BELOVED ’69 MET ‘GLIDER’ DEAD AT 84
Charles, beloved Met of ’69 champs, dead at 84
Ed Charles, a beloved Met, poet and key component on the ’69 Miracle team, died Thursday at his home in Elmhurst, Queens, at the age of 84 after a long illness.
Charles, nicknamed “the Glider” for his smooth play at third base, only played three seasons with the Mets, 1967-69, yet achieved a kind of iconic status with the fans because of his spirited play at third base and his leadership qualities that endeared him to his teammates. All the years after his career ended in 1969, he made frequent appearances around the city, representing the team, and after passing a civil service exam, he worked with troubled youth in the Bronx.
“How sad,” said Tom Seaver by phone from Calistoga, Calif., Thursday night. “Ed was just a terrific person. He was a pro’s pro and just what we needed to complete that (’69 world championship) team.”
Inspired by Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in 1947, Charles signed with the old Boston Braves in 1952, where he spent eight seasons in the minors waiting behind Braves Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews. Charles, though, finally made it to the big leagues with the Kansas City Athletics, where he spent the prime of his career from 1962-67 before being traded to the Mets on May 10, 1967 for a reserve outfielder, Larry Elliot. He was 29 by the time he made his major league debut in 1962 and had a standout rookie season with the A’s, hitting .288 with 17 homers and 74 RBI in 147 games.
Charles penned several poems over his 84 years, earning him the moniker of Mets poet laureate. He even slipped them into return letters of fans who’d requested a signed photo. One such poem about Jackie Robinson, titled Jackie Robinson — Super Star, opened as follows:
He accepted the challenge and played the game
With a passion that few men
possessed.
He stood tall in the face of society’s shame
With a talent that God had blessed. In another titled An Athlete’s Prayer, Charles pens the thoughtful tome of the hopes and aspirations of a sports star in the field of play.
So guide me dear author for the competition is keen,
And I too might fall like others I’ve seen.
For many are the performers, yet few reach the top.
But with you leading the way, I cannot be stopped.
“Amen”
“Ed was a pro’s pro,” Seaver said. “(Mets manager) Gil Hodges was the one instrumental in getting him over to us. Gil knew what he was. Everybody loved him.” For the first six years of their existence, third base had been a revolving door dark hole for the Mets, but when Charles joined the team, he solidified that weak spot, hitting .276 with 15 homers and 53 RBI in 1968. The Mets released a statement on the Glider’s passing.
“Ed Charles, our beloved Glider and Poet Laureate of the 1969 Mets, was one of the kindest and warmest people ever to be a Met. His essays and poems inspired his teammates to the improbable World Series championship. With Jackie Robinson as his role model, Ed perpetuated a legacy of making a positive impact on other people’s lives. Everyone at the Mets are sending condolences, thoughts and prayers to Ed’s longtime companion Lavonnie Brinkley, his two sons Edwin and Eric, sister Virginia Charles and brother Elder.” A lthough he hit only .207 in 61 games in 1969, Charles set the example for the younger Mets players by accepting his role as a platoon player, and delivered a number of clutch hits during their drive for the NL East title, including a homer off Steve Carlton in their pennant-clinching victory on September 24. After the ’69 season, he was released by the Mets, but hardly forgotten.
“Ed was such a sweet person and decent man who moved around this world with the same grace he showed at third base,” said ’69 Mets outfielder Ron Swoboda Thursday.