Stan Musial by Wikimedia Commons

In a week where media focus has been on a “sports hero” who was seen to be contrite for the falseness of his accomplishments in the sport of cycling, I would like to make mention of a childhood hero of mine. Although my passion is for real estate it also extends equally to baseball.

As a young boy growing up in Hamilton, Ontario my morning ritual was to run downstairs to our front door at the crack of dawn from April to the end of September to open up and scan through the sports section of the Globe and Mail to find the baseball box scores giving the results of the previous day’s major league baseball games. I started this ritual at the age of 5 devouring as many baseball statistics that the newspaper provided. To me, each year Baseball’s Opening Day was like a National Holiday not to be missed on the radio or on television, if possible. The giants of the game that danced in my head were Mantle, Mays, Spahn, Banks, Aaron, Koufax amongst many other great ballplayers. However, one player has stood out for a different reason that only time would reveal.

Stan Musial by Wikimedia Commons

This hero of mine was a gentleman, who went about his business quietly and yet whose persona was bigger than life. His passing left me more appreciative of his amazing accomplishments in Major League Baseball and his contribution to sports and life in general. He was an athlete that my best friend David, my brother, father and grandfather - all lovers of the game would speak of with reverence not only as a wonderful baseball player but as a person. His name was Stan Musial. Stan the Man. He was a hero of mine then and now.

Read Stan Musial's story posted on the day of his passing, January 19th 2013 in MLB.com by William Nack who was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for 25 years.