due to complications of diabetes, it stuck in the throat of Cardinal National.

His art was the stolen base, something he did 938 times in a 19-year career that was marked by his daring work on the base paths. Amputate Lou Brock's leg? It's like taking the hands from Michelangelo.

But there he was Monday, alongside Schoendienst, Sutter, LaRussa and all the rest, being serenaded by Busch III's second-largest Opening Day crowd ... "Loooooouuuuu ...."

Brock, 76, was in uniform and in the spirit, just as sunny as the skies that brought an earlier-than-expected end to the forecast rain.

He greeted the current Cardinals as they stepped from their pick-up truck motorcade with either a handshake, a fist bump or an embrace. He applauded like a fan, pumped his fist like a coach and smiled a smile that belied all he's been through during his on-going rehabilitation.

He even abandoned his cane from time to time, relying instead of the confidence he's gained in his new prosthetic. It's been barely six months since the surgery.

This is no diminished hero, least of all to the other heroes.

"He’s a huge part of our community, he and Jackie both," said manager Mike Matheny. "Just to be able to have him (here), knowing what all he’s gone through, to have him back out here in any capacity ... being out on the field, it’s special, I know, for him as well as for us."

That presence produced another picture perfect Opening Day moment.

Ted Simmons, the former catcher and latest inductee to the Cardinals Hall of Fame, took his familiar position behind the plate. Flanked by his wife, Jackie, and his rehabilitation coach, Brock walked without aid a little more than halfway to the mound.

The left-hander first tested his balance on the artificial limb. Then he stepped into his delivery, finding the dead center of Simmons' mitt with the ceremonial first pitch. The crowd went wild.

"For him, I've got to imagine this might be the most special day he's ever gotten to experience," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. "To go through what he's been through and to know he's going to be a part of this says a lot, means a lot."

BND photographer Zia Nizami successfully captured the moment. There's no bitter in this image, though, only indelible sweetness.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 7:47 PM with the headline "Brock’s first pitch produces another special Opening Day moment."