Sad day for baseball.

Oh no.

Worst ####### day ever.

Stan Musial dies the weekend Lance Armstrong hogs the headlines. 2013 is shaping up to be quite a year.

"Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."

I got the chance to meet him, when I was a kid, 35 years ago. In all likelihood, the best baseball player I'll ever meet (doubt I'll ever meet Aaron or Mays). And, I think, the most underrated player by the casual baseball fan.

Yes, a sad day. I am (or once was, or something like that) a Cardinal fan, and my impression is that I'm clearly older than the median age around here. And by the time I became a serious fan, Stan Musial had already retired - and he didn't retire young. May we all live such lives.

The greatest living (retired) Cardinal is now Bob Gibson.

I can't really think of a day that was this crappy (baseball-wise) in a long time. Probably since Kalas and Fidrych died only a few days after Adenhart died.

A great hitter, a better person, by most accounts. RIP.

The first time two HOF members died on the same day. In other words, January 19, 2013 is now the metaphysical opposite of May 27, 1968.

Oh man :(

Baseball has the most fun stats of any sport, and baseball stats don't get much more fun than 1815 career hits at home, 1815 career hits on the road.

First Earl, now Stan. One born in St. Louis, the other made his mark there. What a sad day for the game.

Very sad indeed, and an occasion to remember one of the best people and players in the game's history.

Also virtually the end of an era. Bobby Doerr is now the only prominent player from the '30s and early '40s still alive; Ralph Kiner, Yogi Berra, and Andy Pafko are the biggest living stars of the '40s. A reminder of the relentless march of generations. I saw Musial play once in an Old-Timers Game; conversely, Ty Cobb died when I was two years old. Mortality …

There must have been something in the Sportsman's Park water supply during the 1940s: Musial, Marion, Detwhiler and Freddy Schmidt all lived past 90. Red Schoendienst turns 90 in two weeks. And Harry Breechen lived till 89. There haven't been that many pennant/World Series winners with such longevity.

RIP, Stan. The most fun left handed batting stance for a kid to imitate in my life.

Sad day for baseball.

Indeed. R.I.P., Stan Musial.

Sad news, yet for those of us (like Stan) who believe in a greater reward, not necessarily the worst news. A man who was a giant in his day, both in terms of baseball and as a human being. I'd be a lot more upset if I didn't believe he was in a far better place now.

Godspeed, Donora Greyhound.

The most fun left handed batting stance for a kid to imitate

You're right – I can still do that too. "Like a kid peeking around a door"; you sort of rest your chin on your right shoulder. And who knows why I used to try to do that. Musial retired when I was four years old, I only knew his stance from still photos and that one OT game, and I was right-handed anyway.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! Dammit.

RIP, The Man.

I let out an audible "Oh no!" when I saw this scroll across the ESPN chyron. And yet, the guy made it to 92 years old, was extremely successful in his chosen field, and was universally beloved and admired. If there was ever a time to celebrate a life instead of mourn a death, this is it. But I'm still sad.

I let out an audible "Oh no!" when I saw this scroll across the ESPN chyron. And yet, the guy made it to 92 years old, was extremely successful in his chosen field, and was universally beloved and admired. If there was ever a time to celebrate a life instead of mourn a death, this is it. But I'm still sad.

Sounds 100% right to me. Here's to a good man with a life well-lived.

I guess now is not the time to fulminate about how MLB had to co-opt Stan The Man onto the All-Century Team back in 1999 because the idiot fans in the voting public didn't realize that he was one of the 5-10 best human beings to ever swing a bat.

Eh, it still ticks me off. Probably wouldn't have bothered Stan. But it irked me then when I was a much younger guy (a teenager!) and irks me a bit still.

What can you say? One of the best anybody ever saw, period. He will be pounding gappers to the wall in heaven.

The first time two HOF members died on the same day. In other words, January 19, 2013 is now the metaphysical opposite of May 27, 1968.

Baseball has the most fun stats of any sport, and baseball stats don't get much more fun than 1815 career hits at home, 1815 career hits on the road.

