Dr. Michael Brown & The Astros: What Gives?

By John Royal Thu., Aug. 26 2010 at 8:58 AM

Categories: Baseball, Courts, Sports

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You must be watching an Astros game...

If you're like me, you've always been bugged by those ads for The Brown Hand Center that are shown way too much during Houston Astros games. Maybe it's that whole Stepford family thing, or the way the wife looks terrified, or the girl talking about being daddy's little girl. Or perhaps it's because I know about the good doctor at the center of the ad, and how he lost his medical license and is on probation for beating his second wife.

So yeah, that whole thing just bugs me. But now, hopefully, the Astros and Fox Sports Houston will stop running that damn thing.

For those that missed the news, everybody's husband of the year and favorite hand surgeon attacked his third wife a couple of weeks ago and was, several days ago, charged by the police, forced to surrender his passport, and given a bail of $40,000. This shouldn't really be news as his wife sought a restraining order against him in 2006, alleging domestic abuse dating back for several years. She also called 911 on him in 2009.

So, along with wondering why the Astros have been allowing commercials for this creep to run during their games, the question should be asked about why his wife was still with him. Especially seeing as he was already on probation for beating his pregnant, second wife with a bedpost.

So yeah, he's not exactly the nicest of guys, and anybody who read the Houston Press article from way back couldn't help but wonder why this guy got to advertise on television during baseball games, especially seeing as how Drayton McLane famously once dumped a player who was charged with domestic assault but whose wife refused to press charges. Then again, Drayton wasn't making any cash off Julio Lugo while he's making cash off of Dr. Michael Brown.

Leaving all of that aside, it's kind of puzzling that the Astros would allow the advertisements to run anyway, seeing as how the guy's lost his license in Texas and can't practice medicine. And the reason he can't practice medicine is that he tested positive for cocaine use during a probation-mandated drug test in 2006.

The Astros claim to be one of those organizations that are all about family. You can't listen or attend a game without being lambasted with advertising for one of those faith and family nights. And Roger Clemens hasn't exactly been a welcome presence around the team since he appeared before Congress. Yet despite all of this, Brown's Hand Center commercials have constantly appeared during Astros games.

I suppose it's possible that the advertising folks with the Astros did the same level of due diligence that the front office did when they acquired Miguel Tejada a day before he was named in The Mitchell Report. But just as the suspicions regarding Tejada were well known before the report came out, the facts and stories surrounding Brown were just as well known and evident. Yet just as they ignored everything with Tejada, they ignored everything with Mr. Hand Center.

Then again, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the only one creeped out by the ads and the Stepford family and a guy who can't even practice medicine boasting about his medical abilities. But I'm really hoping that I'm not going to have to see those ads anymore. That might, just might, start making the Astros watchable again.

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