Who is the man: Ollie Brown enjoyed the best season of his career in 1970, producing 23 home runs, 89 RBIs and batting .292. He was one of three players on the second-year Padres to hit over 20 homers.
Can ya dig it: I like how Brown's arm positioning in front of the clouds makes it appear as if he just caught a streaking ball. Cool photo.
Right on: Ollie is not a nickname. That's cool, too. His nickname was "Downtown." Heck, it's all cool.
You see that cat Brown is a bad mother: Brown was credited by former catcher and teammate Chris Cannizzaro with having the best right field arm he ever saw after Roberto Clemente.
Shut your mouth: Brown started his career with the Giants. While in rookie ball in Salem, Va., he was stunned to find out that the black players on the team could not stay in the same hotel as the white players. After a couple weeks of stewing about it, he confronted his manager and said the team either sends him to another city or he quits baseball. The Giants switched him to their team in Decatur, Ill.
No one understands him but his woman: Brown is known as the "original Padre" because he was the first player San Diego selected in the expansion draft.
(A word about the back): The expansion draft was actually in 1968.
Good Old Downtown Ollie Brown...I Love it.
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