Charlie Metro (born Charles Moreskonich; April 18, 1918 – March 18, 2011) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
,
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
,
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
and
scout. Notably, he was an
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
for the
Detroit Tigers and
Philadelphia Athletics as well as the manager of the
Chicago Cubs and
Kansas City Royals of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
.
Metro was born and grew up in
Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
Nanty Glo is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,734 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the Welsh ''Nant Y Glo'', ...
, graduating from Nanty Glo High School in 1937, and also worked in the coal mines there during breaks from school. In baseball, he took his last name from his father, Metro Moreskonich, a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
immigrant. Metro threw and batted
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
, stood tall and weighed .
Career
Player
At age 18, Metro attended a tryout camp for the
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
, then bounced around in the minor leagues. In 1940, he joined the Texarkana Liners, then an independent baseball team but which became affiliated with the
Detroit Tigers. Due to his light hitting ability, he was never able to become a full-time starter, although he did make the Tigers club out of
spring training in
1943. He was released by the Tigers in
1944, partly because of his attempts to organize a players union.
The
Philadelphia Athletics picked him up, and, under
Connie Mack
Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...
, Metro won "a shot" at starting center fielder, although his inability to hit consistently cost him this job.
In 171 major league
games played, Metro was credited with 69
hits, with ten
doubles, two
triples and three
home runs. Two of those blows came on consecutive days, June 23–24, 1945, against the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
'
Jim "Milkman" Turner and
Hank Borowy
Henry Ludwig Borowy (May 12, 1916 – August 23, 2004) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1942 through 1951 for the New York Yankees (1942–45), Chicago Cubs (1945–48), Phila ...
. Overall, though, Metro
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
a lowly .193 and collected 23
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
.
In the closing weeks of 1945, Metro joined the
Oakland Oaks of the
Pacific Coast League, where in 1946, his last season as a full-time outfielder, he played under another
Baseball Hall of Fame manager,
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New Y ...
.
Manager, coach and scout
In
1947, he was hired as a
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...
by the Yankees' organization, and in the mid-1950s through 1961 he helmed
Triple-A clubs for the Tigers and
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
. In , he got his first big-league managing job with the
Chicago Cubs as a member of their "
College of Coaches
The College of Coaches was an unorthodox baseball organizational practice employed by the National League's Chicago Cubs in and . After the Cubs finished 60–94 in , their 14th straight NL second-division finish, Cubs owner P. K. Wrigley anno ...
." Metro succeeded
Lou Klein
Louis Frank Klein (October 22, 1918 – June 20, 1976) was an American professional baseball player, manager, coach and scout. During his active career he was an infielder in the Major Leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians and P ...
as "head coach" on June 12. The head coach job was designed to rotate among several members of the college, but Metro stayed in the role for 112 games and the rest of the 1962 campaign. The Cubs won 43 and lost 69 (
.384) under him, and finished ninth in the ten-team
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
. Metro was fired after the season; then he joined the crosstown
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
as a scout (1963–64) and coach (1965). In 1966 he returned to managing in the PCL with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
' top affiliate, the
Tulsa Oilers
The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...
.
After one season, Metro resumed his scouting career.
Bob Howsam
Robert Lee Howsam (February 28, 1918 – February 19, 2008) was an American professional sports executive and entrepreneur. In 1959, he played a key role in establishing two leagues—the American Football League, which succeeded and merged with ...
, who owned the Triple-A
Denver Bears
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
when Metro managed them as a Tigers' affiliate in 1960–61, had hired Metro for the Cardinals' system at Tulsa in 1966. When Howsam took over as
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
of the
Cincinnati Reds in 1967, he brought Metro with him as a top special assignments scout. Then, in 1968, Metro joined the front office of the expansion
Kansas City Royals, where he had an active hand in the expansion draft.
He took over as manager when
Joe Gordon
Joseph Lowell Gordon (February 18, 1915 – April 14, 1978), nicknamed "Flash" in reference to the comic-book character ''Flash Gordon'', was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yank ...
resigned after only one season at the helm.
However, his stint there as manager was shorter than his Cubs tenure, lasting only 52 games (19–33, .365), being replaced by
Bob Lemon
Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Lemon was raised in California ...
on June 7.
Metro went back to scouting for the Tigers and the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. Then followed a coaching assignment with the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
, and in 1984 he returned to the Dodgers as a scout.
After being dismissed by Los Angeles, Metro retired to his
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
ranch.
He died in
Buckingham, Virginia
Buckingham is a census-designated place (CDP; listed as Buckingham Courthouse) in and the county seat of Buckingham County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 133.mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...
, a type of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
.
See also
*
Twin Falls Cowboys
The Twin Falls Cowboys were a Class C minor league baseball team from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1951 in the Pioneer League. Their affiliation was with the Seattle Rainiers in 1939, and later the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1951. The Cowboys pla ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metro, Charlie
1919 births
2011 deaths
American people of Ukrainian descent
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Beaumont Exporters players
Bisbee Yanks players
Chicago Cubs coaches
Chicago Cubs managers
Chicago White Sox coaches
Chicago White Sox scouts
Cincinnati Reds scouts
Detroit Tigers players
Detroit Tigers scouts
Durham Bulls managers
Kansas City Royals managers
Kansas City Royals scouts
Los Angeles Dodgers scouts
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball outfielders
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Mayfield Browns players
Montgomery Grays players
Montgomery Rebels players
Oakland Athletics coaches
Oakland Oaks (baseball) players
Palestine Pals players
Pennington Gap Miners players
People from Buckingham, Virginia
People from Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Athletics players
Seattle Rainiers players
Texarkana Liners players
Texarkana Twins players
Twin Falls Cowboys players
Vancouver Mounties players
Easton Browns players