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The MLB network just a bit ago has announced that Stan Musial has passed away at the age of 92.
When I think of Mr. Musial, I think of two sentences that jump out at me from respected baseball people. One was from Ford Frick and this statement is on Musial's statue at the Cardinal ballpark; "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior, here stands baseball's perfect knight."
Another is the statement from Bob Costas regarding Stan Musial on a one hour bio that ESPN Emmy award winning "Sports century" had done on Musial in 2000. "All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being." This quote if I remember right was from an article in Sport magazine in a 1963 story written by Tom Murray.
Musial's personal conduct and character represent the MLB standard against which all who have followed are measured. He set the bar quite high and did so without ever seeming phony, insincere or self serving. He is part of a small but distinct group who you really think of as the ambassadors of the game.
Great player, splendid behavior, you leave us with no complaints, Stan.
The St.Louis Cardinals have had alot of success in postseason in recent years and beyond, and in the stands many of the times was Stan the Man, a great ambassador of the Franchise, and to MLB. One of the All time greats. RIP.
I just got through reading this. Excellent article. Thanks Yeledaf!
I have James Biglio's biography on Musial, a very good book. I don't have the one by George Vecsey though. It was released a few months ago. I think I just talked myself into a trip to the book store to buy it!
Nowadays there aren't too many baseball legends still alive outside of Hank Aaron. All of the Babe Ruths have long since passed. So every time you hear something like this announced it is shocking. While Musial was not part of my Yankees, you can't deny how great an individual on and off the field that he was. We just lost another great one. He will be missed.
Nowadays there aren't too many baseball legends still alive outside of Hank Aaron. All of the Babe Ruths have long since passed. So every time you hear something like this announced it is shocking. While Musial was not part of my Yankees, you can't deny how great an individual on and off the field that he was. We just lost another great one. He will be missed.
Speaking of Willie Mays, with all the articles I've read online this morning, Willie was quoted as saying that Stan gave him more insight in regards to hitting and more words of encouragement regarding things on the field and off the field than any other player he knew, teammate or otherwise. Willie also said, "I've never heard anyone have a bad thing to say about Stan-never." Those conversations were when both Mays and Musial played in MLB all-star games-24 of them to be exact.
A story I remember Buzzy Bavasi telling on an interview about Jackie Robinson's rookie season. Several Cardinal players signed a letter and sent it to National League president Ford Frick informing him that those players would not get on the field if Robinson was scheduled to start. Frick said that was ok. And Frick also stated "that beings that you players won't play those games, you can also count on lifetime suspensions. That will be in effect as long as I'm president of the league and I just signed a seven year contract."
The players quickly changed their mind. Musial on the other hand befriended Robinson the same way he befriended Willie Mays. Late in Robinson's life Jackie said Stan was in the same class as Hank Greenberg regarding standing up for a fellow player.
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