Stan "the Man" Musial

"The Man" is the Last One Left 1.1

Stan Musial is known as one of the ten greatest players in baseball history, alongside such names as Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Johnson, Williams, Cobb, etc.

He is currently the longest reigning member of the Baseball Hall of Fame (1969), the fourth oldest living Hall of Famer (91), and the 40th oldest living former Major Leaguer.

Musial is currently in the Top 30 in many offensive categories: 475 HR (28th), .331 BA (30th), 1951 RBI (6th), 3630 hits (4th), and 6134 total bases (2nd). Musial is also tied with Willie Mays for appearing in the most All-Star games (24) and he was a three-time NL MVP (1943, 46, 48). 

Musial was also a man of consistency: 1,815 hits on the road and 1,815 hits at home. He was called the "Perfect Knight" for baseball in 1969, at his Cooperstown Induction ceremony, by then Commissioner Ford C. Frick. Musial was also a rare sports role model for young kids in the Midwest at the time, even going so far as to give up smoking when he saw kids watching him from under the bleachers.

Musial's generosity and kindness throughout his illustrious 22-year career earned him the 1957 Lou Gehrig Award. When Musial finally retired in 1963 he led the National League in most major offensive categories, including hits.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in 1969. He had been elected as only the ninth player to ever be inducted as a First Ballot Hall of Famer, joining the 1936 introductory class (Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson), Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson in 1962, and Ted Williams in 1966.

But Musial wasn't done there, he continued his charitable giving and has continued to sign autographs for fans everywhere he goes, many of those for free. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in February of 2011, the highest award given to a civilian. (Note: Musial is a veteran of World War II as well.)

In 1999, Musial was named the tenth greatest player in baseball history by the Sporting News and made the All-Century Team.

Musial's name, until recently, wasn't often brought up for the famous "Who's the Greatest Player of All-Time?" debates. 

But here is where he measures up on the four major Hall of Fame tests:

Black Ink Test: 5th

Grey Ink Test: 3rd

Hall of Fame Monitor Test: 1st

Hall of Fame Career Standards Test: T-2nd

Pretty good, huh?

Musial, as of May 21, 2012, is the last living member of the 1942 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. He is one of two surviving members of the 1944 team, along with Freddy Schmidt, and one of five members of the 1946 team, along with Schmidt, Red Schoendienst, Joe Garagiola, and Bill Endicott.