Barking up the same tree, because of Stan Musial, Ken Griffey Jr. was only the second best left handed outfielder born on November 21st in Donora, PA.

One of the great virtues of the first Bill James Historical Abstract was the case he made for the greatness of Stan Musial at a time when his reputation had dimmed.

One of the great quotes in baseball history.

"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine

RIP Stan

Just sweeping the racism under the rug, I see.

Seriously, may he rest in peace. But as Cooper notes, he lived a long time, was among the best to ever play his sport and perhaps was the most universally loved and respected among the inner circle types. It sucks that he's gone, but that's one hell of a legacy he left behind.

Cardinals fans of the era used to root for this gentleman to win the NL batting title every year when that was far bigger a goal than today. Stan's finishes, 1st 18 years

3rd
1st
2nd
WAR (not the stat, the scary one)
1st
5th
1st
2nd
1st
1st
1st
3rd
4th
3rd
4th
1st
3rd

Started before integration, and soon competed with Banks, Mays, Aaron, Clemente, FRobinson, etc. He held up rather well, once given the privilege to actually play against his peers.

Just sweeping the racism under the rug, I see.

Seriously?

Is this a reference to the long debunked story about Curt Flood and Musial's restaurant?

EDIT: Also, Musial refused to go along with a boycott against playing the Dodgers proposed by several Cardinals when Jackie Robinson broke in. While he wasn't vocally advocating for Robinson, neither did he make an effort--as many did--to prevent him from playing.

Yeah, but he referenced it sarcastically

There must have been something in the Sportsman's Park water supply during the 1940s: Musial, Marion, Detwhiler and Freddy Schmidt all lived past 90. Red Schoendienst turns 90 in two weeks. And Harry Breechen lived till 89. There haven't been that many pennant/World Series winners with such longevity.

I was just talking to a friend and Stan Musial Society member, and we were imagining a Cardinals-Yankees Spring training game circa 1954, which likely would have had three still-living keystone combo members (Schoendienst, Solly Hemus and Jerry Coleman) and a fourth (Phil Rizzuto) who lived to 89.

Always liked Pujols explaining he didn't really like the "El Hombre" nickname "because Stan is the man."

One of the great virtues of the first Bill James Historical Abstract was the case he made for the greatness of Stan Musial at a time when his reputation had dimmed.

Indeed:

He was never colorful, never much of an interview. He makes a better statue.

What he was was a ballplayer. He didn't spit at fans, he didn't get into fights at nightclubs, he didn't marry anybody famous. He hustled. You look at his career totals of doubles and triples, and they'll remind you of something that was accepted while he was active, and has been largely forgotten since: Stan Musial was one player who always left the batter's box on a dead run. (...) Stan Musial, while active was probably the most respected player, by press, fans and other players, of the postwar era -- more so than Mays, Mantle, Williams, Rose or anyone else.

And as for the Musial vs. Williams as the Greatest Left Fielder Ever, James concluded: "I'd take Musial in left field, Musial on the basepaths, Musial in the clubhouse and Williams only with the wood in his hand. And Stan Musial could hit a little, too."

Musial, Marion, Detwhiler and Freddy Schmidt all lived past 90.

Detwhiler=Danny Litwhiler. Senior moment.

Yeah, but he referenced it sarcastically

Sorry. totally missed that. Forgot about the whole Murray Chass "MR.PRESIDENT" thing. Sarcasm filter not in fine form right now.

This article by Joe Posnanski on Stan Musial is one of the best, I think, in capturing the essence of Stan the Man. Tremendous player and tremendous figure, to the people of St Louis and baseball.

"I WASN'T WORTHY TO CLEAN HIS TOILET, MR. PRESIDENT"; MURRAY CHASS

It's interesting that the stats by the Stan Musials and Monte Irvins may validate both the superstar MLB stats of just before 1947, as well as the Negro League stats from the same period.

Far many others players involved, of course, too - just 2 examples. An intersection of greatness, in spite of cultural inanity.

