Remembering Stan ‘The Man’ Musial:

            Stan Musial; when you hear that name you think of one of the greatest baseball players of all time without a doubt but one of the greatest baseball people of all time has to be part of a resume that includes 3 NL MVP’s, 3 World Series Championships, 7-time batting champions, 24-time All-Star (which is tied for the most of all time) while doing this for one team for 22 years, The St. Louis Cardinals. It was these attributes among others that made him one of the greatest to ever put on a baseball uniform.

             I always remembered him as a player who was always so kind and respectful of everyone that he ever met (I unfortunately did not have the privilege to meet him). Stan always had time for everyone and that sense of respect and honour for complete strangers was what struck me and millions of fans of not just baseball, but of character. Fans of character and baseball? Well, they were in for a 22 year-long relationship with a man that had plenty of both, which is why he is an American, baseball, and human hero.

            As the great Matthew Leach of MLB.com once said “As far and as small of an inner circle as you want to get in regards to those top notch Hall of Famers, Stan will always be in that group, without a doubt.” This much is 100% true as he compiled a lifetime batting average of .331, 475 career home runs, 3,630 career hits (4^th most All-Time) but was always hidden under the spotlight of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio in Boston and New York, respectively. This does not take away from his personal accomplishments however, as he was every bit as good as both Ted and Joe, he was just farther west and did not nor want to have the flashy records or spotlight; he wanted to do one thing, honour himself, the great city of St. Louis, and all of baseball by putting on #6 on his back every for one team, for one sport, for one purpose, for the love of the game.

            When you ask around, you will never find a more beloved figure, icon or legend that Stan Musial was in St. Louis. He was loved in that city more than anything that any St. Louisianan had ever known before. He made his home there and it seemed as if everyone that lived there had a story to tell about not only how good of a ballplayer he was, but how good of a person he was and how he had time for everybody and anybody.

            There will not be anyone quite as devoted, loved, respected and honoured as Stan ‘The Man’ Musial was in St. Louis again, and how good he was as a ballplayer, he was all of that and then some as a human. His smile, his passion for the game of baseball, his love for life and his gratitude for his beloved fans of St. Louis and all of Major League Baseball will never be forgotten, rest in peace Stan, we will always love you.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Bell