Stan the............bridge.

[BigDDude]

ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday to rename the new Interstate 70 bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Louis as the "Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge" in honor of the Cardinals legend.
The legislation, which is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama, was introduced by Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) shortly after Musial died on Jan. 19, 2013.
"As Jack Buck would say, 'That's a winner,'" McCaskill said in a statement. "It's a good day for St. Louis, Cardinal Nation and the Musial family, and I'm thrilled the Stan Span will soon be a reality."
Musial played 22 seasons with the Cardinals from 1941 to 1963 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a player in 1969. He was a 24-time All-Star selection, a three-time National League MVP and won three World Series with St. Louis in 1943, 1946 and 1948. He took a one-season hiatus from baseball in 1945 to serve in the U.S. Navy.
"We are very grateful that the new Mississippi River Bridge will be named the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge," said the Musial children (Dick Musial, Gerry Ashley, Janet Schwarze and Jean Edmonds) in a statement. "Our father would be particularly proud to be forever linked to the many men and women who have bravely and selflessly served our nation."
In February 2011, Obama awarded Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an honor that recognizes civilians who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

 

[mutigers1fan]

I've looked at numerous things about this and am confused as to which exact bridge they are talking about. I assume its not the Eads Bridge or MLK. Anyone know?

 

[Arch City]

I've looked at numerous things about this and am confused as to which exact bridge they are talking about. I assume its not the Eads Bridge or MLK. Anyone know?

It's the new bridge between the MLK and McKinley bridges that will carry rerouted Interstate 70 traffic from Illinois to St. Louis. Bridge access to and from downtown will be north of the intersection of Tucker Boulevard and Cass Avenue to give you an idea of where the bridge is exactly. The current section of Interstate 70 will be re-signed as Interstate 44 and Interstate 70 will essentially bypass downtown when it's all said and done.

Rendering of the bridge to be completed by next year:

Map:

Officially it will be known as the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge- appropriate enough since Stan was a veteran. To me at least, naming the bridge after someone that was a fantastic human being as well as one of baseball's greatest players ever was a no-brainer. Nice to see politicians do something right for a change.

 

[BigDDude]

ST. LOUIS -- He's considered the greatest St. Louis Cardinal of them all, and fans of Stan "The Man" Musial have a chance to own a piece of his personal collection, ranging from game-worn jerseys to championship rings -- even his legendary harmonicas.
An online auction of 400 lots of Musial memorabilia began Thursday through Heritage Auctions of Dallas. Bidding ends Nov. 7 through Nov. 9, depending on the lot.
Musial died in January at age 92, a year after his wife, Lillian, died. The family kept numerous mementos from his life and career and gave away many others to the Cardinals organization, friends and others.

But Musial's modest four-bedroom red-brick home in Ladue, Mo., was simply stuffed with things he collected over the years -- items from his playing days, gifts from fellow players, even letters and cards from fans, said Musial's grandson, Brian Musial Schwarze.
"Most of this stuff the family didn't even know was there," Schwarze said. "He just never made a big show of anything."
On the inexpensive side, bidding starts at $1 for things such as autographed photos, Musial's lighters and neckties and a collection of Christmas cards sent to Musial.
At the other end of the scale, bidding starts at $10,000 for four items: A game-worn jersey from 1948, one of three seasons Musial won the National League MVP; championship rings from the 2006 and 2011 seasons; and an autographed baseball from Babe Ruth, given to Musial when he was in the minor leagues in 1941.
Among Schwarze's favorites is a letter from another baseball legend, Ty Cobb. Written in 1952, Cobb's letter discusses everything from how to break out of a slump to his disdain for sportswriters. He wrote: "Seriously now, I know well that you averaged in 6 of your last 7 years .355. Does that give you a right to be so darn modest?
"So go out there now and lead the league again and if you don't lead both Major Leagues this year, you should be shot in the behind with mustard seed," he wrote.
Musial was a seven-time batting champion who spent his entire 22-year career with the Cardinals. He played on three championship teams, all in the 1940s, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969. Musial also served in the Navy in World War II and was a 2011 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, said the auction should draw well, given how much Musial is beloved by Cardinals fans.
"He was such a good guy and a good ambassador for the game," Ivy said. "The response we've gotten in terms of fan interest has been very high."
St. Louis has mourned Musial's passing in a number of ways. Thousands turned out for his funeral procession and public visitation in January. This season, the team's jerseys had No. 6 on the sleeve, and an image of Musial adorned the outfield wall. In July, a new Mississippi River bridge at St. Louis was named in his honor.
Bidding began on the same day the Cardinals were to open the postseason. Musial was a fixture in the postseason, drawing thunderous ovations at pre-game ceremonies as he recreated his hunched-over batting stance. His final appearance at Busch Stadium was last October at Game 4 of the NL championship series.
"Everywhere I go I run into people who have stories about him," Schwarze said. "I have yet to come across a bad story about Stan."