Stan the Man: A Gentleman and a Heckuva Ballplayer

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Stan Musial has long been one of the most admired people in St. Louis.

Other sports stars have come and gone, and, at times, some have temporarily exceeded Musial in popularity.

But Musial has been a fixture on that imaginary list and certainly will remain so, after his death yesterday at the age of 92.

As Rick Hummel observes in the St. Louis Post–Dispatch, it was the baseball fans in Brooklyn who hung the nickname "The Man" on Musial, but the folks in St. Louis eagerly embraced it.

He was retired long before I began collecting baseball cards, which was the point when I really started following baseball, but I already knew who he was, and as I matured, I became familiar with his many achievements. He was one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, clubbing 475 home runs and driving in nearly 2,000 runs. His career batting average was .331.

He was an All–star 24 times, a member of three world champion teams, a three–time MVP and a seven–time batting champion.

He was also a first–class individual.

My friend Randy, who lived in St. Louis as a child and returned as an adult, and I once posed for a photo in front of the statue of Musial that stood in front of Busch Memorial Stadium for a long time.

It is my understanding that, when the Cardinals moved into the new Busch Stadium, the statue was relocated there as well. That wouldn't surprise me. There have been many great Cardinals over the years, but none have been as revered in St. Louis as Stan the Man.

Jorge Ortiz writes in USA Today that Musial "was the perfect fit for the city that became his home and the era in which he played."

Ortiz concedes that, with his batting average, Musial would have succeeded in any major–league town in any era.

"But what set him apart from some of the game's greats was the unabashed kindness he displayed during and after his playing days," writes Ortiz, "a quality fully embraced in St. Louis."

He was the very embodiment of the middle American values I have seen in abundance on countless occasions.

Stan the Man Turns 89 Today

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Today, Stan Musial is 89 years old.

Stan the Man was truly one of a kind. He had the kind of career that most ballplayers can only dream of. He played 22 seasons of professional baseball — FDR was in the White House when Musial's career began and JFK was in the White House when his career ended. He played in more than 3,000 games, hit 475 home runs and had a batting average of .331.

It's been nearly half a century since Stan played for the Cardinals, but they still love him in St. Louis. There's a statue that stood outside the old Busch Memorial Stadium — and now, I think, stands in front of the new Busch Stadium — of Stan in his batting stance.

My best friend and I once posed in front of that statue. If you look to the right, you can see what we looked like about 20 years ago!

Musial was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969, the first year he was eligible. Last summer, Musial gave the ball to Barack Obama to make the ceremonial first pitch at the All–Star Game at the new Busch Stadium. Musial seemed to be healthy, but he remained seated in the golf cart in which he was riding through the pregame festivities. The Cardinals' fans didn't seem to mind. They cheered for him as if he had just hit a game–winning home run

I agree with veteran sportswriter Jayson Stark, who wrote of Musial, "I can't think of any all–time great in any sport who gets left out of more who's–the–greatest conversations than Stan Musial."

He played in the same era as some of baseball's most elite talents — Ted Williams, JoeDiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays — and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with any of them.

Anyway, today is his day.

Happy birthday, Stan.