Here stands baseball's perfect knight."
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Musial_statue.JPG)
Baseball legend and the greatest Cardinal of them all, Stan "The Man" Musial, passed away today at the age of 92. (http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130119&content_id=41044576&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl)
One of the greatest hitters of all time, Musial held some 55 records at the time of his retirement in 1963 (though many have since been broken). Musial was a model of consistency at the plate, with a lifetime average of .331, 475 home runs, and of his 3,630 hits, 1,815 came at home and 1,815 on the road. He was a 3-time MVP, 7-time National League Batting Champion, 3-time World Series Champion, and saw 24 All-Star Game appearances over his 22-year career (the All-Star Game was at one point played twice a year). He spent his entire professional career with the Cardinals, and missed only one year, 1945, while serving his nation in the Navy. Musial's #6 was the first number to be retired by the St. Louis Cardinals, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1969, receiving votes on over 93% of the ballots. In 2012 Musial received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his presence in the St. Louis business community.
Even after his retirement, Musial was a fixture in St. Louis, operating restaurants and continuing his presence with the Cardinals first as General Manager in the World Series-winning 1964 season, making appearances during Opening Day and Post Season festivities. He was very much the face of the organization, and "Meet me at Stan" has been the directions given by generations of Cardinals fans coming to games.
Musial was a simple and uncontroversial figure in a game full of characters and colorful personalities. In fact probably his only real oddity was his distinctive coiled-up batting stance. He was not once ejected from a game. In the words of Bob Costas, "He didn't hit a homer in his last at-bat; he hit a single. He didn't hit in 56 straight games. He married his high school sweetheart and stayed married to her. ... All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being."