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RIP Stan Musial
- Thread starter KPENN
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tadman95
I have a bigger bullet
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He really is one of the all time greats!
edgesofsanity
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A great player and a great human being. And still under rated in both categories.
Ultimate Penn St. Hater
Go Irish!
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RIP Stan "The Man" Musial. One of the all-time greats.
One of the really great, although he wasn't very nice to the Cubs. I was at a game where he went 4 for 4 and all were screaming line drives. What a beautiful athlete. No wasted motion, compact effortless swing.
A perfect gentleman.
My aunt was a sister st St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis and Mr Musial, a patron and silent benefactor, was especially gracious to her. He treated everybody like that.
A great loss; RIP.
A perfect gentleman.
My aunt was a sister st St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis and Mr Musial, a patron and silent benefactor, was especially gracious to her. He treated everybody like that.
A great loss; RIP.
Irish Man3
Well-known member
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Legend. That's all.
BobD
Can't get no satisfaction
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Rest in peace Stan the man.
At the height of his career, Stan Musial held more than fifty National League and Major League records for hitting. When he retired in 1963 he held National League career marks for games played (3,026), at-bats (10,972) and hits (3,630) — which oddly enough were divided 1,815 hits at home & 1,815 hits on the road!
Did you know that Stan Musial was the first National League player to ever win a Most Valuable Player Award three times AND he finished second four more times. Too easy? Did you know that he was also the first player to play in more than one thousand games at two positions? Still to easy? Did you know that on May 2, 1954, he became the first major league player to hit five home runs in a twin bill?
Stan Musial started his baseball career as a Minor League pitcher and even pitched in one Major League game during the 1952 season. He is also the charter member of both the 300 HR / 3,000 Hit "club" and the 300 HR / 3,000 Hit / .300 Batting Average "club" as well as the only player with more than four hundred home runs and less than seven hundred career strikeouts.
At the height of his career, Stan Musial held more than fifty National League and Major League records for hitting. When he retired in 1963 he held National League career marks for games played (3,026), at-bats (10,972) and hits (3,630) — which oddly enough were divided 1,815 hits at home & 1,815 hits on the road!
Did you know that Stan Musial was the first National League player to ever win a Most Valuable Player Award three times AND he finished second four more times. Too easy? Did you know that he was also the first player to play in more than one thousand games at two positions? Still to easy? Did you know that on May 2, 1954, he became the first major league player to hit five home runs in a twin bill?
Stan Musial started his baseball career as a Minor League pitcher and even pitched in one Major League game during the 1952 season. He is also the charter member of both the 300 HR / 3,000 Hit "club" and the 300 HR / 3,000 Hit / .300 Batting Average "club" as well as the only player with more than four hundred home runs and less than seven hundred career strikeouts.
I totally agree.
As a lifetime Cardinals fan, I never got the chance to meet him but from what my father told me, it was a joy just to watch him, and you NEVER heard of anyone ever say a bad thing about him.
In fact, it was not the Cardinals fans that gave the nickname, "The Man", to him. It was Dodgers fans, out of a sign of respect. Even though Pujols made a money grab to go to LA, even he knew there was only one MAN in MLB.
RIP Stanislaw Musial.
FightingIrishLover7
All troll, no substance
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My entire family loves the cardinals. It all started with my grandpa listening to them on the radio.
My grandpa is now 81 and still probably the biggest cardinals fan I've ever met.
I made it a point to call him up last night and just let him share some stories about Stan...
Long story short, he really was the man. He was a person first, then a ball player.
His name was overshadowed, but legends never die.
Rip Stan!
My grandpa is now 81 and still probably the biggest cardinals fan I've ever met.
I made it a point to call him up last night and just let him share some stories about Stan...
Long story short, he really was the man. He was a person first, then a ball player.
His name was overshadowed, but legends never die.
Rip Stan!
Old Man Mike
Fast as Lightning!
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Don't know if this is worth mentioning, but Stan Musial sent his son to Notre Dame during my time there. I believe that he was even on a football scholarship as a running back, but didn't play.
Also, Musial did his hitting heroics without a lot of support on the Cardinals. Red Schoendienst batted in front of him and was a great line drive hitter, and Enos Slaughter batted behind him and had some power, but there wasn't that much else in the 1950s. Also, pre-Roberto Clemente, Musial had probably the strongest throwing arm out of right field [when he wasn't playing first base].
There is controversy about Musial's actual role in Jackie Robinson's first year, but although Stan didn't like public displays of any kind, a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal follower/insider told one of my best friends that when all manner of ballplayer bigots were ramping up momentum for a ballplayers' strike, Musial told his teammates that he would not condone any such action and would take the field. Having the game's greatest player state that flatly, rapidly circulated through clubhouses and no strike occurred --- although Robinson got plenty of grief elsewise. Robinson, who was a bit of a harda$$, never appreciated Stan, as in his mind he wanted Stan to make larger public gestures welcoming him. Hank Aaron on the other hand always liked Stan Musial and they became friends. At All-Star games, the early black players wouldn't be welcomed by others and they would sit off alone. One Musial legend is that when he would see this, he'd go over to them, sit down, and say: deal me in, and they'd play cards together. Bob Gibson, another legendary harda$$, made an exception for Musial, feeling that Stan himself was a fine man, while grinding a bit at the rest of the Cardinals organization for not treating himself with similar respect [in his eyes].
