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Special Report
Play It Again, Stan
A medal for the Man — from the current President.
It’s an appropriate time of year for Stan Musial to receive yet another honor in a life of honors, coming as it does the week that Major League Baseball players report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona (one of the happiest weeks in my calendar — signaling an end to the baseball-free months). But this latest distinction comes awfully late for fans of the Man, who showed millions not only how baseball is to be played at the very highest level, but also how an all-star life can be lived.
“I wish he’d received this award about 30 year ago,” said the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s long-time go-to writer on the Cardinals, Rick Hummel, when we talked about the 90-year-old Musial receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom Tuesday at the White House. “He’s very deserving of the award. Fans in St. Louis still get excited when he shows up at the ball park.”
The Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor. Hundreds have received it over the years, including many truly deserving, great Americans. Also some political choices of questionable achievement, as well as some outright humbugs, have crashed the proceedings.
Billy-Bob Carter and his astringent wife Rosalynn have the award. This year’s class of 15 includes Warren Buffett, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, George Herbert Walker Bush, AFL-CIO’s John J. Sweeney, Holocaust survivor and author Gerda Weissmann Klein, poet Maya Angelou, et al. TAS readers can separate the wheat from the chaff in this lot.
The world of sport was also represented Tuesday by Bill Russell, who along with the late Boston Celtics coach and then general manager Red Auerbach, invented professional basketball (and is in no way responsible for the slough the NBA has periodically found itself in).
In the 1950s, when the NBA was still less than a decade old, Auerbach added defensive specialist Russell to an already dominant offensive team led by Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman. Russell quickly became the game’s best rebounder and shot blocker. He functioned, to mix sports a bit, as the team’s defensive quarterback. And he helped lead the Celtics to an amazing 11 NBA championships in 13 years, winning five league MVP awards along the way.
But while these two men dominated their sports, their off-the-field, off-the-court performances have been very different. Musial before, during, and after his athletic stardom, was always the friendly, gracious, humble but confident man, who was always there for family and teammates, for his community, and for his many fans. He may be the nicest man ever to play any major league sport. From the Man, there was never heard a discouraging word.
“He checks off all the boxes in what make a good man,” Cardinals director of media Brian Bartow told me. “He’s a true gentleman. Not afraid to laugh at himself. He likes to play his harmonica for people. He puts smiles of people’s faces.”
Russell on the other hand, has been a scratchier and sometimes sullen business, prone to nurture grievances. But withal a great athlete who contributed a lot to his sport, and gave his fans many glorious moments. Not the least of which came when Wilt Chamberlain was in the court for the opposing team. And it surely was not easy to be the first black head-coach in any major sports team.
Musial remains very popular in St. Louis, one of the nation’s outstanding baseball towns, even though it has been 47 years since the Man swung at a Major League pitch (September 29, 1963, an RBI single in the 7th in Busch Stadium against Cincinnati’s Jim Maloney).
Busch Stadium was packed at 2010’s final home game for Stand Up For Stan Night, when Stan took the grand tour in a golf cart and soaked up, yet again, the love that Cardinals fans still have for him. It was those same fans who, with the encouragement of the Cardinals management, lobbied the White House to correct the oversight and give Stan the long overdue medal. The Man certainly can keep company with previous baseball players who’ve receive the award: Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, Henry Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Buck O’Neil.
Doubtless it was a good week for Musial, who needs a bit of help to get around these days, which he often gets on the arm of his grandson, Brian Musial Schwarze. But now it will be back to St. Louis, and more trips to the ball park once the baseball season begins.
“He doesn’t come to the clubhouse as often as he used to,” Bartow said. “But when he comes he captivates the room. The players always look forward to seeing him. He’s part of the fabric of life around here.”
Musial’s gaudy stats over a 22-year major league career qualify him for any baseball accolade anyone can think up. Consider a .331 lifetime batting average, 475 home runs, 3,630 hits, three MVP awards, and five batting titles. But the way this son of hard-working immigrants has led his life, along with Lillian, his bride of 71 years, suits him for awards beyond the fame his baseball prowess earned him.
Those who’ve followed Musial’s career and life don’t need Barack Obama to tell us about Musial’s talent, integrity, and decency. Tuesday’s award was plainly deserved and way overdue. Musial certainly deserved to receive it from a better president. But it appears that Stan enjoyed the day. The proceeding got great ratings in St. Louis, where Cardinal fans are pleased to see their Man on the national stage again. So I guess I’m happy about it too.
About the Author
Larry Thornberry is a writer in Tampa.
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Brian Mc| 2.16.11 @ 7:13AM
I'm a bit foggy on this subject being that I was only four when Stan the Man got that last hit at 'Busch' Stadium...which I thought, opened later in the decade? Or, was that Busch Memorial-where I saw Curt Flood, Bob Gibson, Roger Maris, Lou Brock several years later-a different one. I vaguely remember a Dodger pitcher hit in the groin by a line drive and the roar of shock from the crowd still rings in my ears when he went down and was carried from the field. The steaks at the Mark Twain Hotel, the Arch, the double header, everything else that occurred that weekend pales in comparison to that moment he doubled over as I watched from the first base side.
At any rate, I was graced with an older brother by seven years and he had a picture, only one, on the wall of his bedroom and it was signed "Stan, the Man". As much as I looked up to my brother, that pic meant the world to me. I will need to contact my brother to find out if he still has it. I'd like to see it again. It would be worth the trip to Maine.
Dave | 2.16.11 @ 8:49AM
As a 66 year old baseball lifer, and one who had his first in person - encounter with an actual baseball hero at the tender age of 13 -- I will never forget the brief act kindness Stan Musial showed toward a little 4 foot nothing kid who wanted nothing more than a signature. Guys like Barry, Manny and others from today's game could learn a lot from Mr. Musial. Then again, maybe not.
