Ollie Brown--1971
Against a beautiful blue sky, Ollie
Brown looks in angst. Lost in his
agony and gritting his teeth, Brown
opted for a profile shot in his ‘71
card, possibly trying to hide the pain
of 209 losses during the Padres first
two seasons, while staring off to a
future which would include 100 more
defeats in 1971.
Cast away in the outfield shuffle of
San Francisco during the late 1960s,
“Downtown” Ollie Brown was the first
pick of the 1968 Expansion Draft. He
seized the opportunity to hit .264 with
20 homers in 1969 for the Monks.
The following season Brown posted
career highs, with 23 more long balls
and 89 RBI.
Yet with the ball secure in his glove,
the strong armed outfielder was on
the downslide as his career was
slipping away. In 1971, Brown was
about to enter his final full season in
the Padres organization and the last
year of his career in which he would
consistently see his name in the
starting nine on the lineup card. His
days of productivity were numbered,
as Brown would first see his power
fall off, followed by his batting
average.
However, his career would last
through the 1977 season, with stops
in Oakland, Milwaukee, Houston and
Philadelphia. Downtown would hit
.265 in 1,221 major league games,
besting his younger brother Oscar,
who would toil for the Atlanta Braves
in 160 contests during the early
1970s.
Staring at the card, one can almost
hear the voice of James Earl Jones
saying, “Ease his pain.”
Unfortunately, we can’t.
(1/26/09)
Brown looks in angst. Lost in his
agony and gritting his teeth, Brown
opted for a profile shot in his ‘71
card, possibly trying to hide the pain
of 209 losses during the Padres first
two seasons, while staring off to a
future which would include 100 more
defeats in 1971.
Cast away in the outfield shuffle of
San Francisco during the late 1960s,
“Downtown” Ollie Brown was the first
pick of the 1968 Expansion Draft. He
seized the opportunity to hit .264 with
20 homers in 1969 for the Monks.
The following season Brown posted
career highs, with 23 more long balls
and 89 RBI.
Yet with the ball secure in his glove,
the strong armed outfielder was on
the downslide as his career was
slipping away. In 1971, Brown was
about to enter his final full season in
the Padres organization and the last
year of his career in which he would
consistently see his name in the
starting nine on the lineup card. His
days of productivity were numbered,
as Brown would first see his power
fall off, followed by his batting
average.
However, his career would last
through the 1977 season, with stops
in Oakland, Milwaukee, Houston and
Philadelphia. Downtown would hit
.265 in 1,221 major league games,
besting his younger brother Oscar,
who would toil for the Atlanta Braves
in 160 contests during the early
1970s.
Staring at the card, one can almost
hear the voice of James Earl Jones
saying, “Ease his pain.”
Unfortunately, we can’t.
(1/26/09)
