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When baseball fans voted on the top twenty-five players of the twentieth century in Stan Musial didnrsquot make the cut This glaring omissionmdashlater rectified by a panel of expertsmdashraised an important question How could a first-ballot Hall of Famer widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history still rank as the most underrated athlete of all timeIn Stan Musial veteran sports journalist George Vecsey finally gives this twenty-time All-Star and St Louis Cardinals icon the kind of prestigious biographical treatment previously afforded to his more celebrated contemporaries Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio More than just a chronological recounting of the events of Musialrsquos life this is the definitive portrait of one of the gamersquos best-loved but most unappreciated legends told through the remembrances of those who played beside worked with and covered ldquoStan the Manrdquo over the course of his nearly seventy years in the national spotlightStan Musial never married a starlet He didnrsquot die young live too hard or squander his talent There were no legendary displays of temper or moodiness He was merely the most consistent superstar of his era a scarily gifted batsman who compiled career hits at home and on the road won three World Series titles and retired in in possession of seventeen major-league records Away from the diamond he proved a savvy businessman and a model of humility and graciousness toward his many fans in St Louis and around the world From Keith Hernandezrsquos boyhood memories of Musial leaving tickets for him when the Cardinals were in San Francisco to the little-known story of Musialrsquos friendship with novelist James Michenermdashand their mutual association with Pope John Paul IImdashVecsey weaves an intimate oral history around one of the great gentlemen of baseballrsquos Greatest Generation There may never be another Stan the Man a fact that future Hall of Famer Albert Pujolsmdashreluctantly nicknamed ldquoEl Hombrerdquo in Musialrsquos honormdashis quick to acknowledge But thanks to this long-overdue reappraisal even those who took his greatness for granted will learn to appreciate him all over again.
