Even his nickname, “Stan The Man,” was bestowed by the fans of an opposing team–the Brooklyn Dodgers and that may be a first and only event in baseball lore.

“I never heard anybody say a bad word about him–ever,” said fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who issued a statement through the Hall in Cooperstown.

St. Louis Cardinals hall of famer Stan Musial waves to the crowd during an opening day ceremony before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Musial passed away Saturday night at 92. Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

At a time when it took a bit of a social conscience to be recognized as a good guy, Musial was regarded by Jackie Robinson as one of the gentlemen of the National League. Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier with the Dodgers, was met with taunts and jeers by many players when he made his Major League debut in 1947. Unlike some other foes, Musial greeted Robinson in a friendly manner and wished him luck.

Musial had been in fading health for some time. He played his last inning 50 years ago, in the 1963 season, and as an outfielder and first baseman with the Cardinals for 22 seasons, Musial was a money hitter. His distinctive left-handed crouching stance produced clutch hits,  power, and high averages.

“I love play to play this game of baseball,” Musial said. “I love putting on this uniform.

St.. Louis long ago retired Musial’s No. 6 and built a statue to honor him outside of Busch Stadium. Musial won the National League batting title seven times and retired with a lifetime average of .331.

“The key to hitting for high average, ” Musial said, ” is to relax, concentrate and don’t hit fly balls to center field.”

Musial was a three-time Most Valuable Player and the Cardinals won three World Series with him in the lineup.  Among Musial’s hitting achievements were clouting 475 home runs and collecting 3,630 hits. Musial’s lifetime on-base percentage was .417 and he gathered 1,951 RBIs. He also had 1,949 runs scored. Musial is third on the all-time doubles list with 725.

An  oddity of Musial’s career was that he notched precisely the same number of hits at home and on the road, 1,815 on each side. When he retired in ’63 Musial held 55 records. A half century later, many of them are gone. What remains are images.

Musial possessed was uncommon determination and while he was a nice man off the field he was a killer on it, never surrendering an at-bat. Musial came from Pennsylvania coal country and he did not wish to return for a job in the mines. He was going to be a pitcher until he hurt his arm and switched to the outfield.

Breaking into the majors in 1941, Musial’s reputation and playing days were forged alongside Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, although he out-lasted both of them. For a while they were the big three in the sport, though Musial had National League honors to himself until the 1950s when Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente came along.

Musial has the distinction of being selected for more All-Star teams than years he played. During the early 1960s when there were two All-Star games per season, Musial was selected twice in the same year. He was chosen for All-Star games 24 times.

When Musial retired he was second on Major League Baseball’s all-time hits list and he held the NL record. He led the league in hits six times. Overall, Musial is still fourth all-time behind Pete Rose, Ty Cobb and Aaron.

Beyond his undisputed greatness on the field, Musial, who loved socializing with the public and signing autographs for kids, was likely one of baseball’s greatest ambassadors. Musial often visited sick kids in hospitals, in St. Louis and on the road, and reporters never knew it. Red Schoendienst, another Hall of Famer who not only was a long-time Cardinal teammate, but a close friend of Musials, sometimes went with him.

“He enjoyed making other people happy and maybe give them a small ray of sunshine to brighten up their lives,” Schoendienst said.

Musial loved mingling and he carried a harmonica with him, enabling him to break into song on short notice. When he was still well enough to attend the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, Musial had an odd little gig. A break was taken in the events and he played a harmonica solo of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” for the assembled Hall of Famers and onlookers. Because of Musial’s faltering health in recent years, Johnny Bench has taken on the role.

Acknowledging Musial’s stature and his public community role, in 2011 President Barack Obama awarded Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

When Musial retired from the Cardinals’ lineup in 1963 Ford Frick was the commissioner of baseball and he uttered one of the most flattering and telling summations of a career. Of Musial, Frick said, “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.”

No doubt when Stan Musial is buried someone will take the time to mimic those words and say “Here lies baseball’s perfect knight.”

It sounds fitting.

However, there was a bit of history behind Bench’s seemingly out-of-leftfield performance. Throughout the years, at some point during the ceremony, between speeches, a point ahs been declared the seventh inning stretch. Stan Musial, 91, who was not well enough to attend this year’s festivities, used to play the entertainer role by playing the song on a harmonica.

