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Readers learn how Stan Musial's gentlemanly nature commanded respect on and off the ball field, in a biography that reveals how "Stan the Man" won seven batting titles and played in a record twenty-four consecutive All-Star Games. ... Read more

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When Stan The Man Musial retired after 22 years with the Cardinals (disrupted only by a year of service with the U.S. Navy during World War II), he held 17 Major League records, 29 National League records, and 9 All Star game records. His unwavering consistency with the bat still has no peer: he hit over .300 17 times in his career, and left the game 2nd all-time in total bases, 4th in hits, 5th in RBIs, and 6th in number of games played. Despite his extreme production at the plate-achieved, in fact, only after a shoulder injury forced him to drop his duties as a pitcher-he never achieved the fame or iconic status of a Joe DiMaggio in New York or a Ted Williams in Boston; but when he collected his last hit in 1963, he departed with one of the most magical and representative statistics in the history of the game: 1,815 hits at his home ballpark, and 1,815 hits away from home. His career is a testament to concentration and integrity, and to this day Stan Musial's statistics and legacy place him among the true greats of baseball's pantheon.

It has been said that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in professional sports. Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters presents biographies on Greenwood's selection for the 12 best hitters in Major League history, written by some of today's best baseball authors. These books present straightforward stories in accessible language for the student researcher and the general reader alike. Each volume includes a timeline, bibliography, and index. In addition, each volume includes a Making of a Legend chapter that analyses the evolution of the player's fame and (in some cases) infamy.

Customer Reviews (1)

A deftly written, meticulously definitive, and very highly recommended history
After playing professional baseball for twenty-two years (disrupted for one year to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II) with the Cardinals, Stan 'The Man' Musial retired holding seventeen Major League records, 29 National League records, and 9 all Star game records. He hit over .300 seventeen times in the course of his career and was second in all-time total bases, fourth in hits, fifth in runs batted in (RBI), and sixth in the number of games played. But every bit as important to his fans as Stan's prowess on the field, was his exemplary character off it. Now the latest titles in the outstanding Greenwood Publishing Group's 'Baseball's all-time Greatest Hitters' series of baseball greats, "Stan Musial: A Biography" by baseball historian and enthusiast Joseph Stanton presents a deftly written, meticulously definitive, and very highly recommended history of Stan's life and accomplishments that will be greatly appreciated by baseball enthusiasts in general, and Stan Musial's legions of fans in particular. ... Read more

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Celebrate the 90th birthday ofStan "The Man" Musialwith the Post-Dispatch's new book!"Stan Musial - Baseball's Perfect Knight" tells the story of Stan's childhood, and his quick rise to baseball history in St. Louis.Loaded with archival photos, this book is sure to win a coveted place on your bookshelf! ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial (born November 21, 1920) is a retired Polish-American professional baseball player who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis 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. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Baseball Digest, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2007. The length of the article is 2085 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Still 'The Man': Stan Musial--baseball's greatest ambassador and one of the game's all-time best players.
Author: Derrick Goold
Publication: Baseball Digest (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 66Issue: 5Page: 62(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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In The Cardinals Encyclopedia, Mike Eisenbath, seasoned sports writer for the Post-Dispatch, offers his carefully researched collection of Cardinal baseball lore to those loyal Redbird followers. Including a look at the 1998 season and a full chapter on Big Mac himself and his record-breaking plays by the sports writer assigned to cover his every move, this book-covering everything from stories and statistics to team milestones and strategists to ballparks, the front office, and trades-brings to life all of the thrilling moments and special characters that have shaped the franchise's rich baseball tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I think this book is a good buy for any baseball fane.
First, a disclaimer: I am a fellow member of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports staff with Mike Eisenbath, the book's author. Second, a disclaimer of the disclaimer: Anyone who knows me knows that I have never hesistatedto criticize a fellow staff member. On to the review: Here are five goodreasons ANY baseball fan would enjoy this book: (1) It's a terrificreference book. Even if you hate the Cardinals (I think they call thosepeople Cub fans or something like that), you have to admit that theCardinals have been a big part of baseball history with their numerouspennant winning teams and many great Hall of Famers. (2) If you are aCardinal fan, the book will bring back a lot of pleasant memories and a fewunpleasant ones. (I've learned NOT to mention the 1968 or 1985 World Seriesaround rabid Cardinal fans.) (3) The 200 player profiles alone are worththe price of the book. In this chapter you can recall the exploits of suchCardinal greats as Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock andRoger Freed. (4) If baseball trivia is your thing, you can pick up allkinds of good stuff browsing and reading this book. (5) If you want toimpress your friends with what a great baseball expert you are, you canmemorize this book in your spare time and impress your friends. You can'tgo wrong buying this book. ... Read more

