More than "a" man, Stanley Frank Musial was "the" man; in fact, opposition fans awarded him that sobriquet.
One can read his baseball accomplishments in a myriad places, but the overpowering goodness and morality of "The Man" is at least as resplendent. Teammates, opponents, writers, and especially the fans had nothing but compliments, not only for how he could hit, but also for how he behaved. In the view of his huge public he was invariably kind, generous, patient - even long-suffering - friendly, and understanding.
Today, do your sports heroes rape women in hotel rooms, assault fellow bar flies, murder wives and ex-wives and their frieinds, cheat - on spouses, with recreational drugs, with performance-boosting drugs, and by means of dishonesty on the field - lie, drive their millionaire cars while intoxicated, hob-nob and make wagers with gamblers? What a sorry lot of super-heroes.
I was lucky - no, blessed - to grow up worshiping a sports star like Stan Musial. Also, believe this, readers; while not all could boast his achievements on the field, there were plenty of performing men and women equally worthy of respect. Think about that, then think about what you have in 2013.
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