One year Musial could not attend and Bench pinch-hit, so to speak, pulling on period costume and reciting the famous poem, “Casey At The Bat.” Now Bench seems to have inherited the job of becoming the designated hitter of levity. Bench was apparently well-prepared withb the poem because he has recorded a narration of the 1888 poem by Ernest Thayer for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

Known as a Hall of Fame catcher, Cincinnati Red Johnny Bench performed an entertaining imitation of late announcer Harry Caray in leading fans at the Hall of Fame in Take Me Out To The Ballgame Sunday. Credit: Dick Raphael-US PRESSWIRE

Sunday, in-between the Hall acceptance speech by Vicki Santo, widow of the late Ron Santo, and former Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin, Bench put on a blue Santo tribute cap with the #10 on the front, and did a first-rate Caray imiation. Spoofing Caray’s propensity to forget names late in his career, Bench said, “Holy Cow! Can you believe ‘John’ Santo in the Hall of Fame?”

There had been several sobering moments just before Bench took the podium as Vicki Santo recounted the hardships her husband conquered from diabetes to excel on the field for the Cubs and later in his increasingly challenging battles against cancer as he fought to continue in the team broadcast booth.

If anyone believed Bench was being disrespectful or had poor timing, Vicki Santo promptly dispelled that impression after the ceremonies ended. She was asked how she thought Ron Santo would have responded to Bench’s act. Vicki said the two men were very close friends and always kidded one another.

“Johnny Bench was such a great friend of his,” Mrs. Santo said. “He (Ron) would have loved it. He would have thought it was hysterical.”

Bench did Caray, everyone sang, and then Larkin had that act to follow with his serious acceptance speech. But just as at the ballparks where teams pause for baseball’s national anthem, as soon as Bench sat down business resumed.

And some Reds fans in attendance could only bear to see Bench attired in Cubbie clothing for so long. When Bench sat down a Reds fan yelled “Take off the shirt!” Bench did slip out of the alien team top pretty quickly.

Testing my memory I have concluded that in all of the Major League games I have witnessed in person over about a 50-year period I have never seen a player hit for the cycle. I would rather see someone throw a no-hitter, but I’d like to see someone hit for the cycle.

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Another year, another dominating Yankees performance.

ESPN recently polled viewers to find out the best season from any single Major League player, ever, and included Yankees legends like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr., and Willie Mays.  In fact, every player chosen to participate was a Yankee.  Makes it pretty obvious why they won all those World Series!  Every player ever has played for the Yankees because they are the only team.

And now, with somewhat less bitterness, here come your links.

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At least twice this off-season I have been asked who won the American League batting title. For those who forgot already, it was Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, who sneaked in on the last day of the season. For months it was a forgone conclusion that the Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was going to win it, but just like his team he endured a September swoon.

Maybe I am just being grumpy, but winning a batting title was always a great honor, proof that for one season you were the best hitter in your league. Now I wonder if our most recent winners are all one-year wonders.

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The better side of my nature pondered for a moment if instead there would be a huge sign aimed at Pujols reading, “Thanks for 11 Great Years.”

Nah. I dismissed that right away because passionate sports fans are not so gentle, or in this case forgiving. Turns out my instincts were right on that score. It seems that St. Louis Cardinals fans are a tad bitter about one of the greatest players in franchise history abandoning the gateway arch to the West for the West its own self.

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The man who is the symbol of the franchise is Stan “The Man” Musial. A secondary Mr. Cardinal, a stellar second baseman who served as a long-time coach and a St. Louis manager, is Red Schoendienst. And no one forgets to give fastballer Bob Gibson his props.

I don’t know whether those four so thoroughly overshadow Boyer that his name is avoided when it comes to mentioning great Cardinal contributors of the past, or if it is because Boyer passed away nearly 30 years ago when he was only 51. But in a 15-year career Boyer was an 11-time All-Star, won five Gold Gloves covering third base, and was the Most Valuable Player in the National League in 1964. (That season he led the NL with 119 RBIs.)

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