Growing up a Cardinals fan you can't help but admire Stan the Man. His legend was enormous. Even larger than the huge statue that stands outside of Busch Stadium. The stories you heard passed down from generations before were never fabricated. They didn't need to be. The stories that you read about him in his post-playing days only reinforced the fact that if there was one thing that could over-shadow his playing career, it was the way he treated people.
We are lucky here in St. Louis to have such a rich baseball tradition. So much of that tradition is linked to Stan Musial. When you learn from a true gentleman what it is like to wear the Birds on the Bat...you appreciate the team and the history so much more.
Because of Stan Musial, my dad became a Cardinals fan while growing up in central Kansas. I don't know if his love for the Cardinals and admiration for Stan brought him to St. Louis, but it all somehow lead to me growing up a Cardinals fan and hearing countless stories of what a great ballplayer Stan was.
There is nothing more I can say about Stan that you can't read elsewhere today. This Man was bigger than life to millions of people. I am lucky that I was able to see him deliver his smile and pantomime swing at season opener after season opener. I was lucky to see MLB honor him when the All Star Game was held here in 2009. And I know that we are about to embark on a season of tributes. Yes, there will be a patch on the Cardinal uniform...but I suspect there will be so much more. Tribute games, #6 mowed into the outfield grass, video montages - and I suspect that the rest of the baseball world will all find a renewed interest in our great warrior.
It's too bad someone has to die before they get the recognition they deserve. Stan's real victory lap began Saturday night and I expect it to last all season long.
"Waddaya say" Cardinal Fans?
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