Nelson Briles oral history interview, 1967 or 1968

Nelson Briles oral history interview

Date1967 or 1968

DescriptionInterview of Nelson Briles conducted by the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, Missouri in 1967 or 1968. Content of the interview includes: Side One -- Track 1 - Started playing baseball in Little League when he was 10 years old; played Pony League, high school, American Legion, through college into professional baseball; went to Santa Clara University near San Francisco, studied foreign languages, a Spanish major and a French minor; his Spanish came in handy playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, used Spanish extensively; he enjoys languages and it's an asset to any individual to speak more than one language; it is said that communication is the main factor in contributing to peace, so maybe if we could communicate better, we'd get along better (00:00:00 to 00:01:32) Track 2 - On wanting to go to Europe; very interested in Europe and took Spanish for eight years, would like to go to Spain or France; on speaking Spanish to Spanish-speaking ballplayers; Latin ballplayers are picking up English because English is being taught in grammar schools now, so it is becoming easier for them (00:01:32 to 00:03:19.5) Track 3 - On going to college because of his baseball ability, didn't have the money to pay for it; he would have gone to a local college on an academic scholarship, but his career was baseball, so he got a scholarship at a good baseball school, got a full scholarship to Santa Clara and got a good education (00:03:19.5 to 00:04:10) Track 4 - On living in Sacramento during the winter, his older brothers and mother live there and he just bought a home there, so he and his wife plan to spend the winter there with their families; they have a 13-month-old daughter and expecting another baby next May or June (00:04:10 to 00:05:05.5) Track 5 - On needing the right temperament to be a ballplayer, emotionally geared to the profession, a difficult profession where you have many ups and downs; on having to deal with pressure; he always played for fun; he was committed to being a ballplayer from his days in Little League; during his last year of high school, the scouts started talking to him and he felt he had a good shot at being a professional ballplayer; the scouts were trying to get him as cheaply as they could, but he wanted more money and an education, their enticements weren't enough to lure him away from college; he signed after his sophomore year in college; he lacks a unit or two of completing his degree; his life and career now is baseball (door buzzes, tape is stopped and started again) always been geared to baseball as a career, not sure he could be regimented to teaching in a classroom; coaching he wouldn't mind, hoping he has a great enough career in baseball that he won't have to worry about another career (00:05:05.5 to 00:09:16) Track 6 - On being a tough competitor; on Little League being too competitive for children, they can't be forced at 10-11-12, unfair to the child, great to win, but at that age, don't have to instill the "must-win" attitude, that comes later; in Little League, the attitude should just be give them a bat, ball and glove and let them play; develop teamwork and skills that you can't develop unless you play sports; the important thing is to play, you always learn something whether you win or lose, team spirit, getting along with the other guy, athletics always kept him off the street, never was in a position to be in contact with bad elements because he was busy with sports (00:09:16 to 00:12:00.1) Track 7 - On enjoying outdoor sports, hunting in the off season, a lover of music, especially jazz; loves to tinker around with stereophonic equipment and likes to sing as a hobby; likes to travel; an entertainer's life is just as rigorous as a ballplayer; his brothers have a combo, so he enjoys playing and singing together; favorite jazz performers are Cannonball Adderley, Stanley Turrentine, Miles Davis; really enjoys modern jazz; Orlando Cepeda got him started listening to the music, he's been a jazz fan for seven years, knows everyone and every song, must have 10,000 albums; have to have outlets to free your mind; if you think about this game day after day, it can get you down; good to get your mind away from the tension that builds on the diamond, get your mind relaxed so you can concentrate and really get down to business; your mind is more adaptable to the situation; it was a tense season until they built a big lead, playing great ball, have a great respect for their ability; a starting pitcher has to keep it close, can't afford to give up many runs, but when a reliever is brought it, he's brought in to get out of a real tight situation, so pressure on both sides (tape runs out) (00:12:00.1 to 00:15:57)

Object numberBL-2001-00092-011

Artist, Creator, or Manufacturer St. Louis Cardinals (Baseball team)

Attributes

Classificationsaudio/visual materials

Collection NumberBA RMA 003 St. Louis Cardinals oral history collection

Library Call NumberRR 384

Dimensions00:15:57|1 of 2

Copyrighthttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

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