Lou Brock, RIP

[wrpgator]

"Hall of Famer Lou Brock, the dynamic leadoff hitter and base stealer who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win three pennants and two World Series in the 1960s, has died at 81.

Brock lost a leg from diabetes in recent years and was diagnosed with cancer in 2017.

A lifetime .293 hitter, he led the league in steals eight times, scored 100 or more runs seven times and amassed 3,023 hits.

'There are two things I will remember most about Lou,” former Cardinals teammate Ted Simmons said in a statement. “First was his vibrant smile. Whenever you were in a room with Lou, you couldn’t miss it — the biggest, brightest, most vibrant smile on earth. The other was that he was surely hurt numerous times, but never once in my life did I know he was playing hurt.'"
Hall of Fame outfielder, speedster Brock dies at age 81 - Breitbart

 

[GatorBart]

I grew up in Southern Illinois and was a cardinals fan when Lou Brock was on the team. He was a stud in the late 60s and early 70s. I remember Bob Gibson, Ted Simmons, Julian Javier, Mike Shannon and Jose Cardinale among some of the best. Great team!
RIP Lou

 

[Double Gator Dad]

What a shame

Another great player from my youth is gone

 

[GatorJ]

What a shame

Another great player from my youth is gone

Well holy cow. You’re much older than I thought. I classify sports youth from about ages 12-25. He finished playing in 78. I think.

So that makes you somewhere from 55-65 years old. I figured you were 50 max.

I’m 45. Players in my youth were Bonds, Bonilla, Drabek, Maddux, Griffey Jr., Sosa.

Lou Brock is close to Mickey Mantle’s time frame.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

What a great player.

Brock was still playing in the late 70s, and still at All Star ( or near All Star) level. Mantle was from the 50s.

He's more of a contemporary of Pete Rose Johnny Bench, Griffey Sr., those kind of guys.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

Well holy cow. You’re much older than I thought. I classify sports youth from about ages 12-25. He finished playing in 78. I think.

So that makes you somewhere from 55-65 years old. I figured you were 50 max.

I’m 45. Players in my youth were Bonds, Bonilla, Drabek, Maddux, Griffey Jr., Sosa.

Lou Brock is close to Mickey Mantle’s time frame.

Correct. I am 62 and retired thankfully

 

[GatorJ]

What a great player.

Brock was still playing in the late 70s, and still at All Star ( or near All Star) level. Mantle was from the 50s.

He's more of a contemporary of Pete Rose Johnny Bench, Griffey Sr., those kind of guys.

They’re less than 10 years apart in age.

 

[Marine1]

I loved the baseball era of the 60’s and 70’s.

 

[BMF]

Me and the great Lou Brock share the same last name! (no relation, however). He was always one of my favorites.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

Sad to hear. He always seemed like a class act.

 

[wrpgator]

I grew up in Southern Illinois and was a cardinals fan when Lou Brock was on the team. He was a stud in the late 60s and early 70s. I remember Bob Gibson, Ted Simmons, Julian Javier, Mike Shannon and Jose Cardinale among some of the best. Great team!
RIP Lou

That was a great era for baseball.

 

[jaywalker72]

Had the pleasure of seeing him play in the summers of the mid to late 70’s well past his prime but still fun. Low walk, high contact hitter which is what led to his 3000+ hits. Picked this up over the summer and glad I did. Was a credit to the game in many ways. RIP LOU

 

[DoubleGator87and90]

An all-time great and a really nice human being that I had the pleasure of meeting a number of years ago. Brock stole 118 bases at age 35(!) to break Maury Wills' then-single season record (Rickey Henderson broke Brock's record years later). We lost Tom Seaver and now Brock in the same week. Terrible.

 

[wrpgator]

Doesn't seem possible a man of such youthful vigor--seems to me just a few short years ago--was 81 and in poor health.
'Ain't it funny how time slips away...'

 

[wrpgator]

Brock's teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, the great Bob Gibson is 84 years old.
*diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2019 according to wikipedia.