Stan Musial is an icon in St. Louis. There are 2 statues (1 giant one and 1 smaller) of him outside of Busch Stadium. Every Cardinals fan who has ever gone to a game has told someone to "meet me at Stan" and at any given time on any given day, you can drive by and there will be fans walking around his statue and taking pictures.
To me, Stan Musial was a connection to the past.
A connection to innocence.
A connection to a time that when people got married, like Stan did to his Lil for 71 years, 11 months and 9 days.
A connection to a time when baseball players were also real people who cared about the fans and the team as much as their own paychecks.
Most of all, though, he was a connection to a generation that will forever be lost. Whenever I saw Stan I would always think about my Granny and the fact that she used to watch him on TV and listen to him play on the radio. She loved baseball and so seeing him made me feel a little closer to her.
When I was told the news Saturday, I really couldn't believe it. Even though he was 92 years old and had declining health for the last few years, I always knew that Stan would be there again on Opening Day or (hopefully) during the playoffs. I always made sure to get to the games early when I knew Stan was going to be there because I couldn't wait for him to ride by and wave. I feel so lucky to have just experienced it one time.
After this past season, I knew that it wouldn't be long until this day would be here. It was evident that Stan was not doing well but yet he fought through to give all Cardinals fans that one more special day. I am grateful for that.
Rest In Peace, Stan. You will always be in our hearts.
What a great tribute. Opening day is going to be very bittersweer this year.
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