"The Man"

Living in a city that is so richly steeped in sports history and tradition, I often take for granted some of our true sports heroes.  And while I don't consider myself a "die hard" fan of baseball (well, as of the last 15-20 yrs. or so), we do have one of, if not the greatest baseball player living in our city.  For a man who had been bestowed with such extraordinary skills he was uniquely humble.  In this day an age of sports legends this is such a rarity.  He did not have the brashness of a Jose Conseco, or the arrogance of a Michael Vick, or the anger of a Lawrence Taylor.  He was a simple man from simple beginnings who married his childhood sweetheart-Lil, and stayed married to her for 72 years; something unheard of in today's standards.  He was never sullen or abrupt with the sports writers.  He always had a good word for them and his fellow players.  Never refusing an autograph or an interview, his words were always of a kind and gentle nature.  When his latter years witnessed the dwindling of his skills he took a pay cut in his salary.  Imagine an Albert Pujols, or Alex Rodriguez agreeing to such a situation.  His final year of playing, he made $80,000, a rather paltry sum by today's standards.  Years ago when the premier relief pitcher-Bruce Sutter pitched for the Cardinals, his salary was so exorbitant that it was determined that with each pitch, he was paid some $43,000 for each one.  When he first started out in baseball, his salary was a mere $4,320 and he thought he might have to leave baseball because he and his young wife-Lil couldn't afford to live on this amount.  The manager of the minor league team he played for took him and his wife into his home to live.  In 1958, he bought that manager a new home in Houston for $20,000.

Growing up in St. Louis and having been afforded the opportunity to attend Cardinal baseball games with my Dad was such a treat for me.  At the time, his impact on me, and what I was witnessing each time I went to a Cardinal game certainly wasn't something I understood then.  Only now, I can look back on those days in the 50's and 60's and cherish the boyhood excitement of walking through the gates of the old Sportsman Park to watch my hero.  And, during a "Meet the Cardinals" event one day, I was able to shake hands with my childhood idol.  I remember that day as if it happened yesterday.  I remember the smile on his face and the warm embrace of his hand as he asked me my name and autographed a baseball for me like he did for thousands of other kids who went and came after me.

Playing his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals had its drawbacks in some ways.  He was never afforded the "press coverage" of say a Joe Dimaggio or a Ted Williams.  His name never made the society columns or had a scandal attached to it.  He simply compiled some of the most long standing records that the sport has ever seen.  He played for 22 years and for 22 years he was named an All-Star.  Recently he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama for his outstanding achievement and contribution to humanity.


"Stan the Man" Musial died yesterday in St. Louis at the age of 92.  He is survived by 4 children, and countless grandchildren and great grandchildren.  He now joins his beloved Lil who passed last May at the age of 91.