Deras was signed as a 17 year old out of Hamtramck High School by the St. Louis Cardinals for a big bonus. He is noticeably humble and had to be encouraged to reminisce. “Mo Mozalli signed me in 1964, said Deras.” The baseball anecdotes kept coming until everyone added their favorite Stan Musial stories. A small group gathered to overhear and Deras froze the audience when he told about his first Stan-the-Man encounter.
He told Conrad about his first day at practice at old Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg. “Stan had just retired and he was an instructor at spring training. On my first day in Florida, I was nervous as all get out. Stan Musial came up to me and said, ‘Come on Polish boy, how about some catch.’ From then on I was always the Polish boy.”
“That really shook off the butterflies,” added Deras. “What a class act to help out a rookie like that. He must have known I was nervous and that settled me down. That was better than any homerun I ever hit. What a class act. Later I found out that Mozalli and Stan were best friends and Stan had a whole history on me.” Musial was the first NPASHF inductee in 1973. In everyone’s book Stan Musial is in the Hall of Fame of Human Beings. “He is a great example and a treasure to world-wide Polonia, added Deras.
This years NPASHF induction ceremony is June 23, at 6:00 PM at the American Polish Cultural Center in Troy Michigan. (2975 East Maple Road at Dequindre Road)
Also being inducted are Bill Romanowski, Stan Javie and Tom D’Eath. More at www.polishsportshof.com