Farewell to the “Perfect Knight”

Stan Musial, Stan “The Man,” died, January 19, 2013. May he rest in peace.

Please indulge me with some thoughts on the passing of baseball’s “Perfect Knight,” a real hometown hero, “The Man,” ninety two years young. Even as a St.Louisan and Cardinal fan I was amazed at the outpouring of adulation and respect the city and the media paid him in our town. Many of the Cardinal greats including his good friend Red Schoendienst, Whitey Herzog, Ozzie Smith, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa, spoke about him as a great guy, a fun guy, a perfect role model, a giving man, and mostly just a good and decent person.

Bob Costas did a truly heartfelt eulogy at the Mass. Julian Javier, Cardinal second baseman in the 50s and 60s, named his son after Stan. Musial was the favorite player and influence for the Pittsburgh Pirate’s great first baseman, Willie Stargell. The St. Louis Blues hockey team all wore number 6 jerseys during their warm up for the game on the Saturday night following the funeral Mass. A reporter asked Stan’s grandson if he liked hockey and he said he did but didn’t like to go to the games because of the fighting. Of course and that made perfect sense.

Everyone had a story about Stan. It seems like they were never ending. Bob Costas, in a radio interview, told of Musial’s admiration for of all people, Mickey Mantle. He spoke about how Stan felt a connection with the way they grew up, their father’s hard lives, and how Mantle impressed him as a ball player. Costas did the eulogy at Mantle’s funeral, and about half way through, while struggling to keep his composure at the loss of his idol, he panned the congregation and fixed on Musial, sitting in a chair in the left aisle of the church, by himself, present, solemn, paying his respects. He flew in the day of the funeral and then quietly left shortly afterward to go home. Mantle and Musial were only acquaintances and were certainly different animals in their personal lives, but he came because he thought a lot of his idol, Mickey Mantle.

On and on, the accolades, the way he affected others, the stories, and though usually just a mention in all of it, there is Stan, the “Polish” man. St. Louis Polonia will always remember Stan for what he did for us. He made appearances at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, at the Polish American Cultural Society Polonez Ball, and at the Polish Heritage Open (PHO) Golf Tournament. He was the honorary chairman of the PHO for many years and helped out with various donations of his memorabilia for our auction. I believe his ethnic background was something he felt as well as acknowledged. Son of an immigrant Pole, Musial did not forget where he came from, whether from St.Louis, Donora Pennsylvania, or Poland.

Barrett Jackman of the Blues said “Stan was thought of as a god around here” and though there was a certain amount of truth to that he wasn’t a god and we all have to go some time. We will miss him and cherish the many times that he took us “out to the ballgame.” Goodbye friend and thank you for giving so much of yourself to so many for so long.

Polish POWs.

A long time ago in an early edition of the Pondering Pole, the question came up, “What happened to those Poles captured by the Germans after the Polish-German conflict at the beginning of World War II?” We are aware of the Katyn massacre and the poor treatment of the Polish captives by the Russians for their part in that war but I have never seen documentation on how Hitler treated Polish soldiers and officers captured by his army.

In a recent published work by Halik Kochanski, The Eagle unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War, (First Harvard University Press, 2012), there is a mention of what happened to these soldiers in the chapter entitled, “The German and Soviet Occupation of Poland to June 1941.” About 700,000 Poles were captured by the Germans. Of these 30,000 were officers. As POWs, both officers and enlisted were treated poorly in internment camps and then,

In the spring of 1940, these men were compulsorily released from their POW status and became slave workers – principally in German agriculture but also in road building and other hard-labor projects. The POWs were subject to the same draconian restrictions as the Polish civilians.

Not as extreme or heinous as the murder of the officer corps by the Russians, but brutal none-the-less. Do the Germans get a pass for how they treated the Polish officers?

Polish or not?

Stephanie Gosk, London correspondent for NBC Nightly News. Gosk -  Goskowski, Goskiewicz, or Goskala?

If you have a thought about this month’s topic, an answer to the question, a question of your own, or have interesting facts to share, contact me at: Edward Poniewaz, 6432 Marmaduke Avenue, St. Louis , MO 63139 ; eMail alinabrig@yahoo.com.

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