On Grandparents Day, we remember Stan Musial homering on the first pitch he saw as a grandpa

Stan Musial accomplished many things during his life. He tallied 3,630 hits, he won three MVP Awards, he made 20 (20!) All-Star teams, he won three World Series rings with the Cardinals, he served time in the military in 1945. His nickname, "The Man," was perhaps the most approrpriate baseball moniker in history.

Family was also very important to Musial. He was married to his wife Lillian for more than 70 years and they had four children, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren together. And that first grandchild was born during the waning September days of Musial's last season in 1963. The baby boy came into the world early on the morning of Sept. 10 -- keeping the 42-year-old up for much of the night:

With little time to rest, Musial's Cardinals had a game against the Cubs that night in St. Louis and, in his first at-bat as a grandfather (and actually on the first pitch he saw), he hit a two-run home run over the right-field wall. He also doubled in a run in his second at-bat -- helping the Cards to an 8-0 victory. While a grandpa, from Sept. 10-29, Musial slashed at a .341/.348/.500 rate with two homers and seven RBIs -- becoming one of the coolest granddads to have ever lived. The Reds even honored the skilled elder statesman with a fitting gift before his last game at Crosley Field on Sept. 22:

So let's appreciate Musial, the few other baseball grandpas over the years and your parents' parents on this Grandparents Day. Give them a call, or give them some thought, today.