Friday Name That Cub

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 8:14 AM CST in Name That Cub

Today, and for the rest of the offseason when I run these, I'm adding a twist -- a little incentive. The first person (by timestamp) to correctly guess the person in the photo will win a $10 gift card from Distant Replays, a store in Atlanta that sells retro sports gear (no, you don't have to go to Atlanta, you can order online).

This one comes courtesy of BCB reader Hershel Krustofsky. The uniform should help you figure this out.

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College of Coaches

That grumpy look could only be Charlie Metro.

"It's a funny old world. Man's lucky if he gets out of it alive." W.C. Fields

by KedzieKid on Jan 30, 2009 8:17 AM CST reply actions

Sheesh.

And here I thought this one would stump everyone. Yes, it’s Charlie Metro. You win the gift card.

Email me so I can get the gift card info to you.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 8:22 AM CST up reply actions

Also known as....

Charles Moreskonich

If you had to choose just one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor.

by Clutche on Jan 30, 2009 8:40 AM CST up reply actions

Nicely done

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Jan 30, 2009 9:04 AM CST up reply actions

LOL, wow three minutes.

Totally awesome. Well done.

We are a fever ... we are a fever ... we ain't born typical.

by daver on Jan 30, 2009 3:21 PM CST up reply actions

TWSS

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jan 30, 2009 5:22 PM CST up reply actions

I set 'em up, you mow 'em down.

We are a fever ... we are a fever ... we ain't born typical.

by daver on Jan 31, 2009 9:05 AM CST up reply actions

Andy Pafko?

by cubdreamer on Jan 30, 2009 8:18 AM CST reply actions

give him a lollipop

and i’d say Kojak

by cubfan1982 on Jan 30, 2009 8:18 AM CST reply actions

Charlie Metro...

… also briefly managed the Royals in 1970, then spent many years in baseball as a scout. According to his baseball-reference page, he is still living; he will turn 90 this year.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 8:25 AM CST reply actions

Bio.....

http://royals.scout.com/2/647130.html

If you had to choose just one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor.

by Clutche on Jan 30, 2009 8:43 AM CST up reply actions

Interesting link, but...

… with that ad on the right, the text of the interview is cut off. Hard to read.

It does say that Metro thinks he’s among the oldest living Philadelphia Athletics. He’s right. The only older one I could find is Eddie Joost, who played eight years for the Philadelphia A’s in the 40s and 50s and who will turn 93 this year.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 8:49 AM CST up reply actions

More readable version of the scout.com interview

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 8:57 AM CST up reply actions

talent scout

I have a picture of Charlie with his two prize pupils, Kenny Hubbs & Lou Brock. Too bad that didn’t work out like it should have for the Cubs.

"It's a funny old world. Man's lucky if he gets out of it alive." W.C. Fields

by KedzieKid on Jan 30, 2009 8:49 AM CST reply actions

Quote from that scout.com link above that shows how ridiculous the college of coaches was.

RC is the interviewer, CM is Metro:

RC: Wow – that’s amazing stuff. After your times in Denver, which were obviously very memorable for many reasons, you ultimately returned to the majors in 1962 as a member of the Chicago Cubs’ "college of coaches." Before we talk more about that, explain the concept of "college of coaches" and what it meant?

CM: Well, they picked out three guys that were going to manage the club. Lou Klein was one, El Tappe was another, and then there was me. I think Tappe was the first one, and he managed them for the first three weeks. Then Klein managed it, and the three of us were going to be the dual coaches. When you were done with your time managing, you were supposed to go down to the minor leagues.

Anyway, about June or so it was my turn, so I took over the club and I had them playing real well. We didn’t have any pitching but still had a pretty good ball club. So we’re in 7th place, and Mr. Wrigley called me and said, "Son, we’ve got you going to Fondalak" or some place down at Class-B League. I said, "Where?" He says, "Fondalak. We’ve got you scheduled." I said, "I’ll go, but I sure goddamn hell won’t like it." He looked at me with a puzzled look because nobody ever talked to him like that, and he said, "You mean that?" I said, "Damn right I mean it. I’m not going to no damn Indy League." I started to tell him to take his job and shove it, but I didn’t, and he said, "All right son, you can manage the rest of the season." So I did.

I think “Fondalak” must be Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where the Cubs had a low-level minor league team in those days.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 8:55 AM CST up reply actions

Cranky McCrank?

"Truth does not do as much good in the world as the semblance of truth does evil," - Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Maxims, 64.

by Emelie on Jan 30, 2009 8:53 AM CST reply actions

Haha...

Photographer: “Okay, Charlie, we need to take your picture for some promotional items. You ready?”

Charlie: “Just take the G#d D$%@ thing thing so I can get back to work”.

Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team

by carmen_fanzone on Jan 30, 2009 9:03 AM CST up reply actions

Name that thing in his hand

It looks like a bat handle, but where is the barrel?

"There are no curses here...Games are won and lost on the baseball field" - Lou Piniella

by El Borto on Jan 30, 2009 10:04 AM CST reply actions

Looks like it's up his sleeve.

No wonder those teams couldn’t win.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 10:16 AM CST up reply actions

bat

It is probably a fungo bat.

"It's a funny old world. Man's lucky if he gets out of it alive." W.C. Fields

by KedzieKid on Jan 30, 2009 10:08 AM CST reply actions

Looks like an obscene gesture

If you had to choose just one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor.

by Clutche on Jan 30, 2009 10:19 AM CST up reply actions

billy club (not a fungo bat)

this guy believed in discipline.

"If it's obvious, it's obviously wrong." - a well known stock market guru

by LAcarl519 on Jan 30, 2009 11:11 AM CST up reply actions

Alvin Dark

And so it goes.

by Luigi on Jan 30, 2009 10:13 AM CST reply actions

Nevermind

And so it goes.

by Luigi on Jan 30, 2009 10:15 AM CST reply actions

It looks like a young Lou Piniella

"I like coconuts, you can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun" Widespread Panic

by Cubbie-Tim on Jan 30, 2009 11:01 AM CST reply actions

Dennis Kucinich

by jerry morales rules on Jan 30, 2009 11:18 AM CST reply actions

by jerry morales rules on Jan 30, 2009 11:27 AM CST reply actions

At first I thought that said, "Photo by Jane Shrek".

And wondered if Shrek & Fiona had a daughter.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 12:58 PM CST up reply actions

I kinda like the purple uniforms

If you had to choose just one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor.

by Clutche on Jan 30, 2009 11:30 AM CST reply actions

OK, so the color correction isn't perfect.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Jan 30, 2009 12:58 PM CST up reply actions

My Guess

I think it’s Hershel Krustofsky himself

by aug19-1969 on Jan 30, 2009 1:57 PM CST reply actions

damn, Al, this guy looks pissed...

If the Cubs don’t want to run a “L” flag up the pole after a loss, they could just put this guy’s picture up there instead. I think folks would get the message….

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 30, 2009 1:59 PM CST reply actions

lol

They decided to keep the “L” flag, btw

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Jan 30, 2009 3:29 PM CST up reply actions

This gives me an idea.

Al, if you don’t mind, I’m going to save this pic to the BCB Flickr group and post it in game threads whenever the Cubs lose. (And it goes without saying that I hope that doesn’t happen too often. Aw, crap, I just said it, didn’t I?)

We are a fever ... we are a fever ... we ain't born typical.

by daver on Jan 30, 2009 4:52 PM CST up reply actions