Lorn Brown, 1938-2010 (formerly "UMDB Mysteries")

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've been seeing some real obscuritanos getting to be the Most Popular Lookup of the day recently. (Mike Bruhet? Really?) And with the Mets in the midst of the sort of winning clip that would be expected to drive traffic to the site and toward current popular players, I've been a little suspicious that something has been going on. As far as I can tell none of these surprises have even coincided with the player being in the news.

Then I visit today, and the most popular lookup is... Lorn Brown?

Now, I'm the proud creator of the Lorn Brown page at Wikipedia, but I've simply got to call boochit here. Something is up.

[G-Fafif]

Sadly, there's a reason.

CHICAGO (AP) � The Chicago White Sox say former play-by-play announcer Lorn Brown has died. Brown died on Thursday in Las Cruces, N.M. He was 71. The White Sox did not provide a cause of death. Brown called games on television and radio from 1976-79 and 1983-88. He also did games for DePaul, Notre Dame, Bradley, the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference before moving in 2005 to Las Cruces, where he worked for New Mexico State. Hired by Bill Veeck, Brown worked alongside Harry Caray, Jimmy Piersall, Don Drysdale, Early Wynn and Del Crandall in the White Sox booth. He was at the microphone in 1983 when the White Sox clinched the AL West title to reach the postseason for the first time since 1959.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

RIP, Lorn Brown.

[Frayed Knot]

Wasn't there some story that his given name was Lorne, but he changed the spelling so as to not make it appear that he was emulating actor Lorne Green ?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Boy, do I feeel stupid. Soembody check on Mike Bruhert.

Lorn Brown, a voice created by God to sell Budweiser.

Has this been mentioned in the booth?

[G-Fafif]

Two different blogs (Real Dirty Mets Blog and Centerfield Maz) each wished Mike a happy birthday. He turned 59 on Thursday.

No need to look up current players, perhaps. They're doing their Ultimate on the field.

[Guest Edgy DC]

So, this is disturbing.

In light of Mr. Brown's passing, I visit the brief Wikipedia article I wrote on him some time back. I notice that there are two places where subsequent editors say my work needs citation.

Well, I thought I had cited it when I wrote it, but OK. I search for internet sources to confirm facts about him working for the Bulls and about his voiceover work, and wham, I find out most of the articles supporting my claim are the recently added obituaries, cribbed directly from my (apparently poorly cited) Wikipedia article.

I was initially skimming the obit that New Mexico State (his last employer, apparently) put out, and I read, "Brown also turned his voice toward work in the commercial voice-over field, narrating commercials for Budweiser beer, Ace Hardware, and the National Football League, among others." I'm thinking "'turned his voice'? --- that's an awkward phrasing, and yet familiar. Apparently, two years ago, I had written, "Brown also turned his sonorous baritone toward work in the commercial voice-over field, narrating commercials for Budweiser beer, Ace Hardware, and the National Football League, among others."

I was subsequently flagged for editorializing, and it was edited to read "turned his voice." Bingo, I'm all over the place this morning.

[Theoldmole]

Wiki is so weird about citations. I created a page for a novelist friend of mine, and it was flagged all over the place, upsetting my friend no end -- he thought it was somehow an attack on him. So I did a little searching. My friend -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Robinson_%28novelist%29 -- has written half a dozen good novels, so I started to look up other mid-ranked contemporary American novelists -- William Humphrey, Vance Bourjaily -- and found the same thing. The fact is, there are lots of people who've had careers you can be proud of, but haven't been written about a whole lot. Tony Robinson's novels have been reviewed, but it's not that easy to look up sources of pre-digital newspaper reviews from newspapers other than the New York Times. I did heroic work in finding sources, but Wiki still isn't satisfied.

[Zvon]

Edgy DC wrote: So, this is disturbing. In light of Mr. Brown's passing, I visit the brief Wikipedia article I wrote on him some time back. I notice that there are two places where subsequent editors say my work needs citation. Well, I thought I had cited it when I wrote it, but OK. I search for internet sources to confirm facts about him working for the Bulls and about his voiceover work, and wham, I find out most of the articles supporting my claim are the recently added obituaries, cribbed directly from my (apparently poorly cited) Wikipedia article. I was initially skimming the obit that New Mexico State (his last employer, apparently) put out, and I read, "Brown also turned his voice toward work in the commercial voice-over field, narrating commercials for Budweiser beer, Ace Hardware, and the National Football League, among others." I'm thinking "'turned his voice'? --- that's an awkward phrasing, and yet familiar. Apparently, two years ago, I had written, "Brown also turned his sonorous baritone toward work in the commercial voice-over field, narrating commercials for Budweiser beer, Ace Hardware, and the National Football League, among others." I was subsequently flagged for editorializing, and it was edited to read "turned his voice." Bingo, I'm all over the place this morning.

u da man

[Guest Edgy DC]

Somebody recently added to the Wikipedia bio:

While a member of the Mets' TV broadcast team (WOR Channel 9), many Mets fans referred to him as "The Professor" because of his appearance; beside his greying beard and glasses, he would often choose to wear a vest or a Tweed Jacket on air.

Anybody remember this?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Not me. The "many Mets fans" may just have been those in the Wiki editor's clique.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Which is why I'm going to hit him with a "citation needed" tag.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think that's warranted.