Stan Musial never got thrown out of a game. Never. Think about this for a moment. Musial played in 3,026 games in his career, or about as many as his contemporaries Joe DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky played combined. He played across different American eras — he played in the big leagues before bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, and he retired a few weeks before Kennedy was shot. He played when Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller ruled the Top 40 charts, and he played when Elvis was thin, and he played when Chubby Checker twisted. He played before television, and after John Glenn orbited the earth. And he never once got thrown out of a baseball game.
There was this game, early in ‘54, that year the Edward Murrow went after Joe McCarthy and Roger Bannister ran a mile in four minutes, and Musial’s Cardinals trailed the Chicago Cubs 3-0 in the seventh inning. Cubs lefty pitcher Paul Minner was baffling the Cardinals — he had allowed just two singles, had faced one over the minimum. Then he found himself facing Musial with Wally Moon was on first base and two outs. Musial crushed a ball to deep right field, a double. Moon ran all the around the bases to score. Musial cruised into second. The whole complexion of the game had changed. And it was only then that everyone seemed to notice the first base umpire, Lee Ballanfant, was holding up his arms. He had called Musial’s double a foul ball.
Nobody quite knew how to react. The ball, at least in the Cardinals view, had clearly been fair. It was not even an especially close call. And while the crowd cheered wildly (the game was in Chicago) the guys on the Cardinals bench went crazy. They rushed on the field, shortstop Solly Hemus first, manager Eddie Stanky right behind him, and both were thrown out by home plate umpire Augie Donatelli. Funny thing, Augie would play a big role in Musial’s life. Donatelli would be one of the umpires there less than a month later when Musial hit five homers in a doubleheader. Much later, he was behind the plate for Musial’s 3,000th hit. Anyway, he was here now, taking away a Musial hit, throwing out Hemus and Stanky, threatening pinch hitter Peanuts Lowrey with ejection, clearing the saloon like an old cowboy, even though, he certainly knew, the ball had been fair.
Musial, who in the confusion had not been told anything, walked over to Donatelli. Then, according to the stories, he calmly asked, “What happened Augie? It didn’t count, huh?” Augie nodded sadly and said the umpire had called the ball foul.
“Well,” Musial said, “there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Stan Musial stepped back promptly doubled to precisely the same spot in right field. This time, Ballanfant called the ball fair. The Cardinals scored six runs in the inning and won the game.
The story has been told many ways, by many people, most famously by umpire Tom Gorman. He seemed to remember that this had happened against Brooklyn, in ‘52, and he had been behind the plate. He obviously was confusing this story with another, but that’s really not hard to understand. Stan Musial had a lot of beautiful moments. There are a lot of stories.
* * *
Stan Musial grew up in Donora, Pa., during the Depression. They were a family of eight in a five-room house. In Donora, the smoke and fumes from the zinc factory mushroomed so thick and poisonous that no vegetation could grow on the hill. That barren, brown hillside was a constant reminder that the air was killing them. Stan’s father, a Polish immigrant, worked in that factory and, not too many years after Stan started playing ball, died from the fumes.
Not that a tough childhood explains everything. Still, there was something about Stan Musial that did not let him forget Donora, did not allow him to change — “I’m so lucky,” he used to say every day, more than once every day, so many times that people would roll their eyes. But that seems to be how he felt, every day, lucky.
Harry Caray, who of course first gained his fame calling Cardinals games on KMOX, would tell the story of a beaten down Musial going hitless in a Sunday doubleheader. The heat was unbearable that day — hell could not be much hotter than a St. Louis summer day — and after the game Musial walked gingerly to his car. He looked beaten down. He looked beat up. Musial never seemed to think of baseball as a job, but a daytime doubleheader in St. Louis might be the closest thing.
“Watch this,” Caray said to a friend as they watched the scene, and sure enough when Musial got to the car, there were a hundred kids waiting for him and an autograph. Stan leaned against his hot car and signed every one.
Musial. People like to say that people have changed. I don’t see that exactly. The world has changed. Technology has changed. Movie and ticket prices have changed. Gas prices have changed,. Many of the rules have changed — the reserve clause is gone, Title IX is in place, they let people swear on cable TV, airplanes and restaurants won’t let you smoke and you can no longer hold your infant in your lap in the front seat of your car. But people? I don’t know. I get a little queasy when I hear old time ballplayers talk about how none of them would have used performance enhancing drugs, and a little queasier when I hear old-time politicians talk about how they always reached across the aisle. You will still hear a lot of people romanticizing America in the 1950s. Those people tend to look a lot alike.
Still, it’s probably fair to say that there was something unique about the time that produced Stan Musial. Maybe in those days people treasured that thing they used to call class. Maybe they expected their singers to be dressed in tuxedoes, maybe they admired strong and silent types, maybe they liked football players who did not celebrate their own touchdowns or boxers who spoke quietly, maybe they wanted their children to believe in a world where baseball players drank milk and said “golly” and married their high school sweetheart. It seems to me that the quintessential hero today is Josh Hamilton, left-handed power, supremely gifted, fallen from grace, back from the depths, crushing home runs and driving in runners while covered in tattoos that represent a time he regrets. That’s a story for our time, a story about a lost soul redeemed, and it touches our 21st Century hearts.
Musial is from his time. He smoked under stairwells to be certain that no kid saw him doing it. Friends say he drank privately, and very little, Stan the Man could not allow anyone to see him at less than his best. He often said his biggest regret was that he did not go to college. And, yes, he married Lil, his high school sweetheart, on his 19th birthday, almost 70 years ago.
He wanted to be a role model. He seemed to need to feel like he was giving kids someone to respect. That, as much as anything, drove him. Teammates had a standing wager on how many times he would use the word “Wonderful” in any given day. They usually guessed low. He was terrified of making speeches (this, friends say, is why he started playing the harmonica in public) and yet he almost never turned down a speaking engagement. He played in great pain, but nobody ever caught him running half-speed. When he felt like his skills had diminished, he asked for and received a pay cut.
Joe Black used to tell a story — he was pitching against the Cardinals, and as usual the taunts were racial. “Don’t worry Stan,” someone in the Cardinals dugout shouted, “with that dark background on the mound you shouldn’t have any problem hitting the ball.” Musial kicked at the dirt, spat, and faced Black like he had not heard anything. But after the game, Black was in the clubhouse, and suddenly he looked up and there was Stan Musial. “I’m sorry that happened,” Musial whispered. “But don’t you worry about it. You’re a great pitcher. You will win a lot of games.”
Chuck Connors, the Rifleman, used to tell a story — he was a struggling hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 1951. He asked teammates what he should do. They all told him the same thing: The only guy who can save you is Musial. So Connors went to Musial and asked for his help. Musial spent 30 minutes at the cage with an opposing player. “I was a bum of a hitter just not cut out for the majors,” Connors said. “But I will never forget Stan’s kindness. When he was finished watching me cut away at the ball, Stan slapped me on the back and told me to keep swinging.”
Ed Mickelson only got 37 at-bats in the Big Leagues, but he has a story too. Musial invited him to dinner — he was always doing that stuff — and there Mickelson explained that he felt so nervous playing ball, that he could hardly perform. Musial leaned over and said quietly, “Me too, kid. Me too. When you stop feeling nervous, it’s time to quit.”
Well, there are countless stories like that, stories about Musial’s common decency and the way he could make anyone around him feel like he was worth a million bucks.
