(AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals are starting an effort to award the nation's highest honor to Hall of Famer Stan Musial.

Today the team announced the "Stand for Stan" campaign. The goal to convince President Obama to present Musial with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the most prestigious award a civilian can receive in the United States.

The medal is given "for especially meritorious contribution in cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."
 
Past winners have included Alan Greenspan, Bill Cosby and Muhammad Ali.

The Cardinals have started a Web site for the campaign, in addition to Facebook and Twitter efforts.

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)