Son of the 'Good Kid' Lou Boudreau grateful for his life with famous father

A look at Lou Boudreau Jr.'s picture on the cover of his book reveals a striking resemblance to his father, the Hall of Fame shortstop and Cubs manager and broadcaster.

He said people have mentioned their voices are the same, too.

"I can remember answering the phone at home as a 16- or 17-year-old kid, and my dad's friends would get into a conversation with me," he said.

Lou said he chose his father's number, 5, for Little League, and imitated his dad's exaggerated stance at the plate.

But the resemblance ended there.

"I was kind of a black sheep as far as baseball was concerned," Lou Jr. said in a recent interview about the book, "Going Into My 9th Inning: My Life From Fenway to Phoenix," available through Amazon and published by Good Kid Press, a nod to Lou Boudreau Sr.'s nickname.

A fan at a Little League game told him, after he struck out to end the game, "You sure can't hit like your old man, kid."

And, Lou said, "One of my dad's regrets, and he had few, was naming me Lou."

Lou's book talks about how he rose from the shadow of his father's legacy and, amid many trials and tribulations, created his own identity.

It offers insight into some of the challenges of being the offspring of a baseball great.

Lou, who grew up in Harvey and Dolton, where his dad was a baseball and basketball legend at Thornton Township High School, said one of his earliest memories was shagging flies with other players' kids at Fenway Park when his dad managed Boston.

As he was heading from the field to the dugout, a fan asked for his autograph, but young Lou declined, saying he was "nobody." His father grabbed him by the arm and escorted him back on the field, ordering him to sign, which he did while shedding tears.

Boudreau explained, "Son, those people out there in the stands are the only reason we're here."

Lou said, "I was not emotionally very strong, and it was difficult for me, because at every opportunity people would compare my ability on the baseball diamond with my dad's," he said. "I just wanted to be a good ballplayer, which I was, but I certainly wasn't Hall of Fame quality."

Lou also said his father "never invited me to Wrigley Field to suit up and take batting practice or practice with the team," a policy Boudreau Sr. later reversed with another son, Jimmy, who eventually pitched in Double A for the Cubs and Baltimore Orioles.

Instead of embracing baseball, Lou Jr. moved in a different direction, volunteering for the Marines. The book recounts his harrowing tour in Vietnam, where Lou received three Purple Hearts and lost two close friends.

During one operation, in the vicinity of Quang Tri, he wrote, "The loudest sound I have ever heard blasted through the foliage. Trees, dirt, rocks, and bushes were uprooted and slammed into my body. I lost consciousness and awoke what seemed to be seconds later in a pile of branches, leaves, C-rations, back packs, and blood." The casualties from the operation included 51 Marines killed and 162 wounded.

Although Lou's dad publicly acclaimed his son's heroism, saying in his autobiography that while baseball players talk about facing 95 mph fastballs, "Lou really put his life on the line," the war experience created a wedge between the two, with neither able to penetrate their respective baseball and combat worlds.

Lou said, "I came back as a very rough guy, difficult to communicate with I'm sure, and probably scary."

Lou eventually overcame business failures and divorces, briefly pursuing a baseball broadcasting career with the Memphis Blues, the Houston Astros Triple A team run by Lou's brother-in-law, Tigers great Denny McLain, in 1976.

He achieved success in the advertising world and settled in Phoenix, where the father of six and grandfather of seven now enjoys a comfortable retirement with Vicky, his wife of more than 30 years.

He worked for the SkyMall Catalog for 12 years, becoming their director of sales and branding. SkyMall was known for its Sharper Image products and was the only catalog in the air after the catalogs were placed on airplanes.

Late in life, he bonded with his father, with the two sharing their mutual interest in horse racing.

"We became friends late in life. And I think this happens to many fathers and sons. I really became a friend of his well into my 50s and him well into his 70s."

He asked his dad about the adjustment to life after baseball. "He answered by saying he had the memories. That he always had the memories to recall, and that kept him moving forward even at an advanced age."

About his own fatherhood, Lou said, "I tried very hard to be close to my children and pay special attention to them."

He pointed out how baseball dramatically impacted the amount of time his dad could spend with his children.

"It's not that he didn't want to, but he couldn't," he said.

"He was very focused and loved baseball, was devoted to baseball, and that meant that he was on the road at least 50 percent of the time."

Lou eventually had the opportunity to honor his father by throwing out the first pitch and delivering a speech in Cleveland at the unveiling of his father's statue at Progressive Field in 2017.

He said, "My Dad was the greatest man I ever knew. A husband, father, grandfather and a great-grandfather. He excelled in those roles as much as he did at shortstop and we have been told he was one of the best to play the position."