Larry Brown: From Soldiers Field to the Astrodome?

Memories of Larry Brown's sporting career at Harvard have a binary symmetry. For every touchdown pass, there is a shut out: for every wind-up, a roll-out. Before graduating in June, he collected records in all-league selections in both baseball and football, and established himself as one of Harvard's most talented and versatile athletes of the decades.

After an amicable, divorce from a pastoral marriage with the Ivy League, he is hazarding the next, enormous step up--to major league baseball.

Drafted in the 14th round by the Houston Astros, Brown took a few weeks off after graduation, then made the almost cliched baseball pilgrimmage to south Florida and a shot at the bigs. The Astros assigned him to their Sarasota single A team, (the minor leagues are arranged in three levels, with A the lowest and AAA the highest, just below the majors) where Brown had to join the club without benefit of a major league spring training camp.

"It was the first time I played baseball as a total sport," he said yesterday in his Norwood home. "It was like a job," he pauses, then remembers, "It was a job and I was like an apprentice."

And a sterling apprenticeship at that. Brown said, "the statistics were the best part," and indeed the numbers reveal a most promising debut. In the Astros' (Sarasota, that is) 52-game season, he made 21 appearances, won three, lost three, saved nine games and came away with a tidy 1.92 earned run average.

Brown-followers might take a double-take at these stats: long a starting pitcher who worked a Harvard record innings in 1978. Brown has been transd--at least temporarily--into a relie "It was the first time that I relieved," he said, "and I enjoyed it in the respect that I got to throw in key situations often; but I also missed going out there and throwing nine innings."

The most key situation, Brown will readily relate, came on the final day of the season, with the Gulf Coast League title on the line against the Bradentown Pirates. The Astros carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth, then the Pirates attached men to second and third with just one out. The call came to the bullpen for Brown. He followed an intentional walk with a strike out and a grounder to short. For the first time in eight years, the Astros had a Gulf League pennant. And a hero.

As his season indicates, Brown had little trouble making the jump from college to the pros. "It's completely different," he said. "You didn't have to think about a take-home hourly or getting up early the day of a start." And the rumors of miserable treatment and slave wages in the bush leagues? "I got some bonus money and it was a minimal salary. When you're playing baseball at this level, you're not playing for money. The big thing to me is playing. I'm in no rush whatsoever to make money."

Of course, there are the Life in the Minors stories...of playing golf on free days...and when the bus stopped by an orange grove and the squad met two alligators waiting at the bus door...and then there was the time...

Brown has to wait until the Astros' spring training in early March in Cocoa Beach, Fla. to start playing ball again. He sees next year as pivotal: "It'll be my first full year and by the end of next year I should know my chances." The Double A league is his immediate goal. "A lot of people fail to realize that Triple A is usually for major league players who are hurt or who are old," he said, adding, "The Astros took three or four from Double A last year."

In the interim, Brown has returned to football, as offensive coordinator of the Norwood High (his alma mater) freshman team. Harvard's career passing leader enthuses over his fall assignment, especially his additional duties as a substitute teacher. "They are two things--coaching and teaching--that are very close and an opportunity that I'd like to try again later." And what of the traditional tormenting of substitute teachers? "I coach a lot of the kids I teach, so they haven't given me any trouble."

As the starting Harvard quarterback for two full years, Brown has watched with a combination of amazement and disgust as one Crimson signal-caller after another has fallen with an injury. He said, "The joke in Norwood is whenever I see people they say, 'You got out of there just in time. How did you ever get out of there alive?' It's unbelievable. There's no way to describe how it's happened or why it's happened."

The injury to Burke St. John (who returned against Dartmouth last week) especially upset Brown, a teammate on both the football and baseball squads where St. John plays shortstop. Brown said, "There's a kid that's been very very close to me. An injury like that staggers a team, especially after an opening day win. Losing a player of his caliber--it has to take a toll on the team."

Pleasure

Brown now plays the role of the booster with the same enthusiasm he tossed aerials. The 1977 Penn game--a Harvard record 375 total yards--the 1978 record for most total yeards in a season--the 10-1. 0.95 earned run average in the 1978 baseball season--the 6-0 shutout of Cornell to seal the 1978 Eastern League title for the Crimson: these glories fade to irrelevance in professional sports. The halo of his charmed athletic existence at Harvard, he hopes, will soon give way to a new dome covering his head. A big dome. In Houston.

The most key situation, Brown will readily relate, came on the final day of the season, with the Gulf Coast League title on the line against the Bradentown Pirates. The Astros carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth, then the Pirates attached men to second and third with just one out. The call came to the bullpen for Brown. He followed an intentional walk with a strike out and a grounder to short. For the first time in eight years, the Astros had a Gulf League pennant. And a hero.

As his season indicates, Brown had little trouble making the jump from college to the pros. "It's completely different," he said. "You didn't have to think about a take-home hourly or getting up early the day of a start." And the rumors of miserable treatment and slave wages in the bush leagues? "I got some bonus money and it was a minimal salary. When you're playing baseball at this level, you're not playing for money. The big thing to me is playing. I'm in no rush whatsoever to make money."

Of course, there are the Life in the Minors stories...of playing golf on free days...and when the bus stopped by an orange grove and the squad met two alligators waiting at the bus door...and then there was the time...

Brown has to wait until the Astros' spring training in early March in Cocoa Beach, Fla. to start playing ball again. He sees next year as pivotal: "It'll be my first full year and by the end of next year I should know my chances." The Double A league is his immediate goal. "A lot of people fail to realize that Triple A is usually for major league players who are hurt or who are old," he said, adding, "The Astros took three or four from Double A last year."

In the interim, Brown has returned to football, as offensive coordinator of the Norwood High (his alma mater) freshman team. Harvard's career passing leader enthuses over his fall assignment, especially his additional duties as a substitute teacher. "They are two things--coaching and teaching--that are very close and an opportunity that I'd like to try again later." And what of the traditional tormenting of substitute teachers? "I coach a lot of the kids I teach, so they haven't given me any trouble."

As the starting Harvard quarterback for two full years, Brown has watched with a combination of amazement and disgust as one Crimson signal-caller after another has fallen with an injury. He said, "The joke in Norwood is whenever I see people they say, 'You got out of there just in time. How did you ever get out of there alive?' It's unbelievable. There's no way to describe how it's happened or why it's happened."

The injury to Burke St. John (who returned against Dartmouth last week) especially upset Brown, a teammate on both the football and baseball squads where St. John plays shortstop. Brown said, "There's a kid that's been very very close to me. An injury like that staggers a team, especially after an opening day win. Losing a player of his caliber--it has to take a toll on the team."

Pleasure

Brown now plays the role of the booster with the same enthusiasm he tossed aerials. The 1977 Penn game--a Harvard record 375 total yards--the 1978 record for most total yeards in a season--the 10-1. 0.95 earned run average in the 1978 baseball season--the 6-0 shutout of Cornell to seal the 1978 Eastern League title for the Crimson: these glories fade to irrelevance in professional sports. The halo of his charmed athletic existence at Harvard, he hopes, will soon give way to a new dome covering his head. A big dome. In Houston.