Stan Musial- Baseball's Perfect Warrior

In the Midwest, before the expansion of baseball to the West Coast, the St. Louis Cardinals fan base was quite extensive. There were no other teams to root for in that region of the country, save for the Chicago Cubs or the lowly St. Louis Browns. And if the Midwest was a kingdom of Cardinal fans, then Stan Musial was, and still is, their king. Stan "the Man" Musial played for 22 National League seasons, filling baseball's record books with his deeds. Stan Musial won seven batting titles, played in 24 All-Star games, and provided Cardinal faithful with more thrills than anyone could ever ask for.

Stan was born in Donora, Pennsylvania on November 21st, 1920. He was the first son of a Polish immigrant father who was a zinc miner. His mother was of Czech descent. He was the second youngest of six siblings, and as he approached high school age he was already a standout in baseball and basketball. His father Lukasz wanted Stan to avoid the miner's life at all costs, hoping the boy would attend college. Musial's C- grades instead pushed him towards a life in baseball. However, it was only when his mother vetoed his father's attempt to make him go to college that Musial was able to begin his career. He signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals in 1938, and moved up through the organization, as a pitcher.

He went 18-5 in 1940, giving him a 33-13 record over three years. His hitting skills were noticed right away; to get him in the lineup more he played the outfield between pitching starts. At Class D Daytona Beach, in August of 1940, Musial injured his left shoulder so badly while playing the outfield that his pitching days were finished." My spikes gave way, and I landed on my left shoulder," Musial recalled. "My arm never did get better. I couldn't throw hard from then on. It never bothered my hitting. Even if I didn't hurt my arm, I think somewhere along the line, somebody would have switched me over to outfielder anyway because my hitting was always good."