CONGRATULATIONS TO STAN "DA MAN" MUSIAL

Congratulations to Stan Musial on being one of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Hall of Famer, who turns 90 on Sunday, will become the eighth baseball player in history to accept the country’s highest civilian award, which was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Stan "The Man" Musial is a baseball legend and Hall of Fame first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. Musial played 22 seasons for the Cardinals from 1941 to 1963. A 24-time All-Star selection, Musial accumulated 3,630 hits and 475 home runs during his career, was named the National League's Most Valuable Player three times, and was a member of three World Series championship teams. Musial also served as the Cardinals' general manager in 1967, when the team once again won the World Series.

Musial, known affectionately as “Stan the Man,” spent 22 seasons with the Cardinals between 1941 and 1963, earning Most Valuable Player honors three times.
The outfielder and first baseman built a reputation as one of the game’s greatest hitters during his long, productive career.

Musial is a three-time MVP who still holds the Cardinals' club records for hits, home runs and RBIs. When he retired from baseball after the 1963 season, Musial held 29 National League records and 17 major-league records. He has remained a presence in St. Louis in the decades since his retirement, never missing an opportunity to play his harmonica, dash off an autograph or talk about last night's Cardinals game with anyone who approaches him.

The 24-time All-Star (two All-Star games were played each year between 1959 and 1962) owned an astonishing .331 lifetime batting average. He ranks fourth in Major League history with 3,630 career hits and third in doubles with 725.
The Pennsylvania native helped lead the Cardinals to three World Series titles in 1942, 1944 and 1946. Musial missed the 1945 season to serve in the United States Navy during World War II.