Musial had relatively few baseball cards in his early career. That is because as TOPPS took over the field, they were engaging, in Stan's eyes, in some unethical business practices [I forget whether this had to do with the contracts or what]. Stan, the idealistic man, told them to take a hike for several years in the 1950s.
Musial took place in one of baseball's strangest plays, which also involved another of my favorites, Ernie Banks. With three balls and two strikes on the call, the Cubs pitcher through a pitch right past the catcher to the screen. Thinking it to be ball four [the umpire weirdly had made no call], Stan trotted down to first. The catcher thinking the same didn't bother to get the ball. A ballboy picked it up and gave it to a Cubs employee. The umpire, showing incredible incompetence, apparently shrugged [although he thought that it was strike three], and handed the catcher a new ball. On his way to first, Musial noticed that no one had gotten the ball and broke for second. The catcher was lobbing the "wrong" ball to the pitcher, who saw Musial heading for second, whirled and fired to a covering Ernie Banks. But the "real" ball had been handed to Cubs third baseman Alvin Dark, who also saw Musial running and also fired at Banks. Banks somehow understood which ball should be the real one [or just got lucky], let the pitcher's ball sail into centerfield, caught the one from Al Dark, and tagged Musial out. Stan sees the ball sail into center, gets up and runs to third. The Cubs outfielder retrieves the wrong ball, fires high and wide to third, and Musial "scores". Different umpires call Musial out at second and safe at home. After discussion, Stan, sadly is called out. Unsurprisingly the Cubs lost anyway.
Also, Musial did his hitting heroics without a lot of support on the Cardinals. Red Schoendienst batted in front of him and was a great line drive hitter, and Enos Slaughter batted behind him and had some power, but there wasn't that much else in the 1950s. Also, pre-Roberto Clemente, Musial had probably the strongest throwing arm out of right field [when he wasn't playing first base].
There is controversy about Musial's actual role in Jackie Robinson's first year, but although Stan didn't like public displays of any kind, a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal follower/insider told one of my best friends that when all manner of ballplayer bigots were ramping up momentum for a ballplayers' strike, Musial told his teammates that he would not condone any such action and would take the field. Having the game's greatest player state that flatly, rapidly circulated through clubhouses and no strike occurred --- although Robinson got plenty of grief elsewise. Robinson, who was a bit of a harda$$, never appreciated Stan, as in his mind he wanted Stan to make larger public gestures welcoming him. Hank Aaron on the other hand always liked Stan Musial and they became friends. At All-Star games, the early black players wouldn't be welcomed by others and they would sit off alone. One Musial legend is that when he would see this, he'd go over to them, sit down, and say: deal me in, and they'd play cards together. Bob Gibson, another legendary harda$$, made an exception for Musial, feeling that Stan himself was a fine man, while grinding a bit at the rest of the Cardinals organization for not treating himself with similar respect [in his eyes].
Musial had relatively few baseball cards in his early career. That is because as TOPPS took over the field, they were engaging, in Stan's eyes, in some unethical business practices [I forget whether this had to do with the contracts or what]. Stan, the idealistic man, told them to take a hike for several years in the 1950s.
Musial took place in one of baseball's strangest plays, which also involved another of my favorites, Ernie Banks. With three balls and two strikes on the call, the Cubs pitcher through a pitch right past the catcher to the screen. Thinking it to be ball four [the umpire weirdly had made no call], Stan trotted down to first. The catcher thinking the same didn't bother to get the ball. A ballboy picked it up and gave it to a Cubs employee. The umpire, showing incredible incompetence, apparently shrugged [although he thought that it was strike three], and handed the catcher a new ball. On his way to first, Musial noticed that no one had gotten the ball and broke for second. The catcher was lobbing the "wrong" ball to the pitcher, who saw Musial heading for second, whirled and fired to a covering Ernie Banks. But the "real" ball had been handed to Cubs third baseman Alvin Dark, who also saw Musial running and also fired at Banks. Banks somehow understood which ball should be the real one [or just got lucky], let the pitcher's ball sail into centerfield, caught the one from Al Dark, and tagged Musial out. Stan sees the ball sail into center, gets up and runs to third. The Cubs outfielder retrieves the wrong ball, fires high and wide to third, and Musial "scores". Different umpires call Musial out at second and safe at home. After discussion, Stan, sadly is called out. Unsurprisingly the Cubs lost anyway.
My dad said that he met Musial at ND as his son was a few years behind my father I think. He said he was so surprised that he barely spoke to Stan, but he remembered him as being very kind and gracious. Ask around and that is the general consensus about Stan.
I feel really badly that I never got to see him in person but I have always had and always will associate the man with class on and off the field.
I feel really badly that I never got to see him in person but I have always had and always will associate the man with class on and off the field.
One game, Musial had five 5 hits on FIVE SWINGS.
And he had more than a 1000 ABs than Ted Williams, but 13 fewer Ks for his career. Seems to me that Stan knew what the hell he was talking about
