Stan Musial, one of baseball's greatest hitters and a Hall of Famer with the St. Louis Cardinals for more than two decades, died over the weekend at the age of 92. Musial had one of the most storied careers in Major League history.
Stan the Man, as Musial was affectionately called by Cardinals fans, played his whole career in St. Louis.
Musial was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. There are only three players with more career hits.
And upon receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in 2011, President Barak Obama noted Musial did it all with a signature humility.
“He was the first player to make, get this, $100,000. Even more shocking, he asked for a pay cut when he didn’t perform up to his own expectations, you can imagine that happening today,” Obama said laughing.
A steady stream of fans braved the cold today and flocked to Stan Musial’s statue in front of Busch Stadium to pay tribute to the legendary ball player who passed away on Saturday night.
When I asked folks here about Stan the Man, hardly anyone brought up his crazy good stats, he was selected to the All Star Game an astounding 24 times. Instead, they echoed South St. Louis County resident Marion Endress.
“He was a man who love passionately, everything. He loved people, he loved his wife and he loved baseball in that order, if not the first two reversed,” Endress said.
Many fans had personal interactions with Musial, who remained a fixture in the community long after his more than two decade career with the team ended.
Kevin Helfer lives in Creve Coeur and said it’s hard to image the city without Musial.
“He was not only a legend, he was gifted. He was a man, he could play, he could, he could talk to the people. He was everything. He wasn’t just a ball player and he will be missed,” Helfer said.
According to statement released by the Cardinals, Musial passed while surrounded by family at his home in suburban St. Louis.