I can't get as poetic about it as Frank, but I'd say Stan Musial has to be on that list. Most of his cards are quite reasonable yet he was considered one of the greats of the game. The only reason his cards aren't more highly valued is he didn't play in New York.
Some quotes about Stan from those that saw him play:
An outfield composed of (Ty) Cobb, (Tris) Speaker and (Babe) Ruth, even with Ruth, lacks the combined power of (Joe) DiMaggio, (Stan) Musial and (Ted) Williams." - Connie Mack
"He could have hit .300 with a fountain pen." - Joe Garagiola
"He didn't hit a homer in his last at-bat; he hit a single. He didn't hit in 56 straight games. He married his high school sweetheart and stayed married to her, never married a Marilyn Monroe. He didn't play with the sheer joy and style that goes alongside Willie Mays' name. None of those easy things are there to associate with Stan Musial. All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being." - Sportscaster Bob Costas in ESPN SportsCentury (ESPN)
"How good was Stan Musial? He was good enough to take your breath away." - Broadcaster Vin Scully
And those that had to pitch to him:
""I throw him four wide ones then try to pick him off first base." - Preacher Roe
"I've had pretty good success with Stan (Musial) by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." - Carl Erskine
"Once (Stan) Musial timed your fastball, your infielders were in jeopardy." - Warren Spahn
|