Stan Musial

There are just six days left in the 2013 regular season, and while four teams have clinched their divisions, there is still a lot left to be decided in the season's final weekend.

As October approaches, a few teams in the playoff hunt are vying for better playoff position: Three teams in the National League Central − Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati − are separated by just two games, while one game separates three teams for two American League wild-card berths.

Loyal.

Humble.

Those are the first two things I thought of when I heard about Stan Musial's passing this evening. Being from the Midwest, I respected his relationship with the Cardinals organization and how popular of a team he made the Cardinals, even though they weren't flashy or in a large market.

Baseball legend Stan Musial passed away Saturday at the age of 92 (via a St. Louis Cardinals news release). The Hall of Famer spent his entire career (1941-1944, 1946-1963) with the St. Louis Cardinals. Following his retirement, he spent time in the Cardinals front office before retiring from the game altogether.

Only 10 percent of the population is left-handed. Despite a world against us (looking at you notebook spirals), being left-handed has its advantages. One place in particular is on the baseball field.

The St. Louis Cardinal's Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial, along with Boston Celtic legend Bill Russell, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

The Medal of Freedom is the highest honor a civilian of the United States can receive for making an exceedingly great contribution to the interests of our country.

First base is a funny position.  

Often, the first baseman is the team's best hitter, but one of its worst fielders.  Many first baseman are both indispensable (to the batting order) and replaceable (in the field).  

At the conclusion of play on May 1, 1954, the New York Giants were in fifth place with an 8-7 record, but in the closely bunched National League, the future World Champions were but a single game out of the top spot.

The Giants traveled from Chicago, where they had split a two game series with the Cubs to St. Louis, to face the Cardinals in a Sunday twin bill. It would turn out to be a doubleheader that would go down in baseball history.

St. Louis has been home to many of MLB's greatest players, including Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith. 

But no player is more revered in St. Louis history than "Stan-the-Man" Musial. 

Stan-the-Man finished his career with a .331 batting average, 475 home runs, 1951 RBIs and 3630 hits.  He went to 24 All-Star games, won three World Series, and earned the NL MVP three times. 

The St. Louis Cardinals are the most successful baseball franchise in National League history. Second only to the New York Yankees, the Cardinals have won 10 World Series titles.

The consistent presence of great athletes and coaches is hugely responsible for the club's success. Each great Red Birds team has seen one or more Hall of Fame caliber players.

Breaking down the greats and creating a top 10 was no easy feat. With so many great players, the list is open for debate.

Let's take a look at the 10 best players to ever wear a Cardinal uniform.

In terms of baseball and its history defining the greatest hitter of all-time is an extremely difficult task. The reason for this is that there are two types of hitters: One is a contact hitter and the other is a power hitter.

For a contact hitter there goal is to get on base anyway possible whether it's taking a walk, using their speed to get on with a bunt, splitting the gaps for a double or triple, and occasionally a home run.