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On Friday, July 2, 2010, "Brockabrella
Night" the St. Louis Cardinals handed
out 25,000 of the umbrella hats to fans
that entered Busch Stadium. Cardinals
Hall of Famer Lou Brock threw out a
ceremonial pitch while wearing a Brockabrella before the Cardinals
hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. The
promotion was sponsored by Ameren, and
the
Brockabrella
replica, a collapsible
rain hat was patented by Brock ad
Richard H Nielson in the late 1970s.
The red, thirteen inch tote bag featured a St. Louis Cardinals logo above
the word "Brockabrella." Attached was
an Ameren UE promotion card, that
pictured Lou Brock in 1976 wearing the
Brockabrella on the opposite side of
the card that reads:
"As Cardinals leadoff batter and base-stealing threat, Lou Brock's patented
style earned a spot in Cooperstown; as
an innovator, his Brockabella earned a
U.S. patent. Providing protection from
rain and sub, the Brockabrella was a
big hit in the 1970s. With this special
version of the Brockabrella, Cardinals
fans can enjoy the fruits of the Hall
of Famers inventive labors."
Brock came up with the Brockabrella when he saw the idea somewhere and
wanted to buy two for when the
Cardinals played at Wrigley Field,
where the fans would throw beer on the
players during warm-ups. He then found
a Korean manufacturer named Bing Woo,
and they were not interested in just
making two, but would make two gross
(288). Lou ordered the two gross in a
red-and-white color scheme.
When they arrived he took two out one for himself and the other for Al
Hraboshy, so the two could wear them at
practice at Wrigley Field. Then a
college team whose colors were red and
white contacted Lou and asked if they
could get some for their cheerleaders.
Lou sent the team 24, and they wore
them on national television. After
that, requests came pouring in and Lou
started a company, Brock World
Products, to sell them.
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