Just Another Brick in the Wall

Here it is, just another "Brick in the Wall" of Stan Musial Plaza outside Busch Stadium, but more than a brick to me. It's a lasting testament to my dad and his love for the game, his team and Stan the Man. If you go to Busch Stadium in Saint Louis, the Plaza is located at Gate 3, and dad's brick is at the top right of Stan Musial's baseball mosaic that contains the highlights of his career.







I know that dad is smiling down on the statue of his friend as literally millions of people will step all over him to get this same angle shot, the immortal position of a hitter with 3,630 career hits. Lucky for him he didn't have to face "Bud" on the other side, or he might of had a few less numbers to his total. My dad also got to play in the Navy with Jackie Jensen, the first baseball "Bonus Baby" who went on to become a star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. This was a time when men were real men and baseball was a real game, not ran by corporate America yet. My dad always complained about teams today having too many pitchers who couldn't throw hard enough to "break a cracker" and got to sit on their ass for a few million a year. My dad made $20,000, but he loved the game!




"Bud" Wells, the man with a million dollar arm and a ten cent brain loved to throw the baseball as hard as he could, Spring through Fall, in his tightly woven wool uniform. 90 degrees in wool didn't stop his 90mph fast ball from creating a slight cool breeze by his opponents bat, and some times face as he loved to recall. Not afraid to pitch inside, the brush back, he was competitive until the day he died. Alas, he is now just another Brick in the Wall.

In the words of John Fogerty, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today!"

Sir Hook of Warrick