Shortly before they made their most important trade ever, acquiring Frank Robinson from the Cincinnati Reds in December 1965, the Orioles made a far less ballyhooed deal, sending catcher John Orsino to the Washington Senators for Woodie Held, a veteran utility man.
But while it didn’t generate major headlines, the deal seemingly signified a landmark moment for Dick Brown, a 31-year-old catcher for the Orioles.
Brown and Orsino had shared the team’s catching duties for the previous three years, but with Orsino gone, Brown was now the No. 1 heading into the 1966 season — an affirmation he’d seldom earned during his nine years in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Orioles. Although Orioles manager Hank Bauer also planned to use Charlie Lau as part of a lefty-righty catching platoon (Brown batted right-handed, Lau left-handed), Brown would play more.
A career .244 hitter with on-and-off power, Brown was valued mostly for his defense, which the Orioles appreciated. (Issues with Orsino’s throwing had prompted them to trade him.) Years earlier, while playing high school ball in Lake Worth, Florida, Brown had caught Herb Score, a legendary fireballer even as a youngster. Scouts pursuing Score noticed his lanky catcher’s sure hands, which eventually led to an opportunity in pro baseball for Brown. His solid defense had kept him employed.
When Brown reported to the Orioles’ spring training camp in Miami in February 1966, the Baltimore media expected him to handle the majority of the catching duties while helping groom Andy Etchebarren to take over at some point in the coming years. Etchebarren, a 23-year-old prospect, had spent the 1965 season with Rochester, the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate.
On the morning of February 22nd, before catching a bullpen session, Brown felt a headache and took two aspirin, thinking nothing of it. But when he squatted behind the plate, his head suddenly “felt like it was going to explode,” he said later.
After a downpour cut the bullpen session short, Brown approached Dr. Leonard Wallenstein, the Orioles’ team physician, who took a look and was immediately concerned about Brown’s eye movements. Wallenstein sent Brown to Baltimore for testing, which revealed the presence of a brain tumor.
In the midst of experiencing a collective high in Florida as they adjusted to having Frank Robinson and began to envision the good things that could happen as a result, the Orioles were gutted by the news about Brown, which “really put a pall over the club,” executive Frank Cashen recalled.
Surgery to remove the tumor was scheduled for March 7th in Baltimore. The night before, Orioles manager Hank Bauer and GM Harry Dalton called Brown in his hospital room to wish him well; the team had already been told Brown would miss the entire 1966 season. His teammates sent a telegram telling him to “hurry up and pull through so you can help us win the pennant.”
The operation lasted nearly four hours, and initially, there was good news. The tumor was benign. “It’s a tremendous relief,” said reliever Dick Hall, Brown’s road roommate for the previous three seasons.
But Brown’s headaches quickly returned and a second tumor was discovered. Doctors removed most of it during another surgery in late May and prescribed X-ray treatments to shrink what was left. Brown soon felt well enough to swim and play golf, which was encouraging.
On the diamond, the Orioles built a sizable lead as they rolled toward their first American League pennant. With Brown out and Lau also sidelined because of an arm injury, Etchebarren was now the No. 1 catcher. Although he would hit only .221 for the season, he provided decent production with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs and was a solid presence behind the plate as the Orioles dominated despite a run of pitching injuries.
Watching from afar, Brown was pleased to see the team winning but discouraged about the hand he’d been dealt. Married with a young family, he was already familiar with hardship. When he was a youngster, his father, a coal miner, had moved their family from West Virginia to Florida because Brown’s wheelchair-bound mother suffered from arthritis and it was hoped the better climate would help her. Sadly, she died at age 42 in 1960. Now, six years later, Brown himself was facing the sternest of health challenges.
“I saw Dick Brown break into the American League as a kid in 1957 at Tucson when we were both with Cleveland, and I have always admired him as a catcher and a person,” Orioles coach Gene Woodling said, according to a Society of American Baseball Research profile of Brown. “This is our No. 1 catcher we’re losing for the season, and he is hard to replace. More important than that, though, we’re missing his wonderful influence on the ballclub.”
The Orioles continued to pay his salary through the season, as if he never missed a workout or a game. And his teammates made sure he knew he wasn’t forgotten.
“They sent me letters and called me, kept in close touch and it really made me feel good. They helped to pump me up a little bit,” Brown said later in an interview with Baltimore sportswriter Gordon Beard for Birds on the Wing, Beard’s book about the 1966 Orioles.
On the night the Orioles clinched the pennant in September, they called him from the clubhouse in Kansas City.
“That was the most pleasant call of all,” Brown said. “It sounds corny to say it was heartwarming, but it really was. What a great feeling. I couldn’t believe anyone could be thinking about me like that.”
In October, before the first World Series game played in Baltimore — Game 3 of the Orioles’ eventual sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers — Brown took the mound at Memorial Stadium and threw the ceremonial first pitch to Etchebarren, the catcher who’d replaced him.
“I was some kind of scared,” Brown said later. “I kept thinking I was going to throw it over Andy’s head. With 54,000 fans in the park and millions watching on TV, I was sure I was going to blow it.”
He threw a strike.
His teammates later voted him a full share of their World Series bonus pool.
“The Orioles have to be the most generous ballplayers in the world,” Brown said. “I didn’t pick up a bat. Didn’t have a thing to do with winning the Series. But I sure was happy to get the share.”
Although Brown hoped his health problems were behind him, he could no longer play and became a full-time scout for the Orioles, covering Florida and Georgia, in 1967.
“I enjoy scouting, and I’m happy to be able to contribute something to the organization,” Brown said. “It’s more than I expected to be able to do after that second operation.”
He relished seeing his younger brother, Larry, also become an established major leaguer. An infielder, Larry was with Cleveland for many years and spent the 1973 season with the Orioles, near the end of his 12-year career.
Sadly, Dick Brown’s headaches returned in 1968 and another brain tumor was discovered. He continued to scout for the Orioles until his conditioned worsened to the point that he could no longer work. Brown’s tragic fate became unavoidable. He died in Baltimore in 1970 at age 35.
Subscribe to The Bird Tapes here: birdtapes.substack.com/subscribe
You’ll receive instant access to vintage audio interviews with Orioles legends, including:
And many more to come, added weekly
CHICAGO—A tiny crowd filed into Rate Field for a rescheduled Tuesday afternoon game. Because of…
CHICAGO—What happened? The first seven innings were frustrating for the Orioles. Playing in bitter cold,…
CHICAGO—The Orioles have another left-hander in the bullpen for Tuesday’s afternoon game against the Chicago…
CHICAGO—What happened? The Orioles needed a starter for Monday night’s game, and with relief pitcher…
Question: Could you please tell me the rationale behind having Taylor Ward as the leadoff…