BUSCH STADIUM MEMORIES PART VI

Anytime you get to go to a World Series game it's awesome. But how about when Stan Musial gets you tickets?

When the Holiday Inn was first built in Mt. Vernon it was a Ramada Hotel. Stan and Biggies ran the restaurant. Fletcher Farrar owned the hotel and my wife worked for him. Back in 1982 she was probably an administrative assistant or some title like that. A lot of her responsibilities centered on the new hotel.

When the hotel first opened, there was an open house for Mt. Vernon's elite. ( I know that may sound like aa oxymoron, but there are still many elite people in Mt. Vernon. And of course not all got invites.) But anyway(s), Stan and his wife Lil were there and Caroline and I got to spend most of the evening chatting with them. We were interrupted literally hundreds of times by people wanting autographs and pictures, and The Man was very gracious. I must have heard 15 people say they had witnessed Musial's 5 home runs in a doubleheader. For some reason one I remember saying that was Ray Buckley, which may not mean much to some of you.

Shortly after that great night, the Cardinals were hosting the Brewers in the World Series. Our game 2 seats were in the loge area directly behind home plate. Stan didn't sit with us, but his son and the Farrars did. We had eaten at the Stadium Club before the game. I still remember wearing a burgundy courderoy suit to the stadium Club and game.

Of course, I remember Darrell Porter's opposite field double to secure the win. A dead pull hitter, Porter never hit another opposite field hit of any kind in his career. Don Sutton was the losing hurler that night. I think John Stuper was the winner. Besides me anyway.