“Musial treated me like I was the Pope,” Mickelson said, and he was still in awe more than 50 years later.
* * *
Those were the emotions Musial inspired in his time. He was so beloved in New York, that the Mets held a “Stan Musial Day.” In Chicago, he once finished first in a “favorite player” poll among Cubs fans, edging out Ernie Banks. Bill Clinton and Brooks Robinson, growing up about an hour apart in Arkansas, were inspired by him.
Of course, it was mostly the playing. Stan Musial banged out 3,630 hits even though he missed a year for the war. He hit .331 for his career, cracked 1,377 extra base hits (only Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds have hit more), stretched out more than 900 doubles and triples (only Tris Speaker has more) and played in 24 All-Star Games. He had that quirky and unforgettable swing, that peek-a-boo stance, and he probably inspired more famous quotes by pitchers than any other hitter.
Preacher Roe (on how to pitch Musial): “I throw him four wide ones and try to pick him off first base.”
Carl Erskine (on how to pitch Musial): “I’ve had pretty good success with Stan by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third.”
Warren Spahn: “Once he timed your fastball, your infielders were in jeopardy.”
Don Newcombe: “I could have rolled the ball up there to Musial, and he would have pulled out a golf club and hit it out.”
And so on. Maybe pitchers felt helpless because there seemed no way to pitch him, no weaknesses in swing — fastballs up, curveballs away, forkballs in the dirt, he hit them all. In 1948, he had his most famous season, his season for the ages, .376 average, 46 doubles, 18 triples, 39 home runs, 135 runs, 131 RBIs. And yet, the thing about Musial, is that for more than 20 years he was pretty much always like that. Four other times he hit better than .350. Four other times he hit more than 46 doubles. He hit double digit triples eight times in all, he hit 30-plus homers five times, he walked more than twice as often as he struck out.
I suspect Musial can never be reflected in numbers because his resume is so diverse and elaborate — it’s like Bob Costas said, he never did just one awesome thing, he never hit in 56 straight games, and he did not hit 500 home runs (never hit 40 in a season), and he did not get 4,000 hits, and he did not hit .400 in any year. He was, instead, present, always, seventeen times in the Top 5 in batting average, sixteen times in the Top 5 in on-base percentage, thirteen times in the Top 5 in slugging percentage, nine times the league leader in runs created. To me, the best description of Musial through his stats is to say that 16 times in his career Musial hit 30 or more doubles. It might not make for a great movie. But it tells you that all his baseball life, Stan Musial hit baseballs into gaps and he ran hard out of the box.
* * *
Here’s the thing: A lot of baseball fans have forgotten Stan Musial. Anyway, it seems like that. His name is rarely mentioned when people talk about the greatest living players. He’s never had a best selling book written about him. A few years ago, when baseball was picking its All Century team, Stan Musial did not even received enough votes to be listed among the Top 10 outfielders. The Top 10.
True, he did not play in New York like the baseball icons, like Ruth and DiMaggio and Mantle and Koufax and Mays. True, he did not break the home run record like Aaron, he did not get banished from the game like Rose, he did not break barriers like Jackie, he did not swear colorfully like Ted, he did not hit three homers in a World Series game like Reggie, he did not glare like Gibson, he did not throw like Clemente and he did not say funny and wise things like Yogi.
No, Musial just played hard and lived decently. He hit five home runs in a doubleheader, and had five hits on five swings in a game. He hit line drives right back at pitchers and then would go to the dugout after the game to make sure those pitchers were all right. He wasn’t perfect, of course, but he didn’t see the harm in letting people believe in something.
And maybe that sort of understated greatness isn’t meant to be shouted from the rooftops. Maybe Musial is just meant to be quietly appreciated. Every so often, even now, you can read an obituary somewhere in American’s heartland, and you will read about someone who “loved Stan Musial.” Everyone so often you will meet someone about 55 years old named Stan, and you will know why.
Loading ...
124 Comments, Comment or Ping
Other Craig
And all this is why I’m still amazed that Musial was left off your hypothetical re-do on the first HoF class. He is/was amazing, and he should never be left out of any discussion of the greats.
Jul 19th, 2008
Paul
Really good stuff, Joe. Truly a lost legend. I still cant believe that Stan didnt even make the Top 10 for the All-Century Team…that is criminal.
Jul 19th, 2008
Jeremy
Walt Clyde Frazier never got a technical foul in his career. I always found that amazing. He, like Musial, has been underappreciated in our time.
Jul 19th, 2008
Justyo
I think his nickname says it all.
Jul 19th, 2008
Billy
Here’s a good Stan Musial story courtesy of Joe Goold at the St. Louis Post dispatch: http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bird-land/bird-land/2008/04/the-search-for-the-mans-lost-homer/
And to think, If that one single stinking homerun would have counted he might actually be remembered for the legend he really was.
Jul 19th, 2008
JohnC
Tim McCarver told of his early time with the Cardinals, ‘59-60, and the team still used trains from and to New York and Philly. Everyone on the team knew that Stan was one of God’s chosen ones. One trip the team took a flight while Stan and another team member or two took the train because of a previous engagement. The plane flew into turbulence and all the players were certain that it was because Stan was not with them. If Musial had been on that plane, they KNEW they would be safe.
I am one of those 55+ people you mention above and with this post you are playing in my park.
Jul 19th, 2008
stepbaker
Stan Musial is my favorite old-time ballplayer. He just is too unbelievable to believe. Maybe you’re right, maybe he wouldn’t fit in this era. Maybe there never was an era for Stan Musial. He’s just a great player.
I still pick fights with my friends and argue Musial is better than Ted Williams. Stan the Man would never do that, he would never tout his own accomplishments, but that’s probably why he is so unappreciated today.
Please Joe. Write the book Musial deserves. I know he doesn’t want you to, that’s what makes him Musial. But we could use it.
Jul 19th, 2008
tom dulle
Joe, my son, brother and I were at the state capitol for “Stan Musial” day. Some fans thought my son looked like Stans’ grandson, so they took him over to meet “the man”. He couldn’t have been nicer. On his special day, Stan talked a little about his career, but also about how his grandson scored 3 goals in a game the night before. Stan never married Marilyn, didn’t spit at the fans or curse the media, and when he retired probably held more records than any player before or since. We may never know who the greatest is, or was, but none were better in their prime than Stan. He is truly a humble, decent human being and there are never enough of those in sports.
Jul 19th, 2008
B.E. Earl
Musial is one of my all-time favorite players. Great stories, great stats, great man.
Voting in the poll was a tough one, though. I kept going back and forth and back again between Musial, Mays and Aaron. Mays, Musial and Aaron. Aaron, Mays and Musial.
Then I voted for Yogi Berra. A catcher with 10 rings and 3 MVPs (2 2nd place finishes and a 3rd place finish). Just incredible. I think he is another one who folks forget about as a player. Because of the incredible character he has been all his life. But, wow! What a player!
Jul 19th, 2008
Josh in DC
I wonder what we could do — letters? — to convince Stan Musial to let Joe write a book about him.
Jul 19th, 2008
Doctor Tom
I may be mistaken, but I don’t remember Musial even being mentioned in Ken Burns “History of Baseball.” You know, the multi-part series that demonstrated that MLB existed only in New York in the 1940s and 1950s.
