Readers share their memories of a local sportswriting legend | Sports

Please say it ain’t so

While it is so sad to hear about Obrey Brown’s retirement, we all know that it is well deserved. For years I have always looked forward to his local sports articles with the emphasis on the up-and-comers and the old-timers. His behind-the-scenes digging, knowledge and contacts were simply the best!

I remember that years ago Obrey did the one question/photo series and I was lucky to be one of them. His relationship with the late Louis Brewster was also legendary.

I am in the age circle of Ronnie Lott, Anthony Muñoz, Tim Mead and Don Parnell (who I jam with in the band Royal Jelly) and so many others. I was on the tennis team with Sandy Collins at Pacific High School in the mid 1970s when they didn’t have girls tennis — she peaked at No. 17 in the world — not bad for a local girl. I remember the great San G. baseball and basketball teams. The way Obrey would bring these local stories up now and again, both recent and old, were always the best. I will miss that.

While we look forward to John Murphy’s articles, we hope there is some way Obrey can stay in touch with the IE and provide an article every now and then. I am sure I can say we all wish him  well!

Tom Clauson, Highland

Obrey was always there

I wanted to write a brief note of thanks for Obrey Brown’s extensive coverage of the local sports community for so many years:

Simple stated, Obrey was always there. He would write previews of our upcoming rival matches and interview coaches and players. He knew our roster and line-up. He covered our trips to the NCAA Championships. His insight and attention to detail provided our fans a recap of our matches before the days of the internet. Obrey was there because he cared. The local sports scene and landscape was important to him. Obrey, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors with your family! Thank you.

Geoff Roche, director of tennis, University of Redlands

Mr. Stats says goodbye

Best wishes on your retirement, Obrey! It seems like only yesterday that we first met when you became a sports reporter for the Redlands Daily Facts. So many years worth of memories, from carpooling to the Terrier away football games, long sports talks over the phone, to comparing stats every Friday night. Enjoy this time with your family and make sure to keep in touch.

Al “Mr. Stats” Sanchez

Our own smudge pot

Obrey is as synonymous with Redlands as a smudge pot. He is old Redlands, when there was one high school.

He used to humor my uncle courtside at Bulldog hoop games. My uncle Jim was one of those guys you find at the gyms and diamonds in Americana — the No. 1 fan of the youth. Obrey was always ready to chat it up when Jim ambled over, adjusting his ball cap and rolling his toothpick.

John Murphy has that small-town Obrey quality, too. We both wrote sports for the San Bernardino County Sun in different decades but where did I meet him? On the sidewalk in front of the Catholic School I went to as a youth, then known as Sacred Heart.

But that’s the beauty of this town and your paper, which continues to serve the community with local news and not the ­same front page as sister papers supposedly serving different communities.

Good luck, Obrey. And welcome Mr. Murphy. See ya at the lamppost.

Jon Flick, Redlands

He gave us a family feeling

I’ve enjoyed Obrey’s articles, local notes and tidbits and View from Above column for years. My family and I moved here in 2002 and I appreciated all of Obrey’s insights and his in-depth coverage on the local high sports and college scene from the various platforms that he wrote for.

He covered many young athletes and a variety of sports (basically all high sports, golf, tennis, swimming, water polo, volleyball, etc.) who were friends with my kids (who played sports both at REV as well as CV and RHS) and neighbors of mine.

He gave the newspaper that family community feeling. In particular, I enjoyed his press coverage of the REV boys wrestling team and that he noted the 2010 team being the first boys CIF championship team in REV’s illustrious athletic history, I know the boys on that team enjoyed and appreciated it, too.

My favorite Obrey proclamation was — and I’m paraphrasing here — that he declared “Little League is the winner!” and he did that in comparison to Pony League baseball and as “proof” he used the fact that Redlands High in 100 plus years has never won a CIF championship, and the kids that went to Redlands played RBY Pony League while Yucaipa High and either San G and/or Cajon did win CIF championships, too. They played Little League, not Pony League.

His reasoning was that in Little League the kids could focus more on the fundamentals of fielding etc. as opposed to in Pony League whereby crazy dad coaches would have their athletes run wild. He tongue-in-cheek dismissed REV’s baseball success because they had a few standout baseball transfers and some of those kids actually came from Yucaipa!

One of the reasons I enjoyed this proclamation in particular was that my youngest son at the time was playing RBY Pony League and my eldest son had went to REV, so I could good naturally of course have some fun with both my RBY and REV and RHS friends.

I wish Obrey and his wife the best in retirement and welcome John Murphy whose high school sports articles I enjoyed as well when he used to write for the San Bernardino County Sun.

Perry Mecate, Highland