Thursday, December 10, 2009

Phorgotten Phillie Phile - Byron Browne

Byron Browne came to the Phillies in 1969, as part of the Curt Flood deal with the Cardinals. The Phillies also got Joe Hoerner, Tim McCarver and Willie Montanez in that deal so it wasn't a total bust.Prior to coming to the Phillies, Browne had played in 164 games in 5 years for the Cubs, Astros, and Cardinals. He played in 104 games for the Phillies in 1970 with a .248 BA. He was let go in June of 1972. I sure don't remember him.

I am often surprised to find that marginal players like Browne have listings in Wikipedia. His entry is particularly unkind. Here's an excerpt:

"From 1970 to 1972 he was a member of several Philadelphia Phillies teams that were among the worst ever to play professional baseball. Although a few teammates described Browne as having the best natural power on the team, he seldom delivered, particularly in the clutch. To some cynics, his chief contribution was the refreshing breeze on hot and humid South Philadelphia evenings which emanated from his regular swings and misses."

He does have a nice smile on the only card of his that I own.

2 comments:

Field of Cards said...

I read Curt Flood's book 'A Well Paid Slave' recently. That was quite an historical trade.

Who would have thought something that started so basic turned into such a huge shift in baseball?

night owl said...

Wow. Wikipedia is mean.

I'm trying to imagine Encyclopedia Britannica writing something like that about one of its subjects.