Playing in NYC or Boston makes all the difference in media attention. But in the 40s, 50s and 60s, the Cardinals were the “Rest of America’s Team”. The only team that far south or west. And Musial was their king.
Jul 19th, 2008
JRM
I want a “re-vote”. I started at the top of the list, and compared Mays to Aaron, then Mays to the next guy, etc. After going through the entire list I decided there was no one I could rank above him. So, even though I think he’s a pain in the ass and a tired old curmudgeon, I voted for him. But after reading your Musial blog, I want my vote recast for Stan. I was a victim of the ” he never did anything great” line of thinking. In reality, everything he did was great. Long live “The Man”
Jul 19th, 2008
Pokey Joe
My son is 8; for him, Albert Pujols is the king of baseball. There will come a time, when he’s finished re-writing the record books, that a book about Albert would be great to read.
In the meantime, it would be wonderful if someone who writes books about baseball would write a book about Stan the Man so my son and his generation could learn more about one of the class acts of the game. If you don’t tell them, Joe, who will?
Jul 19th, 2008
Danny
But guys, I heard somewhere else (I’m not sure where) that he’s currently writing a book about the Cincinnati Reds.
Jul 19th, 2008
Tom
A while back someone asked Stan how he thought he would hit against today’s pitching. Stan said:
“Oh, I guess about .275.”
Only that high his interviewer asked?
“Well, you have to remember I am 85 years old!”
Jul 19th, 2008
Oscar I. Menendez
Joe: Great article, thank you for writing it. Stan is my favorite ballplayer, and a great human being. I do hope you get to write a book about him, like someone before said, we could use it, and I would add, we would cherish it. Thank you again, and God Bless!
Jul 19th, 2008
Harv
A connection across generations - Stan played high school baseball with the father of Ken Griffey Sr, who would be, of course, the grandfather of Ken Griffey Jr.
Jul 19th, 2008
Kubi
So what is the story of his military service since even wikipedia doesn’t address it? I knew he got a deferment at the start of the war (I seem to remember it was because he had a family and not anything physically wrong, but I could be wrong), so why was he drafted in 1945? Was there a change in the rules, possibly because they needed extra manpower to finish the job?
Jul 19th, 2008
Eric J
Kubi - basically yes, as far as my understanding goes. As I recall, the number of accepted reasons for deferral was gradually reduced as the war went on. And yes, Musial’s deferment was family-related - in-laws, I think, not that it makes a huge difference.
Also, the story that led this entry has immediately become one of my favorite baseball stories of all time.
Jul 19th, 2008
Johnny
I voted for Stan in this poll because I don’t think he’ll be able to hold the title for long, sadly. But what a run he has had.
Jul 19th, 2008
AP
For what it’s worth, Musial is the subject of an outstanding biography by Jim Giglio, called Musial: From Stash to Stan the Man.
Jul 19th, 2008
Callaway Kid
I think maybe you need to add Albert Pujols to the poll. In 21 years Brett drove in or scored around 3,000 runs; in seven years Albert’s total is around 1,600. If you consider greatness to be impact on a per game basis, Albert has it all over George Brett…
Jul 19th, 2008
Paul White
This was a wonderful piece, and it’s good to remember that Musial was a wonderful player and remains a wonderful man. But let’s not go crazy and suddenly declare him the greatest living ballplayer. Here are the neutral career stats of Musial and Mays:
Musial: 486 HR, 1413 XBH, 1986 R, 1980 RBI, 1636 BB, .328/.413/.554/.967
Mays: 697 HR, 1402 XBH, 2224 R, 2043 RBI, 1569 BB, .310/.394/.572/.966
Seems pretty even to me, until you remember that Mays also stole over 300 bases and played a Gold Glove center field. Those things count, too, and they put Musial a bit short of Mays’ class. (And I haven’t even mentioned another Gold Glover, a guy with neutral-context numbers that include 3982 hits, 795 HRs, and 2511 RBI. Fellow by the name of Aaron.)
Jul 19th, 2008
Paul White
Quick addendum; Remember as well that while Musial lost one year of his career to World War II, Mays lost most of TWO seasons to military service during the Korean War.
Jul 19th, 2008
Anthony
That’s an incredible piece of writing. Thanks for that. I always knew that Stan Musial was vastly under-appreciated. After reading this, I knew that I was underestimating how much that was true.
Really though… fantastic writing. Incredible.
Jul 19th, 2008
GRAPHITE
A few years ago my daughter gave me John Grisham’s A Painted House, a story set on a dirt-poor cotton farm in 1952 Arkansas and seen through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy. Each evening, in what seems their only break from unending toil, the family gather round the radio on the front porch to listen to Harry Caray calling Cardinals games.
My daughter’s sporting knowledge was virtually nil — she’d heard of the Yankees and the Red Sox and probably had some inkling of who Babe Ruth was; maybe Joe DiMaggio, too, from the Paul Simon song. But that would be it. A Painted House added the St Louis Cardinals and Stan Musial.
I live in New Zealand, where MLB comes in in the winter, mid-morning. Back when I read the book, my daughter would see me checking the day’s results on the computer around dinner time each night and kick off what became a ritual question and answer series . . .
“How did the Cardinals go?”
“They won.”
“Did Stan Musial play?”
“No.”
“They won without him, eh. Good for them.”
Or . . .
“How did the Cardinals go?”
“They lost.”
“Did Stan Musial play?”
“No.”
“Well there’s your reason.”
Silly stuff, really, but the sort of in-house humour that a lot of families enjoy.
Just over two years ago my daughter died in a motor accident. Describing the sense of loss would be pointless.
But every time I come across a reference to Stan Musial I picture myself at the computer having a dopey conversation and the burden eases a fraction.
Jul 19th, 2008
Bob R.
Musial deserves all the attention he can get. An absolutely inner circle Hall of Famer. I wonder what the contemporary media would make of the fact that for the first full 5 years of his career he never hit more than 19 home runs in a season. Then, he suddenly hit 39, almost 3 times his average for those first 5 years.
Jul 19th, 2008
Jake Mabe
Joe: This is an A-No.1, prime-time example of why your blog has become a daily, and often inspiring, read. Stan will always be The Man, but in your words he becomes something more, a baseball Everyman — but, no, that’s not quite right, either, is it?
Keep up the good work.
Jul 19th, 2008
Danny
this has absolutely nothing to do with this certain blog, but MARK TEAHEN HIT LEADOFF TONIGHT.
Jul 19th, 2008
Aloof
Nice piece. All that was missing was a Buck O’Neil quote about Musial, or, better, a story involving Buck watching Musial.
Complete with an Amazon link, of course.
Jul 19th, 2008
nms
Since the All-Star game is in St. Louis next year, I really hope the Cardinals and MLB go all out for a tribute to “the Man” so people who aren’t aware of what a great player (and person) he is will know. #6 deserves nothing less.
Jul 19th, 2008
Richard W. Street
Stan Musial missed the Triple Crown by virtue of a rained - out HR.
He would have been the only player ever to lead a league in AVE.
R, H, 2B, 3B, HR and RBI.
Jul 19th, 2008
Scootah
Finish the Reds book, then write about Stan the Man. I’d shelll out the bucks to read it.
Jul 19th, 2008
Jhohnny
Not only were Stan and the Griffeys from Donora, Junior was born on Stan’s 49th birthday.
Stan Musial - Born November 21, 1920 , Donora, Penn.
