November 3, 2020

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Murray Cook's 13-year run as a scout with the Detroit Tigers has come to an end and it very likely means the end of his pro baseball career which began in 1962.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member from Sackville, N.B. was let go by the Tigers Oct. 1 in a move brought out by the global pandemic but it was only when he talked Nov. 3 with the Canadian Baseball Network that the news came out.

"I understand,'' Cook said in an interview about being let go. "It's something that would not have happened if there was no Covid. A lot of teams have been unloading pro scouts left and right. I'm close to 80 years old. It's time to retire. I'm glad I'm not a 50-year-old or a 55-year-old looking for a job.''

Cook said it was ''very unlikely'' he would try to get another job because "there are not going to be any jobs'' due to the pandemic and baseball's uncertain future.

"You can see it with the player options. Hardly any of these options are being picked up,'' Cook said.

For the good part of his tenure with the Tigers, Cook had been the East Coast cross checker since 2007.

He began his career as an infielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor-league system in 1962. He went on to become a scout, farm system administrator, assistant director of minor league operations and director of scouting for the Buckos.

Cook eventually became the general manager of three teams in the major leagues: the Yankees, Expos and Reds.

"I was very blessed to have been with different clubs and learned a lot,'' Cook said. "I worked for the Pirates for 20 years and worked with such great people as Joe Brown and Harding Peterson.

"I was with the Yankees as farm director and scouting director and I was made general manager for a few months. Then I had a falling out with (owner) George Steinbrenner.''

Expos president John McHale found out Cook had left the Yankees and immediately arranged to have a meeting with Cook to take over general manager of the Expos. One of Cook's first jobs was to hire Buck Rodgers as manager and at the behest of disgruntled owner Charles Bronfman, was asked to trade star catcher Gary Carter to the Mets in a blockbuster transaction.

"I was very fortunate. That was my favourite time in baseball when I was with the Expos because of my Canadian background,'' Cook said.

Cook was Reds GM during the tumultuous season of 1989 when manager Pete Rose's scandal over betting on games surfaced. He later had a long run as a scout for the Marlins and then scouted for the Red Sox before taking up with the Tigers.

Was the Carter trade the biggest transaction he made during his GM days with any team?

"No, I don't think so,'' Cook said. "It would be trading Dave Parker when I was with Cincinnati. Dave Parker certainly fits in. It was a pretty major trade. He was at the end of his career.''

Cook was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.