cairistiona's place

I doubt this post will hold much interest to most of you, but it's a sad day in my other "fandom" (in quotes because that term is rarely used by sports fans, and Cardinals fans call themselves Cardinal Nation). The greatest player in St. Louis Cardinals history, Stan "The Man" Musial, died yesterday at the age of 92. I can't put into words what Stan Musial was to the city of St. Louis and to Cardinals fans everywhere, so I was very grateful that Major League Baseball writer Richard Justice does a very eloquent job in this article. If you want  a glimpse of why I'm a baseball fan, and specifically a Cardinals fan, read it. It's not long, but he manages to express my feelings perfectly.

I never got to see Stan play, nor did I meet him in person to shake his hand as I have several players and coaches over the course of my life, but I always wished I'd had the opportunity. He was such a mainstay at the stadium, especially on opening day, which is a major holiday in my hometown. It will be very bittersweet this year not to see him circling the field with the parade of former and current players, smiling and waving at fans. The sun will shine a little less bright on the baseball field that day.