Ken Griffey Jr. - Born November 21, 1969 , Donora, Penn.
Stan also had 1815 hits at home, 1815 on the road. That’s consistency.
Black Ink test Leaders
1. 161 Babe Ruth*
2. 150 Ty Cobb*
3. 125 Rogers Hornsby*
4. 122 Ted Williams*
5. 116 Stan Musial*
Grey Ink Test Leaders
1. 417 Ty Cobb*
2. 408 Hank Aaron*
3. 390 Stan Musial*
4. 363 Honus Wagner*
5. 358 Cap Anson*
Hall of Fame Career Standards Leaders
1. 78 Babe Ruth*
2. 76 Barry Bonds
3. 76 Willie Mays*
4. 76 Stan Musial*
5. 75 Ty Cobb*
Hall of Fame Monitor Leaders
1. 454 Stan Musial*
2. 451 Ty Cobb*
3. 423 Hank Aaron*
4. 422 Babe Ruth*
5. 372 Willie Mays*
The Man keeps some pretty good company.
Jul 20th, 2008
Jhohnny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-uu-AaOdv4
Jul 20th, 2008
Thomas
@JRM: I think it’s Mays, but since you voted for Mays when you meant to vote for Musial, I’ll vote for Stan the Man to balance things out. They’re both excellent choices, obviously.
Jul 20th, 2008
alan0825
Thanks, Joe, for another great commentary. There can’t be enough good things written about “The Man”.
Jul 20th, 2008
Pepper
I visted Busch Stadium and the Cardinals museum while in St. Louis last week. Standing at the Musial statue and seeing the many pieces of memoriabilia and awards honoring him at the museum have given me a renewed appreciation of Stan the Man.
Jul 20th, 2008
KMac
great stuff. The debate about who is best ever or who is the best living player, etc. is a natural human competetive thing but hope we can all jsut appreciate what these guys did. (To me it’s a pick ‘em between Musial, Aaron and Mays. All-time best - who the heck knows?! ) The great thing about the debates themselves is that it serves to keep the memories alive.
Graphite - thanks for the note about ‘the painted house’. (so sorry for your loss. Glad you have The Man as a link. ) My great granparents lived in small town Arknsas and when I was just a pup we’d visit there for a week each summer. Their only real contact with the world was the radio. No phone. And TV - what’s that? I listened to a number of Cards games while sitting on their front porch.
Enjoyed the memories today. I too vote for a Musial-fest next July when the AllStars are in StL. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Jul 20th, 2008
Richard
Hello Joe,
This is first rate - again.
I was born well after Stan retired. But when I got my first real jersey, I knew whose name and number would go on it.
You’d be amazed - well, no, you wouldn’t - the kinds of reactions I get from older fans at the park. Or anywhere else. I recall a long, inspired conversation in an Office Max in Naples, Florida, of all places.
If you write the Musial book, I’ll buy a few copies.
Jul 20th, 2008
TOLAXOR
MEETING STAN AND MRS. MUSIAL IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY LIFE. HE WAS IN HIS 70′S AND STILL, VERY MUCH, WAS INSPIRING AND LEGENDARY…
I DO HOPE HE MAKES IT TO NEXT YEAR’S ALLSTAR GAME, HE DESERVES THE SORT OF TRIBUTES THEY GIVE PRE-GAME AND THEN SOME…
Jul 20th, 2008
Rick Denison
My boss for many years at a college in Maine was a guy from downstate Illinois (White Hall, in Greene County), who grew up listening to Harry Caray on KMOX and cheering for Stan Musial. When Stu left the job, I gave him an autographed photo of Musial that I had lucked into years before. He nearly wept.
When you ponder how long St. Louis was the westernmost and southernmost city in the big leagues, with a correspondigly vast Cardinal fan base, you begin to appreciate how men like Musial and Caray, outstanding at their respective crafts to begin with, became such beloved icons.
Jul 20th, 2008
JRM
Thomas…..Thank You. I will sleep better.
Jul 20th, 2008
Jim
Stan’s best year was 1948, not 1947.
Jul 20th, 2008
Peter in NY
Lets not forget that Musial was primarily a pitcher and part-time outfielder before he hurt his shoulder diving for a ball. It was only then that he chose to try to make it as an outfielder. Also lost in this is Musial’s one year in which he helped stabilize the Cardinals front office by acting as General Manager for one year. Oh yeah, they won the World Series that year, 1967.
I’m still biased towards Aaron as the greatest living player, and I can’t imagine people will toss up too much dust about that, but Musial is one heck up a player, and clearly one heck of a person. I’m shocked to see that he wasn’t in the top 10 outfielders, but those votes are often a reflection of voter-recall, and as you and the responders here point out, Musial’s career was one of quiet consistency. And as the old Marketing adage goes, there’s no such things as BAD PRESS.
Jul 20th, 2008
lisa
well joe,
i gotta say that you are to baseball writers as stan is to baseball players.
i was born long long after stan was inducted into the Hall, so of course i don’t remember him. but i will say that nice quiet decent guys who have always been good, who always go out there and do their best, who don’t have any special story, who aren’t on the “star” team pretty much get ignored by baseball fans and media who don’t follow that particular team. look at lance berkman - same kind of guy, even though not as good as stan.
but the only “stan” story i can tell is about the time the cards were playing the astros at minute maid in 2005 and i was sitting next to 2 old ladies who were cardinals fans, who had driven down from oklahoma to watch the team they had rooted for for oh, 70 something years. we had just called up a guy named todd self, a 6′5″ lefty hitter. and when he went to bat, one of the ladies said to the other - oh my goodness, look, that young man has stan the man’s exact stance. they couldn’t take their eyes off him, and after a long pitch AB, he finally singled, and i turned to the ladies and asked if he had stan’s swing, too. they both told me, unfortunately not. but there for a minute it was like getting to see stan again.
you looked at them for a minute and you could see them lose 50 years and they both were kind of staring into space, reverentially. then one of the ladies turned to me and said - stan was just wonderful.
it is nice to know that at least one great baseball player who is revered was at least a good and decent man in real life, too. doesn’t see that is real too common, unfortunately…
Jul 20th, 2008
Deaner
I didn’t know this… thanks Joe!
Jul 20th, 2008
KMac
Peter in NY - agree with you on Aaron. He, Mays and Musial account for the 3 greatest living and overall i grudgingly give Aaron the edge over Musial.
Q: do you get tired of the NY / east coast bias on espn like the rest of us do?
Jul 20th, 2008
Brian Gunn
Here’s how Bill James ranked the living ballplayers in his latest Historical Abstract:
1. Willie Mays
2. Stan Musial
3. Hank Aaron
4. Joe Morgan
5. Barry Bonds
6. Mike Schmidt
7. Frank Robinson
8. Rickey Henderson
9. George Brett
10. Mark McGwire
(Remember, that list came out in 2001, so presumably Bonds would fare better.)
Jul 20th, 2008
Ignatius J. Reilly
My dad still has his and his father’s ticket stubs from Musial’s first game after he was called up to finish the ‘41 season (and still believes the Redbirds would have won the pennant if he had been called up earlier). As my grandfather ran the ballplayers parking lot at Sportsman, dad had many opportunities to visit with him and to this day believes him to be the most decent person he has ever met. Needless to say I have a lot of autographed balls from the ’50s, but display only one, signed to me “Happy Birthday Stan Musial.”
