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Wednesday, September 11, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Teacher’s husband fulfills big league dreams
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
Brittaney Brown, kin-
dergarten teacher at Sisters
Elementary School, got a
phone call recently that felt
unbelievable at first. Her
husband, Seth Brown, who
she married in December,
phoned to tell her his dreams
had come true: He was head-
ing to Kansas City to join
baseball9s major league
Oakland Athletics for a series
against the Royals.
At the start of the phone
call Brittaney couldn9t tell
what Seth was trying to
tell her because he was so
emotional.
<When Seth called to tell
me the news, I truly thought
he got injured or some-
thing terrible had happened
because he was just crying on
the phone and it was really
hard to understand what he
was saying,= she said. <Once
I understood what he was
telling me, a roller coaster of
emotions followed.=
The couple met at Lewis-
Clark State College in
Lewiston, Idaho where she
was on scholarship for bas-
ketball and Seth for baseball.
After college, he was
signed by the Athletics in
June 2015 and began playing
in the minor leagues.
Seth Brown is off to
an incredible start for the
Athletics.
As of September 8,
Brown was batting .417 in
his first 10 appearances for
the Athletics, including a
game last week in which he
hit not just one, but two tri-
ples, tying a franchise record,
against the Anaheim Angels.
Prior to moving up, Seth
played for the AAA team in
Las Vegas where was having
a stellar season. He had hit
37 home runs in 112 games
and had a batting average of
.297.
After opening in Kansas
City, the Athletics trav-
eled to Yankee Stadium and
Brittaney got her first real
taste of what Seth9s call up to
the major leagues meant for
her.
<I couldn9t make it to
Seth9s debut series, because
it was really important to
me that I was at school for
the first week of the new
school year,= she explained.
<So Oakland coordinated
flights so that I could travel
to New York City to watch
the Yankees series and watch
Seth play in the big leagues
live for the first time.=
The trip was a real eye-
opener for Brittaney.
<Seth and I are just two
regular people, and starting
from the first-class plane ride
to the fancy hotels, to the VIP
passes at Yankee Stadium 4
it is just a whole different
world for us,= she said.
<Seth9s agent was in town
and took me to a variety of
tourist spots and we went
to dinner with couples from
the team and I truly felt like
I was in a movie,= she said.
<Being able to go on the field
to watch Seth take batting
practice at Yankee Stadium
is a memory that I will never
forget.=
In stories published by the
Associated Press following
the game in which he hit the
two triples, including driv-
ing in the go-ahead run, Seth
was quoted as saying, <It9s
incredible. I want to do what
I can to help the team and I
was able to do that tonight,
so it was a dream come true
for me.=
The Athletics are in
a heated contest to earn
a wild-card spot for the
Major League playoffs, and
Brown9s contributions have
come at the perfect time.
Brittaney received a sweet
surprise when she arrived at
school Friday, September 6.
PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
Brittaney Brown (center) with some of her colleagues sporting Oakland
Athletics gear.
<Our principal, Joan
Warburg, called a staff
meeting,= she said, and
as I walked into the com-
mons of our school I saw
the ENTIRE staff wearing
Oakland Athletics T-shirts
with 8Brown9 on the back,
and all I could do was put my
face in my hands and think-
ing to myself, 8We are so
blessed!9.=
The Browns are savoring
every moment of this time
because one thing is certain
about playing major league
baseball: there are no guar-
antees it will last.
<For Seth, this is the
moment he has worked his
entire life for,= she said. <We
both have sacrificed a lot of
things for his chance in the
big leagues, and we are for-
ever grateful for the outcome
of this opportunity.
<The biggest takeaway
for Seth and myself from
this entire experience is
that dreams really can come
true,= she said. <The road
may look different for every-
one, but with hard work, a
strong support system, and
resiliency, anything can
happen.=
Mentoring
children with
incarcerated
parents
Central Oregon Partner-
ships for Youth (COPY), a
program of Deschutes County
Sheriff9s Office, is offering a
class to prepare volunteers to
become mentors for children
with an incarcerated parent.
After initial training
and comprehensive back-
ground checks, volunteers
are matched with a child that
shares similar interests and
commit to spending a few
hours a week together for a
minimum of one year. This
time is often spent going to
community events, working
on homework, participating in
sports, or simply hanging out
and talking.
On Sat., Sept. 21, COPY
will offer a training class. This
six-hour class covers program
policies, how to establish
a mentor relationship, the
impact incarceration has on
families, and communication
skills. There is no cost, but
registration is required.
For information call 541-
388-6651, email COPY@
deschutes.org, or visit www.
sheriff.deschutes.org/copy.
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