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Facts figures Official Rules & Stories of Stars,SOFTCOVER Frontispiece photo Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Cather & Elwin (Preacher) Roe ,baseballs leading leftie, Inside Back Cover photo Allie Reynolds, Editorial Board, H. G. Salsinger & Don H. Black, PBO, Red & White & Green & Yellow decorated Wraps minor Rub, Wear Scuff Cover primarily Extremities, ,Internally Nice, Tight Clean minor Wear & pgs slightly yellowed, NF/VG+, AS-IS, SOFTCOVER, Dell Publishing , NY ... Read more

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PBO, Red & White & Black decorated Wraps minor Rub, Wear Scuff Cover, Small chips Extremities Cover bottom & light ink mrk back cover,Internally Nice, Tight Clean minor Wear, NF/VG, AS-IS, SOFTCOVER ... Read more

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Finally, here is a biography of Stan Musial that is worthy of the player himself. The author, who grew up in Musial's hometown, has spent years researching the slugger's life and career. The result is a biography broad in scope and deep in analysis. Stan the Man details not only the personality and the accomplishments of the man but artfully examines Musial's life against the backdrop of the Great Depression (which the already-impoverished Musial family endured), race and integration, and the tragedy that struck his hometown of Donora, PA, and claimed many lives, including ultimately his father's. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not much here
There's not a lot of information about Stan Musial here that you couldn't probably find in most any book about baseball in the 1940s and 1950s.Mr. Stewart spends a lot of time summarizing playoff games, and from the way it's written, it seems he spent at least one afternoon at the library reading old St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspapers so he could give us the abridged version.There is also a liberal dose of statistics taken straight from box scores anyone can find, but very little about Musial's character or family, other than dozens of quotes saying "he was a nice guy".

Stewart has obviously read a few baseball books, like Kirby Higbe's "The High Hard One" and Leo Durocher's "Nice Guys Finish Last", because he distributes anecdotes and comments from those books throughout the book, but not much is original.

This is not a bad book, and there are some interesting sections, but there's just not much to it.

The Life of a Legend
For many baseball fans, Stan Musial is a bit of a mystery; his career ended during the Kennedy administration, and began prior to this country's involvement in World War II.Time has pushed the Musial legacy into the background; now, as Stan the Man approaches his 90th birthday, Wayne Stewart's biography of one of the game's greatest hitters is giving fans a fresher perspective of this man who was born to be a ballplayer; and what a player he was.

As a life-long fan of the St Louis Cardinals, my earliest memories were of teams he performed on with such effortless skill and grace.Although he was already past his prime by the time I first started going to the games, in the late '50s; he was still the leader of the team, and was revered by the vast majority of Redbird rooters, as well.

The fact that I personally already know much of what Stewart has written about Musial doesn't take away from its significance; I realize most readers won't be as familiar with this great ballplayer, and his accomplishments on and off the field.This is a most worthy effort, and comes along at a time when the Musial legacy was perhaps fading from the forefront of baseball folklore.This is a refreshing perspective of a man who deserves the renewed attention - Stan the Man Musial.

Nothing Really New in This Book
I have read and have copies of two of the previous Stan Musial biographies, and I like Bob Broeg's the best.James Giglio wroteone in 2007 which was okay, but did have a few errors in it.The present one written by Donora, Pennsylvania, native Wayne Stewart, really doesn't contain any new information other than what has happened in Stan's life since the previous biography came out in 2007.That part of the book I found to be the most interesting part.The vast majority of the book recounts Stan's life and career with a number of anecdotes that can readily be found in any number of baseball books.An example would be the players' relationship with managers Eddie Stanky, Solly Hemus, and Johnny Keane can be book in several other books.If you have done previous reading on the game's history you won't find much new information here.As I said Stan and his wife's issues with declining health are all that is new information.