Jul 20th, 2008
Steve
So do we wait for Pujols to hit 500 before we put him in the “best living” discussions?
I mean, there’s always unfortunate things that can happen, but the guy is an absolute machine. Hell, I bet you he could lose an arm and he’d still make it to 500, Pete Gray-style.
Jul 20th, 2008
Tyler
I haven’t read any of these comments, but I think Pujols has fallen into the same problem that Musial did. I am not comparing the two, obviously Pujols has a LONG way to go, but they are both so incredibly consistent, they get taken for granite.
Jul 20th, 2008
pete barnidge
Great write up Joe
Jul 20th, 2008
Jim
even though i was born in the bronx and not to far from yankee stadium i am a lifelong Cardinal fan thanks to my dad. the first bb game i ever went to was to see the Cardinals and Phillies play in Philadelphia. So between trips like that and then against the Mets i got to see Stan play at the end of his career. after my father died i took my brother to watch when the Cards were in town. in 1982 i was working for NBC and went to St. Louis for the first two games of the world series. before the second game i fortunate to be down on the field and got a world series ball. the biggest thrill was that i ws able to get that ball autograpghed by Stan. i might have gotten some others to sign it but Musial’s is the only autograph on it.i consider it one of my prized possessions. my only regret is that my dad wasn’t alive so he could have been with me that day. someday it will go to my son, a third generation Cardinal fan.
to kmac: why don’t they give the red sox and yankees their own national channel so fans the see the rest of the teams play.
Jul 20th, 2008
Callaway Kid
Taken for “granite”? Seems apropos to me.
Jul 20th, 2008
Buck
Joe, your piece gave me chill bumps. Your blog is my newest “must reads” from today on. Thanks for the great journalism!!
Jul 20th, 2008
Matt
Stan the Man is great, and is certainly overlooked by most of the casual baseball fans out there. But there’s another player who gets overlooked almost as much (if not more) - Honus Wagner. In 1908, Honus led the league in BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, TB, 2B, 3B, RBI, ExBH and SB, and was 2nd in R and HR.
As a shortstop. Not to mention he led in such sabr-friendly stats as OPS+, Runs Created, Adjusted Batting Runs, Batting Wins, and Offensive Winning %.
And Barry Bonds is the greatest living player. Second or third best hitter ever (Ruth, maybe Williams) and a Gold Glove fielder with 500 stolen bases. He’s not the most loved, and there are as many jerk stories about him as there are nice-guy stories about Musial, but Bonds is the greatest living player. And depending on how you feel about segregation and the timeline, he might be the best ever.
Jul 20th, 2008
Thomas
Now that Brian mentions it, why isn’t Joe Morgan in the poll? It’s generally accepted that he’s the greatest second baseman ever, right? I’m not saying I would’ve voted for him, but he deserved to be listed, anyway. The man’s an abomination as a broadcaster, but he sure could play.
Jul 20th, 2008
BobDD
Stan the Man sure kept a low profile about public recognition. I’ve read numerous stories for instance in addition to the one you site about his gracious stance toward black ballplayers of his day, that seem to have all come out post-career. No surprise that he is embarrassed about a possible book being written about how nice he is. But I agree that when the day comes, you’re the one to write it. No slight that I put him at third greatest living ballplayer (Mays & Bonds), but the greater baseball hero.
Jul 20th, 2008
DXMachina
Musial was my dad’s favorite player, and even though I grew up a Dodger fan, he was always one of mine, too. I even got too see him play once. I was nine, it was the first time I’d ever been to a big league game, and even though I was mostly rooting for the Mets, I cheered when Stan made a sliding catch in left.
It is a shame that he’s been allowed to slip away so much from the modern consciousness. He was both a terrific player and a terrific person.
Jul 20th, 2008
Dan
Regarding your opening story, why did Stan run out the triple? If there were two outs, and the runner on first was the winning run, wasn’t he risking getting thrown out by even leaving first, much less turning for third? Also, would he have had to get to third before the winning runner crossed the plate to get credit for a triple? It is a superfluous question about an otherwise wonderful story, but it won’t stop gnawing at me. . .
Jul 20th, 2008
Gil
Wonderful post, JP
I grew up watching Musial tattoo the screen in the pavillion of Sportsman Park. Highlight of my life was interviewing Stan in baseball Mecca, Seoul, Korea. Nearly 30 years after his last game - two hits if I recall - Stan was gracious, kind and charming. All the laudatory anecdotes and impressions that the press brought with them to this interview were re-inforced that day.
As they are now.
Jul 20th, 2008
B.E. Earl
I know its only 50 votes, but what’s with all the George Brett love? Is it a Kansas City thing? 20 more votes than Ripken, Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Yogi combined? Really?
Hey…dude was great. One of my favorite competitors and players of all-time. But he might not even be the best third baseman on that list! It’s close…REAL CLOSE, but I’d take Michael Jack Schmidt over Brett. Just barely. Two incredible players.
Jul 20th, 2008
Alan
Awesome post.
Jul 20th, 2008
JeffSol
I too think Musial is underappreciated. I think the discussion of greatest LF ever is a close one, whereas conventional wisdom generally gives it to Teddy Ballgame without question pre-Bonds, or now, depending on how one views Bonds, he may be in the discussion.
In terms of greatest living, I leave Bonds out, for now. I was a history major in college, and it always takes time to get appropriate perspective to see history clearly. Especially with Barry, I think that some time for perspective is critical –I really think, in many ways, it’s almost impossible to rate him appropriately at this point because he is such a polarizing figure. Over time, those sentiments will mellow, and we should be able to see more clearly. So I come down to the same three, and as much as I admire Musial for his ungodly consistency (first 16 full years OPS+ 134-200, and over 150 all but 3 of the years) and durability, at the end, Mays’ fielding prowess in CF puts him 1, and Aaron’s power, and the fact he could play RF (Musial’s arm — the injury — was about the weakest part of his game) puts him, for me, just slightly ahead of Stan.
On a separate note, KC fans or not, how does anyone rate Brett, wonderful as he was, ahead of Schmidt? Sorry, just not a reasonable position…
Jul 20th, 2008
David Dubbert
Thank you, Joe. As always, I love the way you tell a story of a player.
Jul 21st, 2008
Monkeyhawk
So I have a new category for honors:
Everybody’s Favorite [team name here]
Like, for the Cubs, “everybody’s favorite Cub is Ernie Banks.
For the Roylz, it’s George Brett.
For the Red Sox, it probably Yaz. (this isn’t about the best player, but about the fans’ favorite)
Everybody’s favorite Yankee is probably Yogi, although there’d be cases to be made for the Babe or Mick.
St. Louis has Musial.
The Giants have Willie.
Everybody’s favorite Dodger is Jackie, I suppose.
For better or worse (and most of you whippersnappers won’t understand it) everybody’s favorite Met is still probably Marv Throneberry.
Everybody’s favorite Cincinnati Red is Pete Rose.
Everybody’s favorite Padre is Tony Gwynn.
And by “everybody” I don’t mean everybody. Just most people; people who aren’t really baseball people or stat junkies; people who pay a little or a lot of attention to baseball and need a common bond at a cocktail party to connect with another if a ball team comes up in the conversation. The idealized persona in the minds of the the masses of a major league baseball team.
