Brown Dies at 45

A buddy just sent this my way. Former big-league third baseman Chris Brown is dead at age 45. Brown, who played for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from 1984 to 1989, died from burns suffered in a fire at his home in Sugar Land, Tex.

The fire took place in late November, in mysterious circumstances. Whatever happened, Brown’s post-baseball life hadn’t been kind to him. Brown, who grew up in Los Angeles with former big-league stars Eric Davis and Darryl Strawberry, had worked construction and even driven trucks in Iraq for Haliburton:

Davis said that when he last spoke to Brown, in September, Brown was “kind of irate” upon returning from Iraq.

“He was in the process of getting a divorce and was doing what he could to keep his daughter,” Davis said. “There was a financial burden” because much of the money he earned in Iraq had been spent.

Neighbors in this tract of middle-income homes said Brown seemed traumatized by his experiences in Iraq, and that there was friction between Brown and his wife.

During his playing career, Brown had battled injuries and a reputation for lacking desire. Brown claimed to be misunderstood, while Michael Sokolove, author of The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw, had a different explanation:

Like a lot of great players to come out of high school, he thought very highly of himself, and when he got into professional baseball, he found people didn’t love him as much as they loved him back home.

Sounds like a troubled individual. Such a tragedy. My condolences go out to Brown’s family and friends during this difficult time.