Athletes - Charlie Metro

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	Athletes - Charlie Metro

Charlie Metro (born Charles Moreskonich on April 28, 1919) was an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics, as well as a manager for the Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals. He adopted the name "Metro" from his father, Metro Moreskonich, a Ukrainian immigrant. At age 18, he attended a tryout camp for the St. Louis Browns, and he bounced around in the minor leagues. In 1940, he joined the Texarkana Liners, an independent baseball team, and the Detroit Tigers became affiliated with the Liners. 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 the legendary Connie Mack, he won the starting center fielding job, but due to his inability to hit consistently cost him his job. At the end of 1944, he joined the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, where he played under another legendary manager, Casey Stengel. In 1947, he was named manager within the New York Yankees organization, and soon he moved up the ranks to AAA. Eventually, he got his first big-league managing job with the Chicago Cubs in their "College of Coaches." He was fired after the 1962 season, and he joined the crosstown Chicago White Sox as a scout, but he quickly returned to managing in the PCL.

In 1968, he was selected to be in 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 resigned after only one season at the helm. Metro's stint as manager would be even shorter than his Cubs tenure, lasting only 54 games (19-35). He was fired and replaced by future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon. He went back to scouting for the Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had coaching stints with the Oakland Athletics, and in 1984, he returned to the Dodgers as a scout. After being dismissed by Los Angeles, Metro retired to his Denver ranch.

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