I find it disappointing that he and Joe Garagiola apparently do not intend to patch up their feud over the money matters in regard to their past partnership in the Redbird Lanes bowling alley venture.Garagiola attempted to reconcile, but Musial blew him off because Joe voiced remarks about Stan that Musial took issue with that were injurious to Stan's reputation.That's sad since both are godfathers to each other's children and both are up in years and a reconciliation would be nice while both are still alive.

Author Stewart, a Donora native like Musial, writes very favorably towards Musial throughout the book and the back of the inside dust jacket states that this is "the ultimate biography of Stan the Man."I feel the only reason for it being the "ultimate biography" of Musial is because it includes his life since his last biography.However, as I previously noted, there are a lot of anecdotes regarding both baseball and Musial that can be found in numerous other books.I found the book to be okay, but certainly nothing special. ... Read more

Product Description
In the most comprehensive assessment of baseball legend Stan Musial's life and career to date, James N. Giglio places the St. Louis Cardinal star within the context of the times-the Great Depression and wartime and postwar America-and the issues then prevalent in professional baseball, particularly race and the changing economics of the game. Giglio illuminates how the times shaped Musial and delves further into his popular image as a warm, unfailingly gracious role model known for good sportsmanship and devotion to family. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Excellent Biography of Stan The Man
James N. Giglio's comprehensive biography of Stan Musial offers a fine life-view story of one of baseball's brightest stars.Spanning the years from his parent's arrival in America to the recent years, Giglio shows us that with Musial, "what you see (and hear about) is pretty much what you get:" a superstar ballplayer who really is a nice guy in person.With the depth of experience as a researcher and writer, I feel that Giglio has explored all avenues of Musial's life and has written an excellent book of the man's history, character and actions.This isn't to say that Musial was perfect; there are instances of temper, inaction and mistakes, but it make Musial no different than anyone else.As a role model, Giglio shows that Musial can fill the bill; for the book, Giglio enlightens and entertains - a very satisfying read, indeed.

A Finely Crafted Biography of one of MLB's Greatest Players
The St. Louis Cardinals are a storied Major League Baseball franchise, second only to the New York Yankees in the number of World Series championships they have taken. Like the Yankees, the Cardinals have employed some of the most exceptional ballplayers ever, and the penultimate Cardinal has to be Stan Musial. Although Rogers Hornsby, Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, and a host of other Hall of Famers were Cardinals for the bulk of their careers, it is Stan "The Man" Musial who defines the team and its place in baseball lore. This fine biography by historian James N. Giglio explains why this is the case.

A sore-armed left-handed pitcher whose retreading into an outfielder might have been the most fortunate transformation of any player since Babe Ruth moved from the pitcher's mound to leftfield for good in 1919, he proved to be the greatest Cardinal of them all. In a stunning 22-year career, The Man (and no other identification is necessary) wracked up a .331 career batting average and won the batting title seven times, hit 475 career home runs, hit safely 3,630 times, was named Most Valuable Player in the National League three times, enjoyed perennial all star game appearances, and upon retirement held 17 major league, 29 National League, and nine all-star game records. While Musial played with the Cardinals it won National League Pennants in 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1946, and took three World Series championships in 1942, 1944, and 1946.

His career represented the pinnacle of all the great players produced by the Cardinals farm system. Musial's was also a career of great dignity and poetry both on and off the field, and he remains an icon in St. Louis more than forty years after his retirement.

Equally important, Musial epitomized the American heartland with its virtues of rusticity, small towns, Protestant beliefs, and hard-working. Hailing from the backhills of Pennsylvania's mining country Musial strode across the National League as a giant for more than twenty years, but one who never forgot that hard work, good manners, and honorable actions brought him to greatness. His streak of 895 consecutive games played stood as a National League record until broken by Billy Williams of the Cubs in 1970 and was one record that Musial especially prized, for it demonstrated his commitment to working-class values in the everyday task of showing up and playing the game of baseball. This is a fundamental part of the story told by James Giglio in "Musial."

But there is another side of Musial that Giglio finds less compelling. He was never a crusader and remained apart from the efforts to integrate MLB and to challenge the reserve clause that bound players to one team indefinitely. With his stature in the game and the society around him, with his secure place as one of the premier major leaguers of his era, he might have offered leadership in helping to end those injustices. He failed to do so. To his credit he did not oppose integration, but the Cardinals were one of the teams that put Jackie Robinson through hell in 1947 and Musial was essentially absent from the controversy. Personally detesting segregation, Musial might have mitigated the situation as the team leader. Likewise, Bob Feller asked for his support in forcing changes to the reserve clause to grant free agency for veterans with ten years experience, but Musial backed away in favor of the status quo.

