Tom Ashley saw a man standing alone near “The Man.”
“The Man” was Ashley’s grandfather, Stan Musial.
The man was Albert Pujols.
“At first, I didn’t know who it was,” Ashley said. “Pujols was standing by himself, next to my grandfather, for minutes — 10-15 minutes.”
It was January of 2013. The greatest Cardinal of this generation paid his respects to the greatest Cardinal.
And as Pujols slowly walked away from the casket, Ashley approached him and introduced himself.
Ashley’s mother is Stan’s daughter, Gerry. Ashley’s childhood memories of are frozen in the heat — summertime at grandpa’s home in Ladue.