Marty Marion, the brilliant shortstop and 1944 National League MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals and a former manager of the Cardinals and St. Louis Browns, has died. He was 93. Marion, who played on World Series title teams in 1942, '44 and '46, died Tuesday night in St. Louis, Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said. The 6-2, 170-pound Marion was nicknamed the "Octopus" and "Slats" for his long-armed, rangy fielding prowess, and was considered the best shortstop in Cardinals history before Ozzie Smith joined the franchise in 1982. Teammate Stan Musial won all three of his MVP awards in the 1940s, in '43, '46 and '48. He hit .347 average with 12 homers and 94 RBIs in 1944, but Marion got the nod on the basis of his defense and team leadership after batting only .267 with six homers and 63 RBIs. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6224118
