Stan Still The Man

 

This weekend marked the 100^th birthday of my greatest hero…Stanley Frank Musial. Stan the Man.

You mention Musial and many words enter my mind. But I think one word sticks…and unfortunately there aren’t many other men in our modern day society who would conjure up the word, “gentleman.”

Musial was the definition of gentleman. He was self-deprecating and  unassuming while mastering one of the hardest skills in modern sport, hitting a baseball. He did it as well as almost anyone else who has donned a uniform and he did it with a grace which made him royalty in St. Louis.

This admiration for Musial was multi-generational for me. As a six-year-old, my material grandfather and my dad were acutely aware of Musial’s announced retirement in 1963. They felt the urgency of getting me to a Cardinal game that summer.

I remember sitting in the upper deck of old Busch Stadium, the original, which sat at the corner of Grand and Dodier in north St. Louis. My dad was on one side, my grandpa on the other. Their direction was clear: Watch number 6 out in right field. Watch number 6 bat. Remember. Remember you saw the great Stan Musial play,

I do. To this day I remember that glorious day with my role models. Two generations of my family and the man who was, and continues to be, the greatest Cardinal who ever lived.

Musial was worthy of my admiration. And because of the two men closest to me in my family tree, I can say I saw him play.