While he was very much a man with quirks and faults, and a real aversion to engaging in controversy, Giglio shows a Stan Musial who was genuinely a nice, upstanding gentleman. Far from the fatally flawed anti-hero so common to Major League Baseball, it is refreshing to read such a book about a great player when so much about the game seems sordid with doping and other new scandals announced almost daily in the media. Of course, I still wish "the Man," as well as hundreds of other MLB players and owners, had recognized the racism present in the game and pressed to end it.

From Stash to Stan: The MAN-in-Full
This book is head and shoulders above the average baseball biography.Most sports biographies fall into one of two categories: either they're superficial, hero-worshiping treatments that present the subject as a faultless paragon and give little space to anything other than the subject's on-field exploits, or they're efforts to tear down the hero image and dig up as much dirt on the athlete as possible.

Giglio's study of Musial avoids both these pitfalls.Since Giglio is a professional historian, rather than a sportswriter, he brings a historian's thoroughness and depth to his research on Musial.We learn a great deal about Musial's ethnic background, his family, and his personal attitudes and character.Although the author emphasizes what a genuinely good man Musial was and is, he presents a nuanced portrait that accepts and analyses his subject's faults and foibles as well as his many virtues.

Unfortunately, there are always a few hard-core sports fans who flee in horror from this kind of book.All they want to read about is their hero's exploits on the playing field.There are others who live and breathe statistics and sneer in contempt when a book about a baseball star isn't full of Sabrmetrics.It's true that this book is statistically unsophisticated, but the author makes no claims that he's writing that kind of book.This is a book about a MAN who PLAYED baseball-- not a "baseball book."

I give it a four-star rating only because the writing is at times a little dry and professorial--but only a little.This is a great read for anyone who dreams of getting to know a baseball immortal, and one of baseball's genuine gentlemen.

One of The Best Baseball Bios
The book covers all phases of Musial's life, including his personal life and post-baseball life. Unlike many baseball bios, it covers some weaknesses in the personal characteristics of this great star, although there were very few in Musial. What I especially liked about the book is that the author contacted and obtained interesting information from numerous former major league players and others who knew Musial. Theauthor had apparently written letters to more than 500 former major leaguers.

I couldn't put the book down. I'd rate it even better than the recent book I read about Ted Willimas, which I rated as the best baseball bio I had ever read. Stan Musial was my favorite ball player wehn I was growing up in the 1950s, and I wasn't disappointed.

If anything, I would have liked to hear even more about Musial's post baseball life, although there's a lot in the book. However, I understand Stan did not cooperate with the author.

An Objective Look At Stan The Man
Author James Giglio did not receive the blessings from Stan Musial to write this book, and Stan apparently discouraged others, at least according to the author, from aiding in this book as well.I found the book to be enjoyable and portrays Stan as both the baseball icon he so deservedly is along with frailities that make him human like the rest of us.I found it to be disappointing that he and Joe Garagiola, who are godfathers to each other's children, had a falling out that has apparently ended their friendship over problems involving their Redbird Lanes bowling alley partnership.According to Gigllio, Garagiola has tried to mend the friendship, but Stan wanted no part of it.Stan is not one to get involved in controversial matters such as race relations and the reserve clause which bound players to one team.Musial, while not against integration, did not use his superstar status to speak in support of it.In like manner when Bob Feller wanted him to support revisions to the reserve clause, Musial backpeddled when he (Musial) had suggested free agency after ten years of service and then stated he was satisfied with the status quo.He was in his element when he was in a relaxed atmosphere among people, but controversy made him back off.I did find afew errors in the book, primarily with first names of former players.Hall of Fame Cincinnati manager Bill McKechnie is referred to as "Joe".Former Chicago Cubs catcher Elvin Tappe is referred to as "Ted".Former Brooklyn Dodgers pitchers Chris Van Cuyk and Ben Wade are referred to as "Johnny" and "Jake" respectively.One additional error I found takes place during Stan's retirement party sponsored by the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.Ernie Banks spoke and pretended to read a telegram from the NAACP which he said stood for "the National Association for Advancement of Colored Pitchers."Banks actually said, the "National Association for the Advancement of Cubs' Pitching."I have a copy of the highlights of the St. Louis BBWAA on a phonograph record and this portion of the speech is on it.These are errors I caught in the book that I felt should not be there.Four well known players of the time period should have their first names listed correctly, in addition to the error in the speech by Banks.There are probably others, but these are the ones I found.In any case I enjoyed the book, and it was worth my time. ... Read more

