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Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Brock dies at 81. He stole 938 bases and America’s heart in his career from 1971 to 1991. He wrote the book on stealing bases. In his 1976 memoir, “Lou Brock: Stealing is My Game,” he explained that taking a “modest lead” and “standing still” attributed to his success rate. He got into the psychology of the pitcher. His record-breaking base stealing, led to an award being named after him while he was still active. This was a first. The Lou Brock Award is presented to players who are the National League’s leader in steals.
Brock Not Only Stole Bases He Stole People’s Hearts
He began his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1961 as an outfielder. He was later traded to the Cardinals in 1964. This is where he rose to stardom as a six-time All-Star and two World Series Titles holder in 1964 and 1967. At retirement, he boasted career stats of 3,023 hits (only 1 of 32 players can make this claim) and a batting average of .293. There is only one person to ever surpass his impressive base-stealing record, Ricky Henderson, who has a career 1,406 stolen bases.
Baseball greats are saddened by his passing. William DeWitt Jr., the Cardinals’ CEO and the principal owner said,
“Lou Brock was one of the most revered members of the St. Louis Cardinals organization and one of the very best to ever wear the Birds on the Bat.”
Other players share DeWitt’s sentiments. Former Cardinals teammate Ted Simmons said in a statement that he will forever remember his vibrant smile. He also stated, he was unaware that he oftentimes played hurt.His Love For the Game
His Recent Ailments
He passed his athletic genes on to one of his three children, Lou Brock Jr., a former NFL cornerback, and safety. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline, daughter, Wanda, sons, Lou Jr. and Emory, stepchildren Marvin Hay and Jacqueline Means, grandchildren Darian, Alivia, Colston, Spencer, and Iris, and preceded in death by his son, Daniel.
Sources:
ESPN: Hall of Famer Lou Brock, Cardinals base-stealing icon, dies at 81
CNN: Lou Brock, Hall of Fame baseball player, dies at 81; Amir Vera and Kevin Dotson
Record Online: Hall of Famer Lou Brock dies at age 81
Featured Image Courtesy of trpnblies7’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Johnmaxmena2 Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
