Old Pro

The catcher flashed a signal and stuck up his mitt--a fat target. The pitcher frowned moodily and began his windup--a reluctant marksman. All evening, Cincinnati's big righthander, Brooks Lawrence, had been firing successfully past the St. Louis Cardinals. Now he seemed ready to throw and duck. And he had reason. Coiled in the batter's box was Stan ("The Man") Musial, the indestructible old pro whose potent bat has been tormenting National League pitchers ever since his rookie season with St. Louis 18 summers ago.

Lawrence threw. The Man swung. The ball got past Redleg First Baseman George Crowe for a sharp single. For St. Louis fans, it did not seem to matter that the Cards were in the process of losing another game (7-3), that they lay moulting and mute in the cellar of the league. Stanley Frank Musial had hit in 14 consecutive games; he had pushed his lifetime total of hits to 2,986. Time might catch up with him before he came close to Ty Cobb's far-off collection of 4,191 hits. But this week, barring injury, he should join the select company of six other major leaguers who have broken past 3,000.*

No Secret. The ease with which Stan does his slugging makes him the envy of every batter in the league. No "guess hitter" who tries to anticipate a pitcher's plans and prepare his swing in advance, Stan boasts a set of split-second reflexes that allow him to wait until a ball is halfway to the plate before he commits himself. Though reflexes and muscles are both 37 years old, they are still good enough to enable Stan to belt baseballs at the remarkable early-season clip of .509--good enough to lead both leagues. He has already broken the National League endurance mark with 895 consecutive games, boasts the highest lifetime slugging average (.580) in the league, has moved up to fourth among major leaguers in total bases (behind Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker).

Never Enough. "Baseball," says Stan, "is a game you can play as long as you still have two things: desire and the ability to concentrate. Concentration comes hardest of all. The effect on the nervous system is cumulative. At the end of every game I'm beat."

A few seasons ago, at the tag end of one of those strength-sapping St. Louis summers, Stan toyed with the restful notion of quitting after he rapped out his 3,000th. Now he knows better. Stepping up to the plate and swinging free--not for fence-busting homers, but for those record-breaking base hits--is a steady satisfaction for the part-time banker and restaurateur who no longer needs the $100,000 salary that makes him the highest paid player in National League history. "Getting tired," says Stan, "is like a man getting hold of all the money he wants. It never seems to happen."

* Tris Speaker, 3,515; Honus Wagner, 3,430; Eddie Collins, 3,313; Nap Lajoie, 3,251; Paul Waner, 3,152; Cap Anson, 3,081.

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