RIP HOF baseball legend Lou Brock

[sivad40]

Lou Brock Highlight Video

 

[Carnac]

Lou Brock Highlight Video

RIP Lou Brock. I saw him in person many times during his heyday with the Cubs and the Cardinals. The anxiety level would always raise just a bit whenever he got on base. You knew he was going to try and steal a base. The question was when.

Sometimes he went on the first pitch, other times he went late in the count. I remember when he broke Maury Wills’ record of 104 stolen bases in a single season, and finished with 118 In 1974.

A record that stood until Ricky Henderson broke it (in the modern era) in 1982 with 130. Hugh Nicol set the record for most stolen bases in a season in 1887 with 138. A record that has stood for 133 years..........and will probably stand for another 133 years.

BTW.........The 1887 MLB season consisted of 135 games, not the 162 they play today.

 

[bramos]

sad. two greats pass within a short time. according to ESPN trivia. Brock batted 157x against Tom Seaver which was more than any other MLB player. I batted against Seaver once when he was at USC. He struck me out on 3 pitches. I did not see the first two. and the last was a deuce that froze my bat.

 

[Carnac]

sad. two greats pass within a short time. according to ESPN trivia. Brock batted 157x against Tom Seaver which was more than any other MLB player. I batted against Seaver once when he was at USC. He struck me out on 3 pitches. I did not see the first two. and the last was a deuce that froze my bat.

Like a deer in the headlights. You had that dreaded “jelly leg” delivered by Uncle Charlie eh? Yeah, I’ve walked a mile in those Cleats.

 

[UConnCat]

sad. two greats pass within a short time. according to ESPN trivia. Brock batted 157x against Tom Seaver which was more than any other MLB player. I batted against Seaver once when he was at USC. He struck me out on 3 pitches. I did not see the first two. and the last was a deuce that froze my bat.

 

[oldude]

I’m starting to feel really old. Great players I watched growing up are passing away far too frequently. I grew up as a passionate Yankee fan. The 1964 World Series broke my heart at the age of 9, when Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Tim McCarver and a great Cardinal team took down my beloved Yankees in 7 games.

 

[Steelerone]

Lou Brock was such a class act. I hated to see him when he came up against my Buccos but he was the total package of speed and power. Tom Terrific and Sweet Lou, RIP, you both brought honor along with great memories to a game at a time that it was in it's prime.

 

[Checkmate 2.0]

I’m starting to feel really old. Great players I watched growing up are passing away far too frequently. I grew up as a passionate Yankee fan. The 1964 World Series broke my heart at the age of 9, when Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Tim McCarver and a great Cardinal team took down my beloved Yankees in 7 games.

how many days of school were you "sick" so you could see a daytime weekday World Series game?

 

[uconnbaseball]

sad. two greats pass within a short time. according to ESPN trivia. Brock batted 157x against Tom Seaver which was more than any other MLB player. I batted against Seaver once when he was at USC. He struck me out on 3 pitches. I did not see the first two. and the last was a deuce that froze my bat.

Wow, it’s cool you faced a legend. Where did you play ball?

 

[bramos]

Wow, it’s cool you faced a legend. Where did you play ball?

This was the summer of 1965 when college players played for the Alaska Baseball League. Seaver played for the Fairbanks Goldpanners. I was on a Fairbanks men's team made up of ex-college jocks that just wanted to keep on playing. The Goldpanners gave us Mike Paul, drafted and pitched for Cleveland, so the Goldpanners could at least face MLB caliber pitching. I pinch hit for Mike. and Seaver relieved Dan Frisella, drafted and pitched for the Mets. Seaver saw fresh meat. like I said..3 pitches. BTW..Steve Sogge was Seaver's catcher. That same Steve Sogge who handed off to OJ something something...

 

[RegisteredUconn]

sad. two greats pass within a short time. according to ESPN trivia. Brock batted 157x against Tom Seaver which was more than any other MLB player. I batted against Seaver once when he was at USC. He struck me out on 3 pitches. I did not see the first two. and the last was a deuce that froze my bat.

So you're saying the great Tom Seaver was only able to get you out one time in his entire career, high school, college, and pros. Niiiiice.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I’m starting to feel really old. Great players I watched growing up are passing away far too frequently. I grew up as a passionate Yankee fan. The 1964 World Series broke my heart at the age of 9, when Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Tim McCarver and a great Cardinal team took down my beloved Yankees in 7 games.

'64 broke you're heart?!?!?! You have no idea what heartbreak means unless you were a Phillies fan. Has any major league manager put together a worse 10 game stretch run than Gene Mauch that year? Lost the series 4 games to three? Boofreakinhoo. Through 1964 the Phillies had exactly one World Series win period. The Phillies knew how to break hearts my friend.

 

[topogigio]

There’s not a player in MLB today that could come close to the overall skill set of Brock. From an era where players played every day, even through injury, and produced! Today’s players are a bunch of crybaby wimps!

 

[JonathanXIV]

There’s not a player in MLB today that could come close to the overall skill set of Brock. From an era where players played every day, even through injury, and produced! Today’s players are a bunch of crybaby wimps!

Come on, that's a silly statement. I think that Mike Trout kid might be okay.

 

[BostonBay]

Why in the world would the Cubs of all teams trade Brock as he was entering the prime of his career??