I don’t know who the quintessential Philadelphia Phillie is. Or “everybody’s favorite Cleveland Indian.” Or if there’s a personage who embodies what it is to be a Tampa Bay
DevilRay. But if anyone knows anything about the Mariners, it’s probably Ichiro.So….
I said all that so I could say this:
When I think about the Kansas City Athletics, I think about Ed Charles.
Okay, I played third base in little league and my Dad could get front row box seat tickets ($6.00) to A’s games at third base, and I can’t think of the Baltimore Orioles without rerunning the plays Brooks Robinson made in front of my eyes… but maybe Brooks isn’t “everybody’s favorite Oriole.” Just mine.
But when I was a kid and thrilled to be at a big league game, most of the time I saw Ed Charles playing third base for the Kansas City A’s.
He came up through the Braves organization with the only obstacle (once they got over that racism thing) to the big leagues was Eddie Matthews was in Milwaukee.
I think I remember — I was tiny at the time — watching Ed Charles’ first big league game. And I think I remember his first at-bat resulted in a home run. What I know I remember is that Ed Charles danced around the bases that day, thrilled that after 10 years in the minor leagues he’d finally made it into the Bigs. And succeeded.
Ed Charles was a little bit better than a “journeyman.” He didn’t bounce from team-to-team. He was okay as the best player (probably) on those horrible early-and-mid-60s Kansas City teams; a medium-sized fish in a shallow pond.
When Charlie Finley left Kansas City he took from me Catfish Hunter and Campy Campaneris and Reggie Jackson (I could see there was gonna be a team there!), and traded Ed Charles to the Mets.
Ed Charles was the oldest guy on the team when the Mets won th ‘69 World Series. I think he hit the winning (or go-ahead, or tying) RBI in one of the Mets’ victories over the O’s. (You stats junkies can look it up). And the micro-minute after he became a World Champion Ed Charles retired.
I doubt if anyone’s around who still has a “favorite Kansas City Athletic,” (Jerry Lumpe? Wayne Causey? Norm Seibern?) but mine is Ed Charles.
Jul 21st, 2008
Dan
Monkeyhawk, my son probably thinks I’m you. Same favorite group of A’s, etc. I do remember them all.
To: Joe P.
Thanks again. I can still do the Musial stance at the plate.
Dan
Jul 21st, 2008
Steve from Cleve
Monkeyhawk:
Isn’t Michael Jack Schmidt everyone’s favorite Philly?
The Indians have had a ton of great players, but none stuck around long enough to be THE face of Indians baseball. It could have been ManRam, but it isn’t. Could have been Thome, but it isn’t.
I think right now the highest approval rating would go to Sizemore among current players (CC was very close before he left, Hafner was a blue-collar hero before his bat went all Brunansky on us, Victor is a fan favorite but his injury this year hurt him, Blake is a guy who is fun to root for but he’s not immune to the boo-birds when he starts to stink it up, and Lee’s feel good story is pushing him to the top, but not quite there yet) and Vizquel among former players (Lofton was close but the “stop sign” play in Game 7 taints his legacy a bit, Feller is the true Indian “living legend” but not everyone likes his self-aggrandizing style and mild old-guy racism).
On that note, will CC get the Vizquel treatment if he signs with a teams besides the Tribe this offseason? I hope so. I’d hate to see him get the Manny/Belle treatment.
Thome is weird because half the fans boo and half of them cheer. The booing is louder, sure, but you can definately hear the throngs of cheers if you work hard to pick them out.
Oh, and there are a lot of people who post as Steve (most likely because it’s an awesome name), so from now on I am Steve from Cleve. I’m the guy who had the story about Eisenreich, and I also did a lot of WARP3 calculations for someone on another post.
Jul 21st, 2008
GRAPHITE
KMAC, thanks for the kind thoughts.
I’m not a fan of Grisham’s usual legal-based stuff . . . a bit contrived, maybe.
But A Painted House is something else. I’m probably prejudiced towards it, also being seven years old in 1952, but I’d rate it the equal of To Kill A Mockingbird — which makes it a tie for the greatest novel ever written on my list.
And if you’ve sat on an Arkansas farmhouse porch, listening to a Cards game, you have to read it. Not to do so would be a crime against literature.
Jul 21st, 2008
Craig
As a long-distance fan of Stan Musial since I was a nine-year-old kid back in the mid ’50s, your article brought a tear to my eyes. Wonderful stuff.
I was hoping to see Stan at the All-Star Game in New York. Is he ill or too infirmed to make the trip. Not seeing him there bothered me. Thanks again for a fabulous article. Please do a book on The Man.
Jul 21st, 2008
Vince
Y’know, this is great timing for this post. I was watching the All-Star game last week and didn’t see or hear anything of Stan the Man during the pregame fellatio, er, festivities. I only hope The Man is doing all right.
Jul 21st, 2008
Fan of Stan
Joe: Great piece! Growing up listening to Cardinal games on KFEQ out of St. Joseph (they broadcasted Cardinal games because the A’s were so bad in the 50’s & 60’s), I was a diehard Cardinal fan. I loved Boyer, Moon, Javier, White, Groat , Flood and others, but not like Musial. He was a notch above everyone, much the same way i felt about Mantle, Williams, Aaron and the other super satars of a great era.
Thank you for a wonderful article on a great warrior of class.
P.S. Just for historical correctness, though, Solly Hemus didn’t manage the Cardinals until the 58-60 era. He played for them earlier, but didn’t manage until then.
Jul 21st, 2008
mike
Joe,
Great item. It reminds me of a story Musial’s daughter told me. Stan’s wife used to attend virtually every home game Stan played. She could count the number she missed during his career on two hands. One of those days, their daughter was sick and Stan’s wife stayed home to care for her. It was the day he hit five home runs in a doubleheader! Stan’s daughter said her mom still feels bad about it.
Jul 21st, 2008
Grrbear
Stan Musial has been my favorite player ever since I read about him in James’ original Historial Baseball Abstract. I loved that Stan was this stoic, honorable man who let his actions speak for him. He was Pete Rose with talent and morals. He made the defense earn every out; he took every extra base they would give him.
Jul 21st, 2008
Marco
“Everyone’s” favorite Indian?
probably Rapid Robert
Jul 21st, 2008
Peter IN NY
KMAC,
Yes, I’m tired of ALL the ESPN biases, but as a Brewer fan for over 30 years living in NY I’m just happy we get any coverage at all!!
Long Live the Baseball Package!!
Jul 21st, 2008
SBG
Gotta a date on that game? Because in 1952, the Cardinals beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in St. Louis the following days:
April 30, 14-2. No ninth inning heroics there
June 10, 1-0. Not that game
June 11, 3-2. A candidate? Nope. No runs scored in the ninth.
June 12, 15-10. No ninth inning heroics there
And that’s it. Four wins in 1952 at home against the Dodgers, none of which fit the fact pattern here.
Jul 21st, 2008
Dick Saale
Joe, GREAT article. I cannot understand why Stan is not mentioned in greatest living player catagory. It seems that he is very rarely mentioned. My dad and grandpa loved to take the train from Chillicothe, Mo to watch him play. They were there the day he hit 5 HR’s in a DH. A couple of years ago my father had cancer and I wrote Stan and sent him a check and asked if he would send dad an authgraphed picture since dad was such a beig fan. It would mean a lot to dad & when it arrived, Stan even personalized it to dad and thanked him for being a fan. Oh, and by the way, Stan sent the check back! Dick Saale
Jul 21st, 2008
SBG
I also checked 1953 and 1954, the only other years that Ben Wade pitched for the Dodgers. Can’t find the game in question.
