Nick Rousseau is the founder of a group on Facebook dedicated to turning all of Eighth Street into “Stan Musial Street.Rory Sullivan
– Staff Writer –
The name Stan Musial is one that has been placed into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, as well as on a block outside of Busch Stadium between Cerre Street and Washington Avenue. One student at STLCC-Meramec, however, thinks that more should be done to honor the former Cardinal.
Nick Rousseau is the founder of a group on Facebook dedicated to turning all of Eighth Street into “Stan Musial Street.” Rousseau got the idea to change the name of the street after taking a picture of the Stan Musial statue looking out onto the street. Rousseau is both a Cardinals and Yankees fan, and said that while Musial’s honors are good, “The Man” deserves more.
“The Cardinals named the block back in 2008, so they could have done it then but they didn’t,” Rousseau said. “I love the statue, but I think it would be nice to have the street and the statue.”
Stan Musial Drive currently covers a section of Eighth Street outside of Busch Stadium, but Eighth Street itself stretches from Busch Stadium to Washington Avenue.
“A block is not good enough. I think the whole street is,” Rousseau said.
The name of Rousseau’s group is “Change all of Eighth Street to Stan Musial Street,” and currently has over 6,000 members. The idea to create the Facebook group came when he saw a Facebook group succeed in getting Betty White on Saturday Night Live. Rousseau proposed the idea back in the summer of 2010, but was slowed down by a city ordinance. It is written in section 20.12.020 of St. Louis City Ordinance 68604 that a petition must be filed.
Rousseau gathered approximately 50 signatures from various Cardinals fans, but the ordinance reads that “Such petition must be initiated by the owners of 51 percent or more of the recorded parcels of land fronting on any such street…”
When Rousseau pitched the idea back in the summer, he was also told that he would have to wait until after Musial dies to name the street after him. This means that Musial, who turned 90 years old in November, would not be around to see the street honoring him assuming Rousseau succeeds. Rousseau is still fighting to make sure Musial himself will be around to see the new Eighth Street, and said he is still optimistic.
“There are nine innings of baseball,” Rousseau said. “I’m pretty much in my second inning.”
With Rousseau’s Facebook group gaining members every day, he hopes that his campaign will be successful as well.
