Stan Musial was a Pennsylvania boy, the son of a Czech immigrant. He joined the Cards line up in 1940, and finally took his last at bat in 1963. Throughout his career he was a consistent RBI hitter, led the NL in batting average 7 times, and led 6 times in hits and on base percentage. In the process, Musial helped the Redbirds win the World Series in 1942, when the "St Louis Swifties" used dominant hitting and base-running to beat the Yankees in 5. Old Number 6 also led St Louis in 1944 to victory in the "Trolleycar Series" over crosstown rivals the St Louis Browns 4 to 2. His bat was a key in the victory over the Red Sox in 1946, as well.

Preacher Rowe, a Dodgers pitcher of the era said of Musial "My best way of dealing with Musial is this : I throw him 4 wide ones and then try to pick him off at first." In 1966, a statue of Stan the Man was erected at Busch Stadium. When meeting friends at the Stadium, the statue is a common rendezvous point, and "I'll met you by Stan" is an often-heard phrase. Stan The Man Musial turns 86 next November 21st.

As Musial was a soft-spoken gentleman, Enos "Big Country" Slaughter was a take-no-prisoners, loud, aggressive force on the diamond. The North Carolinian hit .392 in 1946, and was immortalized for scoring from first on a single by Henry Walker in the bottom of the eighth inning, game 7 against the Red Sox. Circling the bases at top speed like a rhino in spikes, Slaughter scored the run that would win the Series for St Louis.

Slaughter ran everywhere, even to first on a walk. And Big Country saw every opposing player as an enemy, every game as a battle to the death. A son of the segregated South, Slaughter tried to organize a strike when Jackie Robinson came into the league, and was shunned by Major League Baseball for forty years after cleating Robinson in the leg on a close play at first. Enos maintained he would have cleated anyone in the same situation, and there were certainly enough infielders with scarred shins and ankles to vouch for that. "A guy gets in my way, I run over him," Slaughter was quoted as saying.

Whatever you think of old Enos Slaughter, one thing's certain : Nobody hustled more, or played harder, not even Slaughter's great admirer,Pete Rose. His "Mad Dash" is a part of Cardinals legend, evidence that talent and luck play a roll in victory, but nothing beats sheer guts and determination. Outside Busch Stadium, cast immortally in bronze, Slaughter slides into home plate, the catcher a breath too late for the tag, the umpire signalling safe.