Lou Brock oral history interview, circa 1968
Lou Brock oral history interview
Datecirca 1968
DescriptionLou Brock was interviewed in St. Louis, Missouri around 1968. Content of the interview include:
Track 1 - On being the left fielder for the Cardinals; starting in baseball seven years ago, in the big leagues six and a half years; got to the big leagues fairly soon; never played Little League, started out playing high school baseball, when he was 13, was a pitcher at that time; played three years collegiate ball; selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to go to the Olympic trials, because they anticipated baseball being included in the 1960 Olympics, but that never materialized; he immediately went into pro baseball; scouts had approached him during his sophomore year in college, when his school, Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, won the national championship, so from that time forward, he was hounded by scouts; a small school with enrollment of about 12,000 students; he didn't graduate; after the 1964 World Series, he went back as the Homecoming guest, had a great time having a reunion with some of his friends from college (00:00:00 to 00:03:06)
Track 2 - Married his wife in 1960; met his wife in high school, they both went to Southern University; his wife went to University of Indiana as an intern, she worked as a registered dietitian for the University of Chicago, but for the last three years she's been a housewife, living in St. Louis; contemplating buying a home, St. Louis a good place to start with buying a home; his friends say he should go to an architect and have one built; on living expenses reaching a plateau, and needing to live within a budget; a thin line between being conservative and liberal, considering himself average; hard when you're making money to see something you like and not get it; not among the snappy dressers on the Cardinals, doesn't try to dress flashy, not his style (00:03:06 to 00:07:34)
Track 3 - On food, his wife being a dietitian, he eats mostly fruit; he has a problem consuming food during the baseball season, he has to force food down; doesn't like to eat in restaurants, prefers to go to a fruit stand; he loses from 10 to 12 pounds during the course of the baseball season; he's 5'11" and weighs 165 (00:07:34 to 00:09:23)
Track 4 - On having a five year old girl and three year old boy; they play in the junior dugout at the stadium during the ballgame; the kids have a fun time playing imaginary baseball, they enjoy it a lot; his daughter at 5 now is starting to ask questions about baseball; what happens to the ball when they hit a home run, or why do they get their pants dirty when they slide; on wanting his son to be exposed to many things, not necessarily just being a ballplayer (00:09:23 to 00:11:40)
Track 5 - On taking mathematics in college; working as an insurance agent in the off-season; been in sales for six years; on having difficulty making close friends because of baseball celebrity, not sure if you're being exploited or not; sooner or later you get to know a person, and then you can call them a close friend; being a ballplayer doesn't necessarily help him as a salesman, have to acquire techniques and an education on how to sell (door buzzes, tape is stopped and restarted) on his name helping open doors for him; many people he has met are not sports fans, so it doesn't matter that he is a ballplayer, 9 out of 10 people it will open the door, but have to do something once you're inside the door (00:11:40 to 00:14:10)
Track 6 - On his post-playing goals, not sure if he wants to continue in sales, or continue in baseball; the first thing he would do is go back to school and get his degree (00:14:10 to 00:14:54)
Track 7 - On injuries, one that really hurt and kept him out seven days, a fractured shoulder in 1965; have had spike wounds, pinched nerves but no real serious injuries; the hardnosed ballplayers are same today as in the old days; only play the game one way, and that's to win; baseball is a business, not just a sport, give it all you got and go out to win (tape ends) (00:14:54 to 00:16:32)
Track 1 - On being the left fielder for the Cardinals; starting in baseball seven years ago, in the big leagues six and a half years; got to the big leagues fairly soon; never played Little League, started out playing high school baseball, when he was 13, was a pitcher at that time; played three years collegiate ball; selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to go to the Olympic trials, because they anticipated baseball being included in the 1960 Olympics, but that never materialized; he immediately went into pro baseball; scouts had approached him during his sophomore year in college, when his school, Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, won the national championship, so from that time forward, he was hounded by scouts; a small school with enrollment of about 12,000 students; he didn't graduate; after the 1964 World Series, he went back as the Homecoming guest, had a great time having a reunion with some of his friends from college (00:00:00 to 00:03:06)
Track 2 - Married his wife in 1960; met his wife in high school, they both went to Southern University; his wife went to University of Indiana as an intern, she worked as a registered dietitian for the University of Chicago, but for the last three years she's been a housewife, living in St. Louis; contemplating buying a home, St. Louis a good place to start with buying a home; his friends say he should go to an architect and have one built; on living expenses reaching a plateau, and needing to live within a budget; a thin line between being conservative and liberal, considering himself average; hard when you're making money to see something you like and not get it; not among the snappy dressers on the Cardinals, doesn't try to dress flashy, not his style (00:03:06 to 00:07:34)
Track 3 - On food, his wife being a dietitian, he eats mostly fruit; he has a problem consuming food during the baseball season, he has to force food down; doesn't like to eat in restaurants, prefers to go to a fruit stand; he loses from 10 to 12 pounds during the course of the baseball season; he's 5'11" and weighs 165 (00:07:34 to 00:09:23)
Track 4 - On having a five year old girl and three year old boy; they play in the junior dugout at the stadium during the ballgame; the kids have a fun time playing imaginary baseball, they enjoy it a lot; his daughter at 5 now is starting to ask questions about baseball; what happens to the ball when they hit a home run, or why do they get their pants dirty when they slide; on wanting his son to be exposed to many things, not necessarily just being a ballplayer (00:09:23 to 00:11:40)
Track 5 - On taking mathematics in college; working as an insurance agent in the off-season; been in sales for six years; on having difficulty making close friends because of baseball celebrity, not sure if you're being exploited or not; sooner or later you get to know a person, and then you can call them a close friend; being a ballplayer doesn't necessarily help him as a salesman, have to acquire techniques and an education on how to sell (door buzzes, tape is stopped and restarted) on his name helping open doors for him; many people he has met are not sports fans, so it doesn't matter that he is a ballplayer, 9 out of 10 people it will open the door, but have to do something once you're inside the door (00:11:40 to 00:14:10)
Track 6 - On his post-playing goals, not sure if he wants to continue in sales, or continue in baseball; the first thing he would do is go back to school and get his degree (00:14:10 to 00:14:54)
Track 7 - On injuries, one that really hurt and kept him out seven days, a fractured shoulder in 1965; have had spike wounds, pinched nerves but no real serious injuries; the hardnosed ballplayers are same today as in the old days; only play the game one way, and that's to win; baseball is a business, not just a sport, give it all you got and go out to win (tape ends) (00:14:54 to 00:16:32)
Object numberBL-2001-00092-002
Artist, Creator, or Manufacturer
Brock, Lou, 1939-2020
Artist, Creator, or Manufacturer
St. Louis Cardinals (Baseball team)
Subject
Brock, Lou, 1939-2020
Classificationsaudio/visual materials
Collection NumberBA RMA 003 St. Louis Cardinals oral history collection
Dimensions1.14814814814815E-02
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Object number: BL-2001-00092-011
St. Louis Cardinals (Baseball team)
1967 or 1968
Object number: BL-2001-00092-010
St. Louis Cardinals (Baseball team)
1967 or 1968
Object number: BL-2001-00092-001
St. Louis Cardinals (Baseball team)
circa 1968