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Lot # 136: Stan "The Man" Musial Signed Batting Helmet

Starting Bid: $100.00

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"I've had pretty good success against Stan by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third," said Carl Erskine, star pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, about Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinal Stan 'The Man" Musial. Offered is a Stan Musial signed St. Louis Cardinals replica batting helmet. Musial played his entire career with the Cardinals, as an outfielder and first baseman. The sweet-swinging lefty batter had a unique batting style in which he peered over his right forearm, peek-a-boo style. That extended right arm could give Musial some protection against a pitch headed towards his face. As this batting stance became more and more familiar to baseball fans, the amiable Musial would often pose for photos by getting into his famous stance, peeking out at the camera. Musial had tremendous natural ability, but he was also crafty when it came to analyzing pitchers. Musial explained: "I consciously memorized the speed at which every pitcher in the league threw his fastball, curve, and slider; then, I'd pick up the speed of the ball in the first thirty feet of its flight and know how it would move once it crossed the plate." Musial played on the Cardinals from 1941-63, with the exception of 1945 when he was in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He had 3,630 hits, with 475 home runs and a lifetime .331 batting average. Stan was a 3-time MVP. a 3-time World Champion, and a 7-time NL batting champion. The offered replica batting helmet has no listed size but is large enough to fit some adults. The blue helmet has a red dot at the top center, and it sports the interlocking St. Louis Cardinals' logo on the front. It has some interior padding. The helmet shows good use, with many small scratches on the top and brim, perhaps in use by youths, but it is not authorized for use, as the helmet is designed to be a replica. It appears that there is a missing tag on the rear of the interior, perhaps a manufacturer's tag. Musial signed the brim in 9/10 silver as "Stan The Man' Musial." Thus, Musial did not write quotation marks before "The", but he did put quotation marks after "Man". Stan may have missed the quotation marks, but he didn't miss too many baseballs, and this signed replica helmet makes a great remembrance for the immensely talented, and hugely popular, Stan "The Man" Musial.

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