Die Hard Cardinal Fan

Stan Musial: An American Life   by George Vecsey

In 1999, the Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig decided to try a marketing ploy to create fan excitement, involvement and participation. Baseball fans were asked to vote on the top 25 players of the twentieth century. Selig did anticipate there would be some significant players from the past that would be overlooked, so he did set up a panel of experts to rectify any oversights.

One of the most glaring oversights was the omission of Stan Musial from the St. Louis Cardinals.  Musial, a first ballot Hall of Famer and widely considered in baseball circles to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, is perhaps the most underrated athlete of all time.  Sports journalist and writer, George Vecsey, with his recent book (2011) Stan Musial: An American Life, sets out to correct this oversite and give Musial his due as one of the greats in baseball.

This book was fairly well timed, because in less than two years, baseball and the city of St. Louis, would be mourning the passing of one of its greatest ballplayers.  On January 19, 2013 at the age of 92, Stan the Man Musial passed away.  Vecsey uses this biography to illustrate what a great player and person Stan Musial was. Vecsey really doesn't spend much time talking about specific games or Musial's play in the field.  Instead  he tells Musial's life story through the remembrances of those who played beside, worked with, and covered “Stan the Man” over the course of his nearly seventy years in the national spotlight.  Vecsey equates the quiet, dignified and gentlemanly way Musial conducted his life to the fact he is often underrated and overlooked when discussing baseball greats.

But consider these statistics and ask yourself if Stan the Man doesn't belong in the top tier of great baseball players.  During his long career (1941-1963) with the St. Louis Cardinals, Stan Musial batted .331, amassed 3,630 hits, won three National League MVP awards, and was named to 24 All Star teams.  Definitely recommended for any die hard Cardinal fan, but also for any baseball lovers or afficionados.