Visitation, funeral plans set for Stan Musial

Another read, "Stan Musial — a great man, a great ballplayer, and emblematic of the Greatest Generation."

Musial's death coincided with the "Winter Warmup" weekend, where several current and former Cardinals gathered at a downtown hotel for the annual autograph show and dinner.

Outfielder Carlos Beltran said it was difficult to think about an Opening Day without Musial circling the stadium in a golf cart, waving to adoring fans.

"It's going to be different, for sure — what he meant for baseball and what he meant to the city, the whole organization.

"It's a sad moment for baseball but we have to remember the legacy he left behind in this game," Beltran said.

Fans continued to make pilgrimages to the Musial statue Monday, leaving behind balloons, cards and other remembrances for the man once described as "baseball's perfect knight."

The statue first stood outside the old Busch Stadium and was moved to the new ballpark when it opened in 2006.

___

AP Sportswriter R.B. Fallstrom contributed to this report.