We could reprise the old Bill James piece about the age of Phil Niekro this evening...

Janis Joplin was born 70 years old today (1/19/1943). On the day she was born, Stan Musial was already a star major leaguer. Stan Musial made his big league debut before most Americans had ever heard of Pearl Harbor, long-playing records or Harry S. Truman. Rodgers and Hammerstein had yet to collaborate when Stan debuted. Ditto Lerner & Loewe, Martin & Lewis or Les Paul & Mary Ford. Stan was a star when all nine of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.'s children were still alive. Stan played World Series games at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park before either of those venues had lights. Stan was Catholic, and retired from MLB while Masses were still conducted in Latin. When Stan entered the major leagues in September 1941, the Hall of Fame had exactly 26 members, 11 of whom were living.

Aw, crap. My condolences to ... well, all of baseball, really, & of course especially Cardinals fans & the organization.

From the Posnanski article, Tony LaRussa on Musial:

"All you have to do to understand what Stan Musial means is watch him around other Hall of Famers. You can fool fans sometimes. You can fool the media sometimes. But you really can't fool other players. And when you see Musial in a group of Hall of Famers, they hold him in such high esteem.... It's like he's on another level."

The headline atop this thread is fundamentally wrong, really. It isn't just the Cardinals or St. Louis who are mourning the death of Stan Musial. It's all baseball fans, everywhere.

What the hell is going on today?

My Dad is and will always be a Ken Boyer man, but the reverence with which he speaks of Musial has always stayed with me. Wish to God I could've seen him play. What a man. R.I.P.

He got "The Man" from fans at Ebbets Field. One sign of how respected he was.

There must have been something in the Sportsman's Park water supply during the 1940s

certainly something in the water supply of Donora Pa (pop =5,653)

Goodbye, Stan. I'm glad I'm old enough to have seen you play and I'm not glad I'm old very often.

BTW, I have never heard any "debunking" of the Flood/Musial story, and it was told as praise of Stan, anyway. The reference is to Flood's first autobiography, "The Way It Is." When Flood came up to the Cardinals, one of the most famous restaurants in town was "Musial and Biggie's." Back in the minors, when all he knew was that he was not going to make the majors as a pitcher, but might as a hitter, Stan got hooked up with an Italian chef nicknamed "Biggie" and the two set up the restaurant when Stan did get established in STL. "Stan's Homers and Biggie's Steaks" was the motto. Pretty decent steakhouse, when I went there. Well, Flood and a date went to the restaurant one day and were turned away because they were black. Curt mentioned it to Stan the next day, and by the end of that day, Musial had been on the phone, and Musial and Biggie's was open to everyone. Flood, Gibson and Bill White all make it clear in their bios that Musial was the opposite of a racist. The story that, if I remember right, all three tell, is of going to spring training one year, only to find out that the hotel the Cards used didn't allow blacks. Gussie Busch, apparently also not a racist, talked a friend of his into buying another hotel in the town so that the whole team could stay together. Musial and Ken Boyer, the two big stars on the team at the time, were paid enough to have private cabanas on the beach, but gave them up and stayed at the hotel as a show of solidarity with their black teammates. There's nothing to debunk. The stories make Stan out to be willing to actually do something to oppose racism, not just sit there and watch integration happen. In other words, Stan was the same person in private that he was in public.

I have a friend named Jim who works in parking garages as a valet parker. One day, he got Stan's car for him. Jim's not a baseball fan, but knows I am, so he asked Stan if he could have an autograph to give me. Stan whipped out TWO pictures of himself, and autographed one for me and another for Jim. That's what I will remember.

- Brock Hanke

well..they always say it comes in threes--so--who's next?

I'm polishing up a proposed Constitutional Amendment that will remove January 19 from all American calendars and replace it with January 32. Should have it in the mail to my senator's office Tuesday morning.

Musial & Weaver.

Reminds me of Jim Henson & Sammy Davis Jr dying on the same day. I'm sure there are other pairs, but that's the one I remember.