Jul 21st, 2008
Brian
How isn’t Ricky Henderson included in the greatest living player poll? Surely he was better than Reggie Jackson and Ozzie Smith at least.
Jul 21st, 2008
Brent
Great post Joe. I just hope MLB allows the Cardinals to give The Man the lovefest that Teddie Ballgame got in Fenway a few years ago and I also hope that today’s players give him the reverence that he deserves (as they did for the Splendid Splinter). I think that El Hombre will (that’s what they are calling Pujols in the Loo now, pretty apt nickname), so hopefully the other players will follow suit.
Jul 21st, 2008
Cosmic Charlie
Very good stories that would probably make for a good book, and the numbers are truly amazing. As a baseball fan I’m ashamed that I had never realized just how great Stan the Man was. (I almost wish I could take back my vote in the poll, but I’ll stick with Hammerin’ Hank.)
“You will still hear a lot of people romanticizing America in the 1950s. Those people tend to look a lot alike.” I agree with the first sentence (it annoys me to no end) but do you mean they look alike as in they’re all white?
Jul 21st, 2008
Tim
I was watching the CostasNOW special with Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, and they were hailed as the two greatest living players, without even a nod to The Man.
He has to at least be part of the conversation, and I was disappointed that Costas, or Aaron or Mays for that matter, didn’t at least mention him.
Jul 21st, 2008
Ralph Paul
Interesting idea, Monkeyhawk. Although favorite Yankee I think is between Mick and Don Mattingly, with Jeter closing in. Everyone’s favorite Phillie SHOULD be Michael Jack Schmidt, but “everyone” in Philly booed him for his whole career. There I’d say it’s Richie Ashburn because not only was he a HOF player but he then spent the rest of his life as a beloved broadcaster.
And thanks, SBG. I knew somebody would debunk that story sooner or later. Too bad, it’s such a great story.
Jul 21st, 2008
John
What a great way to spend my lunch time at work.
Great read. (and great comments)
Jul 21st, 2008
FredCDobbs
Graphite, so sorry for your loss. The thought turns my blood cold.
On a lesser note, the Red Sox player is Ted Williams. Yaz is beloved, but in a more removed, formal way.
The current player is Papi.
Jul 21st, 2008
Jan Finkel
An excellent treatment of a great, great player and a fine introduction to a blogger I hadn’t met.
If I were starting a team from scratch, I might very well start with Stan the Man–an almost perfect combination of talent and character.
Look forward to more of Joe’s blogs.
Jan Finkel
Jul 21st, 2008
JeffSol
Monekyhawk — not sure who you know, but most Mets fan favorites is either Seaver or Keith Hernandez, and in a few years, the answer will likely be David Wright, unless it’s Jose Reyes.
Jul 21st, 2008
brian
I doubt that the noteriety and recognition are that important to Musual. Burns’ PBS documentary (which is superb) did have a segment on him titled “The Man.”
I hope the story is not bogus about the home run and the triple.
I met Musial once years ago in an airport and he was about the nicest person I have ever met.
Regardless of any lack of recognition, Musual has a timeless and perhaps greatest nickname of all time, The Man.
Jul 21st, 2008
gary
I saw Stan’s 5 homeruns at the old Sportsman Park–maybe it was changed to Busch Stadium then–not certain–but certainly much before the new Busch Stadium was built. It was my 15th birthday–May 2, 1954. My parents and my older brother were there with me. Very windy day against the Giants. Wind was blowing to left. Longest HR of the day was by Whitey Lockman and it hit the scoreboard in left. None of Musial’s was affected by the wind except that it may have pushed them further towards center and making them have to travel a little further.
Musial was a class act every day. My parents used to dine at Musial & Biggie’s restaurant from time to time. Stan was often there, made the rounds and talked with all the customers and gave out personalized signed pictures if asked.
Thanks for your article.
Jul 21st, 2008
DB in Houston
That first story is a good one except Solly Hemus wasn’t the Cardinals manager in ‘52 — Eddie Stanky was. And certainly there is no way any player would have gotten run before Stanky had pulled something of a George Brett-type dash out of the Cardinals dugout. Hemus (the team’s shortstop) and Lowrey (who played a lot of left field that season) certainly were candidates to be next in line.
Jul 21st, 2008
cobalt
Sorry for the typo. Try again:
There are rumors around that Stan’s health has taken a turn for the worse, and there might be some, you know, harmonicas available soon.
I sure hope not, but still:
Greatest Cardinal ever.
Back to work, Albert.
Jul 21st, 2008
roger
In 1962 I went to a Dodger/Cardinal game at Chavez Ravine. Two hours after the game was over. Two friends and myself waited for the great Musial to get his autograph. Only one of us wanted the autograph, not to sell, to keep. There was absolutely no one else around, the parking lot was empty. Frank approach Musial who shoved him out of the way and told him to get lost. Musial was and is a jerk. He ruined forever that fine summer night.
Jul 21st, 2008
Art Radley
> So I have a new category for honors:
> Everybody’s Favorite [team name here]
Nice idea, but someone beat you to it:
http://thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com/2007/06/icons.html
Jul 21st, 2008
Dick Saale
I few years ago I was at the grand opening of the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa. I was early so I had the opportunity to visit with Bob Feller and I asked him if I sent him a ballot, would he fill out an All Century Team ballot. No problem. I used the same ballot that was used for the Major League All Century Team. It asked you to select 9 outfielders. STAN MUSIAL WAS ONE OF BOB FELLER’S SELECTIONS. Now this if from a man with a VERY informed opinion.
Jul 22nd, 2008
buckweaver
Haven’t yet found the genesis of Joe’s story about the game-winning home run/triple … but I did find a bases-loaded, ninth-inning, game-winning triple hit by Musial.
It came on June 17, 1947, against the Phillies at Sportsmans Park. As Casey said … you could look it up: http://tinyurl.com/5cufeu
(Hope that link works …)
Jul 22nd, 2008
Don Vanzant
I am one of those 50+ guys. One of my earliest memories as a boy is making the long trip to St.Louis to see Stan Musial play. I was only 5 but sat between my dad and uncle in the bleachers (the seats only cost $1) in Sportsman. so we could be close to right field and see Stan. I remember the respect that my dad and uncle showed him and thought then that he must be a hero. My first baseball glove was a three-finger Stan Musial Rawlings glove.
Jul 22nd, 2008
SBG
Kudos for updating the story.
Jul 23rd, 2008
Rizzotees.com
Wonderful article, wonderful player. I’d love to see him play in today’s game, what a treat that owuld be.
Jul 23rd, 2008
Mark Mansfield
TO: Graphite
I’m a St. Louisan, so I’m obviously a Cards’ fan. I also have four daughters who embrace the Cardinals as well, though perhaps not with the zeal of their dad.
While reading this blog about “The Man”, most of my emotions resulted in goosebumps…..until I read your comments about your conversations with your daughter while at your computer. My eyes welled up and I cried. I can only imagine your pain, but knowing that it eases somewhat when you hear the name Stan Musial speaks volumes of him, you, and your daughter.