Below is a memories eye account of one summer night at the Los Angeles Coliseum back in 1958 when a bunch of fans like me simply wanted to take away a little something from a hero and store it in our life history books to be passed along when the time came. The thought of selling that memory on E-Bay wouldn't have even scratched the surface.
Here's how I remember that summer evening with The Man.
It was 1958; the first year the former Brooklyn Dodgers played in that
spacious, but never quite ready for prime time baseball field called the
Los Angeles Coliseum. My buddy Dennis, his dad and I got to the park a
little early to see our new L.A. Dodgers play the Cardinals and maybe
collect a few autographs. It was my first major league game. Sha-zam!
As a short stature kid (about four inches under 5 feet) I usually had a
tough time moving around in crowds of tall people. The Coliseum had a long
concrete runway that lead down to the dressing room areas and then out
onto the field. The gate area, at that time, is where team buses would
pull up and unload player so they could get down to their designated
clubhouse. That night, like other kids who knew where those team buses
would arrive and unload, Dennis and I were right there near the gates with
dozens of people, all clutching an assortment of balls, photos and small
pieces of paper ... and ready for our baseball gods to scribble their
signatures.
Tick-tick-tick ... Man, where was that bus?
A little earlier, I'd gone to the stadium gift shop and bought a 12 pack
of black and white, individual Cardinals photos. But, at the time, I had
NO idea what a smart move that was going to be. Especially smart for a
kid of short stature.
When Card's bus finally pulled up to the back gate and began unloading
players, about 20 or 30 fans were all gathered around there just hoping to
get one of them to sign their stuff. When the guys began stepping off the
charter... the first player I spotted was a catcher name Hal Smith, then
out came second baseman Don Blasingame and right behind him ..."The Man."
As most of us realized that Stan Musial was within autograph reach ...
the crush to get him to sign was underway. Adults, older teens and some
kids a lot bigger than me shoved their way into the tight circle that
surrounded Musial. At that point, I figured he be long gone and way down
the tunnel before I had the chance to ask him sign anything. Just then, I
realized I had that gift pack of black and white Cardinals photos still in
my hand.
I had a shot.
As Stan was briskly signing as many autographs as he could grab, I opened
up my pack of Cardinals pictures and pulled out his 5x7. At that moment,
I decided to go for it and toss pain to the wind. Well, that little
four-foot-noting kid managed to bull rush his still-growing-body into the
frantic circle of signing seekers while thrusting his hand and photo into
the air just hoping "The Man" might spot it among all the pieces of white
paper, balls and pens. After being bumped around for what seemed like
damn near forever, Mr. Musial happened to glance down my way and spotted
the raised black and white photo in my hand. Then despite a few howls of -
"Heeey, I was in front of THAT kid" - one of baseball's great players
reached down, snatched up my picture and scribble his name on it. Then
while handing it back; smiled and said something like - "There 'ya go,
buddy." Simple and decent. Can't beat it.
In a different time, I might not have worked my way out of that circle of
nut cases without pickin' up some serious bodily damage. Today, just
walking though the parking lot while wearing visitors gear can get you
popped.
These days I'm pushin' 66, retired and begin most mornings stepping though
the backdoor that leads into my garage. And right there on the corner
wall near the doorway is that framed, autographed 5x7 photo of a genuine
good guy: Stan Musial.
Occam's Tool| 2.16.11 @ 11:00AM
I had a similar experience with Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, when I was 7. Class sticks out a mile.
Robbins Mitchell| 2.16.11 @ 9:36AM
As someone who was a regular each summer with my Dad for a weekend series at old Busch Stadium and who was fortunate enough to get an autographed pic of Stan at his restaurant one night after the Cards beat the Dodgers 1-0 thanks to Stan driving in Lou Brock with a game winning single,I feel obligated to point out that Stan holds a Major League record unlikely to be broken any time soon...he is the ONLY player in Major League history to hit a home run in a regular season game as a grandfather...heh
Petronius| 2.16.11 @ 9:54AM
There's a scene in The Blue Max. Upstart Leutnant Stockel pulls out a portrait of the highly decorated Rittmeister Baron von Richtoffen and the exchange between him and Oberleutnant von Klugerman about honors begs reprise in this age of crumbling values. "It's the only one worth having. People respect it."
"The medal or the man?"
It is too ironic that this great and gracious personage who accomplished the top of his profession gets the highest honor this nation can give an ordinary citizen from the hands of one who abhors achievement and does all he can to bring ruin and misery to so many others. He and his henchmen make war on success because acculturating to it's requirements would cost them their pride. That patina was thin to begin with. But there's little behind it except guile and egotism. An ounce of image may equal a pound of substance in the political arena and show biz. Out here, that does not apply.
Larryk| 2.16.11 @ 2:01PM
I remember as a kid seeing Stan the Man blast a home run on the right field roof of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. What a sight!
chris| 2.16.11 @ 4:18PM
I was present the day that the Cardinals dedicated and unveiled the statue of Stan outside Busch Stadium and I remember his restaurant, Stan and Biggies from when I was a boy.
Stan truly is the man and St. Louis is a true baseball city and venue.
Brian - The pitcher who got nailed in the groin was Wade Blasingame, of the Houston Astros. I was there that game as well.
Brian Mc| 2.17.11 @ 5:22AM
Thanks Chris! Do you recall who the batter was? I know we saw the Dodgers that weekend too but can't recollect who the double-header belonged to...
Reebok | 8.11.11 @ 3:33AM
is good
العاب بنات | 4.11.12 @ 5:07PM
thank you
very nic