Product Description
Lansche deftly covers Stan Musial's fantastic baseball career, highlighting the most dramatic moments he spent on the field, and, for the first time, provides a portrait of Musial the man--his early years, the injury that ended his pitching career, his enshrinement into the Hall of Fame, and more. Foreword by Ted Williams. Photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A REAL GOOD READ
STASH WAS A GREAT PLAYER AND HIS STORY IS WELL WRITTEN. STAN RETIRED BEFORE I FOLLOWED THE GAME. I HAVE SEEN HIS RECORDS, HEARD ABOUT HIS ABILITY AND HAVE SEEN VIDEO OF HIS FEATS. HE CERTAINLY LIVES UP TO HIS NICKNAME AS THE MAN. STAN WAS A VERY HUMBLE MAN AND DID NOT BEAT HIS OWN DRUM. TODAY'S ATHLETES SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. THE BOOK IS ONE OF BETTER ONES I HAVE READ. I CAN SEE WHY THE FANS LOVED STAN AND BECAME ONE OF THE ALL FAVORITES. HE WAS A GOOD ALL AROUND PLAYER BUT HIS HITTING WAS LEGENDARY. THE BOOK HAS A TON OF SEASON TO SEASON AND GAME TO GAME ACTION. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL CARDINAL FANS AND HISTORIANS OF BASEBALL. STAN WAS TRULY THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE DURING THE 40'S AND 50'S.

Pure Baseball History of an All-time Great
Stan Musial was a superb athlete, but Jerry Lansche certainly hit the nail right on the head when he subtitled this book, "Born to Be a Ballplayer".What a great ballplayer he was; and what a wonderful human being he is - humble and kind; a true gentleman in every sense of the word.Now, as he approaches his 90th birthday, Stan Musial is slowly fading from the collective memory of baseball fans, most of whom never saw him play; never saw his pure, fluid swing; never saw the skill in how he ran the bases and fielded his position; but most of all, never saw him lead his team, with quiet confidence and unyielding passion to perform his job in superior fashion, as so few have done in the history of the game.

This wonderful book chronicles the accomplishments of Stan Musial, as a ballplayer; his skills in that capacity were incredible, and his somewhat bland public personna may have distanced him from the spotlight, especially as he slowly ages in this era of "in your face"
celebrity profiles; but it's a refreshing story to peruse; where a guy just wanted to play ball and be a good family man.Nothing more; nothing less.

Stan The Man Musial did it better than just about anybody else to wear a big league uniform, and this is a book any true fan of the game will cherish.

Baseball's Last Hero
A wonderful book about a real baseball player.A real player that everyone looked up to.It truly is a shame that they all seem to be forgetting Stan Musial.Jerry Lansche does a fabulous job at telling justthe facts.No embellishment here.No controversies, no scandals, noclubhouse brawls.Stan was indeed the Man!From beginning to end hecaptures the era with the precision one would expect from a seasonedauthor.As with Joe Dimaggio, where have you been Stan Musial?The gamemisses you!Of note, I do have an autographed copy of this book.Thatmakes it very special to me.Great effort!I can't wait for his nextbook, whatever it may be.

Recap of career of baseball's "Shining Knight"
Stan the Man Musial: Born to Be a Ballplayer is author Jerry Lansche's third baseball book and his first autobiography.It follows Musial's career, year-by-year, through its ups and downs (mostly ups) from the time he broke in with the St. Louis baseball Cardinals in September, 1941, through his retirement in 1963.Full of stories and anecdotes, Stan the Man Musial is the most complete biography ever written on baseball's "Shining Knight."Lansche's second book, Glory Fades Away: The Nineteenth Century World Series Rediscovered, is out of print, but can be located with some difficulty through mail-order catalogues.You may contact the author directly at jlansche@trucom.com for purchase of autographed or non-autographed copies ... Read more