And there I was, thinking Stan Musial was boycotting because Trace Adkins sucks. From the New York Daily News’ Bill Madden.
Seems someone in the Cardinal marketing department had arranged to have Joe Garagiola, catcher on the Cards’ ’46 world championship team, catch Musial’s first pitch, unaware of the fact the two have been engaged in a bitter feud for more than 30 years. The estrangement stemmed from a business dispute involving a bowling alley, Red Bud Lanes, in south St. Louis, that Musial and Garagiola co-owned in the ’70s. Musial never forgave Garagiola for filing a lawsuit against him having to do with the business. I’m told that Musial wasn’t informed about the plan to have Garagiola catch his pitch until Tuesday morning, at which time he canceled. He’s expected back tonight for Game 5 now that Garagiola has gone home to Arizona. In a touch of irony, Cardinal shortstop great Ozzie Smith, who is feuding with Tony LaRussa, was the last-minute first pitch substitute for Musial.
Thanks for the story, but I have to make one correction: The name of the now-long gone bowling center was Red BIRD Lanes.
I THINK STAN. THE MAN WAS AS CLOSE TO THE ULTIMATE BALLPLAYER
YOU COULD FIND MY FEAR OF HIM WHEN HE CAME TO BAT IN THE ’47
WORLD SERIES EXIHIBETED BY THE KNOT IN MY STOMACH IS LIVING TESTIMONY OF HIS GREATNESS. AS FAR AS JOE GARAGIOLA, HE WAS A MARGINAL PLAYER WHO COULDN’T HIT HIS WEIGHT AND ALWAYS HAD A BAD MOUTH COMPLETELY TOO MUCH TALK AND NOT ENOUGH FACT HE WAS MORE OF A CLOWN THAN KNOWLEDGABLE. BASEBALL MAN SO I BELIEVE WITH HIS GUIFT FOR GAB HE SHOULD HAVE BEN ABLE TO SETTLE HIS PERCIEVED PROBLEM WITH MUSIAL UNLESS HE WAS DEAD WRONG!’
SO I SAY GOODBY TO A GREAT MAN ,BALLPLAYER “THE MAN” STAN MUSIAL RIP