RC Cola, Lou Brock…and Me

Some of you may recognize this can. And this soda. Many of you will not.

But all of you will ask, “Lee, why do you have this tattered can?”

Glad you asked.

As a ten year old walking home from school in the late 70’s in Tucson, I stumbled upon this can. Someone had quenched their thirst and flippantly discarded it on the sidewalk.

As I glanced dow?n at it… I noticed a picture on the back of the can.

It was Lou Brock.
I was a crazed, young baseball fan and Lou was my favorite player.

I picked up the can, the pop tab missing and the contents long consumed, took it home, cleaned it up and it found a permament home on a shelf in my room.

Brock was known as “Sweet Lou”.
I could only catch a glimpse of him playing once in awhile on the Saturday Baseball Game of the Week. And that wasn’t very often.

This was pre-“every game you every wanted to watch” being televised as we get to enjoy today. So Lou existed mostly in morning newspaper box scores and Sports Illustrated articles.

I’m not sure why Lou was my fav, but he was. I wasn’t really even a Cardinals fan living on the west coast.

Eventually he retired and I drifted to become a SF Giants fan.

But I was always a Lou Brock fan.

And this can somehow followed me around from shelf to shelf, to eventually a box that held other treasures from my youth.

I had almost forgotten about it.

Then Lou died this week.
Seems appropriate for 2020.

And I remembered the RC Soda can. I wasn’t even sure I still had it.

But after climbing up a ladder, getting assist from my son, and digging through a box of memories…there it was.

No more tattered than it was the day I found it.
And there was Lou looking back at me, his stats listed as a record of his greatness.

It was just a can. Discarded by someone. But it reminded me of why I love baseball.
It reminded me of innocent days and the brevity of life.

It probably is also a 2020 thing with the multitude of losses we have all experienced.
But the heroes of our youth stay permanently planted in our souls. They just do.

I’m hopeful that today holds those same kind of heroes for many.
Heroes worthy of carrying an old beat up soda can around for over 40 years.

I hope.

So… here’s to Lou. Thanks for being a hero to a 10 year old fan. RIP.