Aug. 23, 1963 - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Southern California fandom said farewell to Stan (The Man) Musial on the occasion last night of his final appearance in Los Angeles as a ballplayer for the St. Louis Cardinals. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer will retire from competition at the conclusion of the 1963 season, and last night’s game — won by St. Louis, 3-2 — was the final one locally for the Cardinals. In pregame ceremonies, Musial was presented with two plaques. Wally Moon, Musial’s former Redbird teammate, presented him with one on behalf of the Dodgers. Another plaque was given him by the Los Angeles baseball writers as appreciation for his cooperation with the press over the years. Before Musial came to the microphone to praise the Dodgers as “tough competitors” and to compliment California baseball fans, the crowd of 48,569 stood up and serenaded Stan with “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” in slow tempo. It was a moving demonstration, and Stan was visibly touched. As the ceremonies ended, Dodger manager Walt Alston, his coaches, and players filed past to shake Musial’s hand in a gesture of competitive camaraderie and professional admiration.