 

[oldude]

Why in the world would the Cubs of all teams trade Brock as he was entering the prime of his career??

A trade that will live in INFAMY in Chicago. At the time of the trade, June 16, 1964, the Cubs thought they got the best of the deal, receiving star pitcher Ernie Broglio, who had gone 18-8 the prior season and also won 21 games a couple seasons earlier. At the time of the trade, Brock was just 24, hitting a pedestrian .251.

After the trade everything turned around. Broglio had arm problems, winning just 7 more games for the Cubs before retiring from baseball. Brock, on the other hand, went on a tear. For the rest of the season, as a member of the Cardinals, Brock hit .348 with 33 stolen bases and was instrumental in the 1964 World Series run, with a long career that ended up in Cooperstown.

 

[meyers7]

Growing up in IL, we were huge Cardinal fans. Tried to head down to Busch Stadium every year to watch them. Gibson was my all time favorite, but Lou Brock was a close second. He was my brother's favorite.

I remember many times (it seemed) watching the Cards where he would start the game by beating out an infield hit (or walk), steal 2nd, then steal 3rd, and come home on a sacrifice fly. Cards up 1-0 after 1st inning.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I was at the Polo Grounds in 1962 when Lob Brock, then with the Cubs, hit the Rheingold sign 475 feet out in dead center field. That ball was still rising when it hit the sign. Just an incredible shot.

Yes, the Brock-Broglio trade will famously go down as one of the bad ones. the Cardinal in that era benefitted from three ill advised trades in acquiring the talents of Lou Brock, Dick Groat, and Orlando Cepeda.

The 1964 Phillies; a very good team that collapsed in September. My take: A different game back then. More of a premium on complete games. Arms wore out and the rest is history.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I’m starting to feel really old. Great players I watched growing up are passing away far too frequently. I grew up as a passionate Yankee fan. The 1964 World Series broke my heart at the age of 9, when Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Tim McCarver and a great Cardinal team took down my beloved Yankees in 7 games.

I am a year younger than you, and feel the same way. The players - and other famous folks that in the day I thought were young - are indeed passing.

I don't remember 1964 particularly, although we were Yankee fans; either I was too young or missed the games due to being in school. Oddly enough, I did see a good deal of the '67 series with the Red Sox and was actually a bit conflicted, both were fantastic teams, really. I was a closet Yaz fan, but Gibson and the rest were something to see.

 

[oldude]

I am a year younger than you, and feel the same way. The players - and other famous folks that in the day I thought were young - are indeed passing.

I don't remember 1964 particularly, although we were Yankee fans; either I was too young or missed the games due to being in school. Oddly enough, I did see a good deal of the '67 series with the Red Sox and was actually a bit conflicted, both were fantastic teams, really. I was a closet Yaz fan, but Gibson and the rest were something to see.

There is a great book by David Halberstam, October 1964, that chronicles the 64 series between the Yankees & Cardinals. Halberstam is a sociologist who also happens to write great books about baseball.

This particular book highlights the changes that were going on in baseball at the time. The Yankees, a traditional, mostly white team were coming to the end of their great dynasty. After 64, the Yankees would not make it back to the Series for 12 years. The Cardinals roster was loaded with younger, black and Hispanic players that represented the future of baseball.

It’s a great read if you have some time.

 

[stamfordhusky]

[QUOTE="Carnac, post: 3669202, member: 579.Hugh Nicol set the record for most stolen bases in a season in 1887 with 138. A record that has stood for 133 years..........and will probably stand for another 133 years.

BTW.........The 1887 MLB season consisted of 135 games, not the 162 they play today.
[/QUOTE]

it should be noted that prior to 1898, the stolen base was completely different than it is now. Specifically, anytime a player took an extra base on a batted ball, he got credit for a stolen base. For example, if a runner went from 1st to 3rd on a single, that was a stolen base. Same if he scored from second on a single or if he scored from first on a double.

The year Nicol stole 138 bases, at least five players stole over 100. The only reason players didn’t steal well over 200 bases with the rule in effect at that time is that outfielders played very shallow through to the dead ball.

 

[JonathanXIV]

There is a great book by David Halberstam, October 1964, that chronicles the 64 series between the Yankees & Cardinals. Halberstam is a sociologist who also happens to write great books about baseball.

This particular book highlights the changes that were going on in baseball at the time. The Yankees, a traditional, mostly white team were coming to the end of their great dynasty. After 64, the Yankees would not make it back to the Series for 12 years. The Cardinals roster was loaded with younger, black and Hispanic players that represented the future of baseball.

It’s a great read if you have some time.

Yes, 1964 is a good read. But I've never heard Halberstam described as a sociologist before. He was a writer and journalist, perhaps best known for The Best and the Brightest.

 

[Waquoit]

I was a Lou Brock fan even though his Cards wrecked the Impossible Dream. I had his sneakers. It was lot cooler to have Lou Brocks than Jeepers.

 

[oldude]

Yes, 1964 is a good read. But I've never heard Halberstam described as a sociologist before. He was a writer and journalist, perhaps best known for The Best and the Brightest.

I’m not sure where I read that Halberstam was a sociologist, but it’s impossible to read any of his books on Vietnam, civil unrest or the 1950’s without getting a heavy dose of sociology.

Halberstam was always a bit of a rebel. He was also a classmate of Ralph Nader at Harvard.