Jack and Harry Chat with Lou Brock

Hello again, everybody.  Jack Buck here along with Harry Caray up at his heavenly restaurant noshing on some angel food cake.   We’re here to tell everyone that the reports of our death were not exaggerated, but the rumored death of the Redbirds earlier this season was indeed an exaggeration.  

That’s right Jack, for when it comes to the Cardinals, “it’s never say die”, though I wish we could say the same about ourselves. 

The Cardinals have already defeated their rivals four out of five games, which even makes Milwaukee Brewer fans happy, too.  Harry, that’s called Schadenfreude, is it not? 

Holy Cow!  You can’t throw around three syllable German words in front of Cub fans and expect them to understand.  The only German words Chicago Northsiders know is kaput as in “the Cubs are kaput, again.”  Or put some kraut on that hotdog.

We have a special guest up here today, Harry.   Lou Brock who broke in with Chicago before being traded to St. Louis is here with us to celebrate the anniversary of that famous trade.  Well, famous for some, infamous for others.  Welcome, Lou!

Thank you, Jack.  Great to be here. 

Lou, the old Chicago club you broke in with and the team you bedeviled for 15 years after the trade were a lovable group of Cubbies. Their present ballclub reminds me of the lyrics from that song by The Who:  “Here’s to the new Cubs, same as the old Cubs.”

True, Jack.  I recall when their then manager Leo Durocher said:  “Nice guys finish last”. These last place Cubs are indeed nice guys.  My friends upstairs tell me that they can take the losing—unless it’s to the Cardinals.  So Chicago used its pull to reduce the number of times the two clubs meet. Now, the Cardinals only play the Cubs 12 times a year instead of 18.

Holy Cow, you’re right, Lou!  The Cubs last visit to St. Louis is this weekend; the two teams meet one last time in Wrigley for a three-game series during the first week of August, and that’s it! No games against our foes in September when the Cubs go into hibernation. Those ‘gimmie’ September victories come in handy during the Cardinals’ drive for the playoffs. 

Will you wager on the games this weekend?

‘Fraid not Jack.  Everyone up here is either clairvoyant or knows someone who is.  No one will take the Cubs even up against the Cardinals.   And there’s no gambling in Missouri.

Lou, that’s a problem for Cardinal Owner Bill Dewitt, III.  His club has bankrolled the initiative to legalize gambling on baseball after our state legislators failed to act. In his promo, he stated that gambling on baseball will bring in revenue for the ballclub, and what’s good for the Redbirds is good for St. Louis.  It’s like the old adage:  What’s good for General Motors is good for the country.

He must have learned that when he earned his MBA at Harvard Business School.  Yet, BD III looked like a regular guy dressed in jeans and fleece during that interview, though he was being lobbed softballs when talking baseball.  Perhaps he’ll hire my old friend Pete Rose to assist in the marketing campaign.  

By the way Harry, will you wear red when the Cardinals play the Cubs?

No can do, Lou-Lou.  Mr. Wrigley put it in my eternal contract that I cannot not wear red, so I’ll don my old Bud Man black suit in mourning for Chicago.  I’ve worn that one so many times that it now looks as shabby as Cub baseball.  

Harry, we all know that you only left St. Louis because you did the one thing forbidden to you, which is part of an urban legend that I won’t repeat here. 

Appreciate that, Lou.  St. Louisans enjoyed my peak years in broadcasting as much as I did when calling the games for all those pennant winning Redbird teams.  That was as much fun as falling into a vat of Budweiser at the AB Brewery in old St. Lou.

Speaking of broadcasting, Friday’s game can only be viewed via streaming, meaning no regular network or cable telecast.

Harry, looks like regular fans will be left up that famous stream without a paddle, but like BD III said, if it’s good for the Cardinals, then it’s good for the fans.  Hope I can figure how to sign up on this Apple thing to watch the game.

Good luck with that, Lou. Thanks for joining us.

My pleasure.  By the way Jack, I loved your signature line after so many Cardinal victories:  “And that’s a winner!” 

Thanks.  I said it as often as Harry used it in modified form after so many Cub losses:    “And that’s a loser!”