Charles V. Feeney (November 26, 1924 – March 17, 2014)Bouchette, Ed
"Obituary: Charley Feeney, Longtime Pirates beat writer for PG"
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. March 18, 2014. was an American

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

for more than 40 years.

Career

Born in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, Feeney broke into the newspaper business at age 16 as a messenger for the ''

New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

''.Charley Feeney
at The Bill Shannon Biographical Dictionary of New York Sports During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served in the Navy from 1942 to 1946, earning a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his work as a radio man on the aircraft carrier . Feeney next worked for the ''Long Island Star Journal'', where, starting in 1951, he would cover the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

' final eight seasons in New York. From 1958, he covered the Yankees, first for the ''Star Journal'', and, from 1964, for the '' New York Journal American''. Following that paper's demise in 1966, when a job opening in Pittsburgh was created by the premature death of longtime Pirates beat writer Jack Hernon, '' Post-Gazette'' sports editor Al Abrams promptly turned to Feeney, who would fill the position until his retirement in 1986. In addition, following the retirement of ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' sports editor and longtime Bucs beat writer Les Biederman in March 1969, Feeney succeeded Biederman as ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

Pirates correspondent, in which capacity he would also serve until his retirement. Feeney was the 1996 recipient of the

J. G. Taylor Spink Award The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...

, given annually by the

Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908, and is known ...

(BBWAA); he was inducted into the "writers wing" of the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays basebal ...

during ceremonies in . After learning of his selection, Feeney joked, "I always looked at myself as a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

in our business. The next thing you know they're going to be putting

Tommy Helms Tommy Vann Helms (born May 5, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Over a 14-year Major League Baseball career (–), Helms played for four teams, including eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Ho ...

in the Hall of Fame. I'm in and

Bill Mazeroski William Stanley Mazeroski (born September 5, 1936), nicknamed "Maz" and "The Glove", is an American former second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1956 to 1972. A 7-time All-St ...

isn't. It's unbelievable." As of 2009, Feeney had been living in the same apartment in Pittsburgh since 1966. That year, following the death of his wife and health problems, he moved into an assisted living facility in New York.

Selected articles by Feeney

Hard Luck No Stranger
(

Ferguson Jenkins Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins CM (born December 13, 1942) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 to 1983 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Bo ...

), Baseball Digest, January 1969
The Tooth-less Greeting: Day Brown Met Hebner
(

Richie Hebner Richard Joseph Hebner (born November 26, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from through , most prominently as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams tha ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', May 6, 1969
3,000 Base Hits -- Next Goal for Clemente?
(

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...

), Baseball Digest, October 1969
Willie's Way
(

Willie Stargell Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962–1982) ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', September 22, 1971
The Old Pro
( José Pagán), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', March 30, 1972
Clemente: Next to Join 3,000 Hit Club
(

), Baseball Digest, August 1972
Sparky Lyle: Key to 'New' Yankees
(

Sparky Lyle Albert Walter "Sparky" Lyle (born July 22, 1944) is an American former left-handed relief pitcher who spent sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 through 1982. He was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, ...

), Baseball Digest, November 1972
Willie Mays Recalls His Rookie Year
(

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

), Baseball Digest, December 1973
The Iron Man Pitcher With Shortstop Arm
( Mike Marshall), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', July 2, 1974
Alvin Dark: A Man for All Seasons
(

Alvin Dark Alvin Ralph Dark (January 7, 1922 – November 13, 2014), nicknamed "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox", was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played fourteen years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston/Milwaukee Bra ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', October 17, 1974
The 78-Year-Old Oakland Cheerleader
(

George Blanda George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seaso ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', December 27, 1974
Mr. Television for One Night
(

Ron Lyle Ronald David Lyle (February 12, 1941 – November 26, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1971 to 1980, and in 1995. He challenged unsuccessfully for the world heavyweight championship, losing to Muhammad Ali in 1975. Kno ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', May 15, 1975
Pressure? What Pressure?
(

Sparky Anderson George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', October 17, 1975
One of a Kind
(

Danny Murtaugh Daniel Edward Murtaugh (October 8, 1917 – December 2, 1976) was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive, and coach in Major League Baseball ( MLB). Murtaugh is best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pira ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', December 4, 1976
Putting the Rapp on Hrabosky
( Vern Rapp/

Al Hrabosky Alan Thomas Hrabosky (; born July 21, 1949) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1982 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, and Atlanta Braves. As of 2022, he is the ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', July 21, 1977
Martin Reads George Between lines
(

Billy Martin Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yan ...

), ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', October 18, 1977

References

External links

*
1996 J.G. Taylor Spink Award Winner Charley Feeney
at National Baseball Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:Feeney, Charley Baseball writers 1924 births 2014 deaths Writers from Pittsburgh People from Queens, New York Pittsburgh Post-Gazette people Journalists from New York City Journalists from Pennsylvania BBWAA Career Excellence Award recipients