words & image // Zack Schlemmer
The 2011 National League Wild Card winning St. Louis Cardinals are still alive in the MLB postseason, so I thought this ad for the Converse Base Stealer worn by Hall of Famer Cardinal Lou Brock would be fitting for today's feature. Lou Brock was a Left Fielder and legendary base stealer for the Cardinals(1964-1979) who broke the MLB career stolen bases record in 1974 with 938 which he held until 1991 when Rickey Henderson broke his record.
This ad, found in the official 1980 MLB All Star Game program, shows a Cardinal red colorway of the Base Stealer and boasts of its fancy features such as the "softest, supplest leather on the market" and "nickel-chrome plated cleats". They also had "generous padding" and "your choice of four colors". Baseball and shoe marketing have definitely changed a lot since this ad, but I think most of us would agree that this is still a nice, clean looking shoe.