May God bless you and your daughter’s soul
Jul 23rd, 2008
Harvey
Moneyhawk–
Favorite KC A’s? Mine was probably Vic Power.
Jul 23rd, 2008
Andy
Joe et al,
I have been looking for black and white photos/posters of some players for a while to decorate a long corridor in my house. I can only find one decent one of Musial in B&W for a reasonable amount of money. However, he is posing and I am looking for an action shot. Does anyone know of a decent website to find this stuff? Places like art.com and allposters.com are flooded with Yankees stuff. No Mays over-the-shoulder, no Jackie not sliding into home.
Any help is appreciated.
Jul 23rd, 2008
Rick Ryan
I just read this twice! Not enough superlatives in the dictionary to do The Man justice. Thanks, and obviously, there’s a hunger for more tales of this legendary man. WRITE THE BOOK!
Jul 23rd, 2008
Michael Minjack
My late bro was a Cardinal fan and we would travel to Philly every year to see a doubleheader(120 mi away) In those days the 50’s , basball ended @ 7pm on a sunday(blue law or s/thing) Connie mack stadium had a silver monster(RF wall) ala green monster—And I would watch Stan the man—keep hitting long singles off the wall—what a baseball player—to this day i’m a Card fan—-saw Curt Flood break in @ Philly—-54 or 55 ????
Jul 27th, 2008
John Girth
Yes Stan was a great ball player. He was and is my hero, not only as a player but as a human being. I had the honor of meeting Stan and his wife in 1974 during spring training. We had a few beers together. He was a few minutes late for a company cocktail hour he had agreed to attend. He said”sorry I’m late, we had our oldtimers game”. I asked how did you do. He whispered “0 for 3″ Some may feel there were greater players, but they have to say That the greatest human being was and is”Stan the Man”
Jul 30th, 2008
Bob Davis
Stan Musial was far outside the status of a baseball player.
A great player he was, but above that he was a great human being,
a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.
He did not bring scandal to the game he loved, he only brought honor, sportmanship, and that rare quality of humility for being able to do what he loved doing, without the fanfare that seems to be needed by others who have, do, or will play sports.
Jul 30th, 2008
Dennis Sanderson
Bob Cerv, Vic Power and Hector Lopez, with Norm Siebern, Joe D and a right-handed pitcher who’s name escapes me right behind. Gosh they were terrible for so long but they were my team.
Jul 30th, 2008
Dennis Sanderson
Oh, and Stan was my second favorite player in the bigs, behind only Yogi. Did meet Stan at his restaurant and, just as all but one have said, he was a perfect and humble gentleman.
Jul 30th, 2008
Dennis Sanderson
Sorry, guys, the righty was Ray Herbert. I promise this is all I’ll post on this thread. It was wonderful to read Joe’s article and your replies. #6 will always be among my favorite numbers along with #8 of course and #9(Bob Pettit, speaking of St. Louis), #61(Bill George) and #35(Rick Casares). Does this bring back any memories from some of you?
Jul 30th, 2008
Tom Kopp
Stan Musial had 3630 hits, 1815 at home 1815 on the road. A model of consistancy and the greatest cardinal of them all. I saw him play many times and was their for his last game when he got 2 more hits.Thanks for the article.
Jul 31st, 2008
Bob Davis
Stan The Man was my favorite player as long as I can remember.
I grew up in Lincoln, NE listening to Harry Caray on KFEQ in St Joe, MO and KFNF somewhere in Iowa. The first game I saw hime play he hit a shot into the seats just to the left of the Pavillion Screen. He also doubled off the very top of the screen in that game.
Not only was he a great hitter, but also an excellent fielder and remember he was the first player to ever play over 1,000 games in the outfield and at first base. Changing positons didn’t hurt his hitting! There have not been very many players in the history of baseball to be willing to play such different postions for such a long time. Many of the super stars wouldn’t have done that. Musial was a great team player, they would even hit an run with him. He hurt himself and broke his 890+ consecutive game streak by reaching for an outside pitch and trying to pull it behind the runner on first. He pulled some muscles in his back or shoulder.
I my mind he ranks up there with the all-time greats at top of the list.
Aug 1st, 2008
bob Miller
Great story. He was always one of my top 10 with Mays, Mantle, Aaron, Ruth, Gehrig and Clemente.
I was fortunate enough to go to Red Sheidings (SP?) daughter’s wedding years ago where Stan entertained with his harmonica at the reception. We were then invited to Red’s house for a party afterwards and I got to talk to Stan for about 15-20 minutes-of course getting my bball cards signed and getting my picture taken with him was one of the highlights of my life. I asked him what he thought his greatest achievement was in baseball. He couldn’t think of one! I’ll say that again. He couldn’t think of one!-so I jarred his memory. I said, ” was it over 3,000 hits or 24 all star games?” He turned to me and quietly said, “You’re a real fan”, as if surprised anyone knew some of his amazing statistics. A lot of us knew about you, Stan! I think of him as one of the greatest ever to play the game. Joe, you said it right when you said, “Maybe Musial is just meant to be quietly appreciated.” I’m one of those who does so.
Aug 3rd, 2008
Joe Leisek
In 1987, the year the Cardinals and Giants faced off in the LCS, I bought a watercolor postcard of Sportsman’s Park at a vintage postcard store in North Beach in San Francisco. I bought this for my dad, whose favorite player was Stan Musial. Instead of giving the postcard to my father right away, I sent it to Mr. Musial along with an envelope addressed to my father. I enclosed a note explaining that he was my father’s favorite player and asked if he would sign the card and mail it. A few weeks later I got a call from my father asking if I knew anything about this package he had received. Mr. Musial signed the postcard just as I asked. But he had also signed an 8 x 10 for my father (”To Chuck, a great fan”) and enclosed a note as well. My father was very touched when I told him the story. Mr. Musial will always be my favorite player too, even though I never got to see him play.
Aug 5th, 2008
Hitandrun
I didn’t take the time to read ALL the comments, so somebody may have mentioned this, but a nice piece of trivia about Musial’s 3630 career hits is that 1815 of them were at home and 1815 on the road. Pretty consistent hitter over the course of a long career.
Aug 14th, 2008
Tom Adams
It’s bad enough that historical amnesia about Musial’s career seems to have set in among so many fans and sportswriters. For MLB to do anything less than a full-dress celebration of Musial at the next All Star Game would be a despicable insult. Not that Musial would make a fuss about it, though.
Aug 14th, 2008
Lisa Bluenote
Happy birthday, Stan.
Nov 21st, 2008
Allen Harris
“Frank approach Musial who shoved him out of the way and told him to get lost. Musial was and is a jerk. He ruined forever that fine summer night.”
Roger: I have a very hard time believing this… Not to say that couldn’t have happened- it’s certainly possible that within the spectrum of an almost 90 year life, he may have had a ‘bad day’, but the stories about Stan Musial and his kind personal nature are almost universal. The man is an extraordinary example of kindness and warmth. Something like that would be so wildly out of character for him as to be almost unbelievable.
Nov 23rd, 2008
Sam
Great article. I’m far too young to remember Musial but I’ve heard so many stories about him from my grandfather. I love seeing Stan when he comes out to Busch Stadium every year.
I knew of his stats, but not the kind of a man he was. It makes me like the inscription below this statue outside of Busch even more:
“Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior - baseball’s perfect knight”
Nov 25th, 2008
Reply to “Musial (updated)”