Steve Who??? 

Born in England, but a long-time resident of the United States, Steve Brown has represented the
U.S. on many occasions, and continues to do so today.  In addition to representing his country in both the 2009 World Cup and World Masters, Steve is currently ranked #1 in the U.S.

Apart from his main role as a player, Steve is also known for his behind-the-scenes work.  Having been involved in virtually every aspect of the sport - from BDO and London County Official to
Board Member of the American Darts Organization - Steve is Area 6 Manager for the
ADO.  He is also recognised as one of the game's leading coaches and tacticians, and is a keen
supporter of youth darts.

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

 Steve Brown would like to take this opportunity to thank the

following for their generous support :

 

 Joyce and Mike Stafos, The St. Louis Dart Shop, St. Louis, MO -

 www.stlouisdart.com

 Joan and Mike Lang, Dreamland Palace German Restaurant, Foster Pond, IL -

 www.dreamlandpalace.net

Latest news

August 16, 2010

 

It's been just over a month since I last posted, but yet again, I'm sitting here trying to recover from a bug I picked up at the USA Dart Classic last week.  What makes it worse is that I suffered a mild bout of food poisoning when I arrived in Stamford, got over that, and then started struggling with a sinus infection!

As far as the darts are concerned, the weekend wasn't that much better than my condition.  Having said that, I did make it to the final of the cricket singles against Larry Butler.  After taking the first leg in a somewhat fortunate manner (yes Larry, I know - you should have hit the 15!) I got myself into a really strong position in the second before the wheels fell off.  The decider was close, but not close enough for my liking...

That actually capped a good weekend for Larry, who collected the BDO-ranked 501 Singles the previous day.  That final against Jerry van Loan was an absolute classic, with both players shooting some brilliant darts; I just wish I had the figures for the match.

The previous week's action at the Music City Classic in Nashville wasn't any more profitable for me either, losing first round in all three singles.  The big problem is that with the last two majors (Nashville and Stamford) of the year now over, my chances of making the ADO World Cup Team on ranking are negligible.  Looks like I'll have to rely on making it out of our Nationals in Denver...

Other than the above, we had the Midwest Summer Classic here in St. Louis, and the Freedom Tournament (Austin, TX).  It was a particularly interesting weekend down in Austin, with Saturday bringing absolutely nothing in the way of success.  The nearest thing was the cricket singles, when I lost at T4 to Chris Helms.  Actually, I think it was Chris, but it could have been Phil Taylor in disguise!

Sunday was far better as I didn't lose an event.  In addition to the 501 singles, I captured the cricket doubles (with Connley Litton) and the mixed doubles 501 with Christy Zimmerman.  Highlight of the day, though, was Christy winning her first singles at a $10,000 shoot!  Having beaten the legend that is Andrea Taylor, Christy edged passed Suzie Hall in the final.

Another first was me shooting with Connley.  You may not know the name - yet - but Connley (from Gardner, KS) has to be one of the most improved players in the country this year.  That was very evident in Stamford, where he made the quarter-finals of both singles.

This weekend I'm off to Jefferson City for the Governor's Cup, which is basically the Missouri State Team Championship.  With a much-changed team from previous years, I'm really looking forward to it - as long as I can get over this sickness...

Latest news

July 7, 2010

 

Well, just a few lines to let you know that KFUO FM closed down last night.  It was a very emotional evening, and despite the rain, over 200 listeners and fans of the station held a candlelight vigil.  I will be leaving the link on here, as we're not sure what will be happening with the website.

I have also posted some photos from last night on my Facebook page.

Thank you, KFUO; we'll miss you... 

 

Latest news
July 2, 2010

Again, I've had a lot going on - most of it not good - since the last update, but I won't bore you with all that.  I had a good weekend in Cedar Rapids, winning everything except the men's 501 doubles, but I never even had a chance to get to that buffet I was telling you about!  Other than that, it's been pretty miserable.

It was great to help my buddies Steve Jordon and Kory Nichols (and Kory's lovely wife Michele) at the "Queen of Darts" tournament up in Manistee, Michigan, and I'd like to thank everyone at the Little River Casino for being such wonderful hosts.  The turnout was more than a little disappointing, but we are already planning for next year, and the Little River is a great venue for tournaments. 

The important thing for me was to qualify for the World Masters, after an appalling display of finishing, I missed out by one leg.  Honestly, I scored as well as I have ever done, but finished as poorly as I have ever done.  In the final bracket, there were four legs that I gave away after getting down to a double in 11 or 12 darts.  Still, congrats to Jerry van Loan (again), Jim Widmayer (again), Dieter Schutsch, and Ed LaBarbera, and to Andrea Taylor and Debbie Ivey.  Congrats also to Tom Sawyer who qualified by winning the Houston Open (after finishing the Masters Nationals as alternate), and to Sandy Hudson for taking the women's title.

Next week brings the annual Midwest Summer Classic in St. Charles, along with the 6-2 Regional for the US Team.  This year's playoffs qualify us for next year's World Cup in Ireland, so that is plenty of incentive!  After that, it's down to Austin, then a week off before our next major, the Music City Classic in Nashville.

As I said at the start, I've had a lot of things going on away from the darts, and one of the saddest is that KFUO FM, St. Louis' classical radio station, is getting ready to close down.  The station has been sold by the owners, and will become a contemporary Christian music station from next Wednesday (July 7).

To us (my wife Valerie and me), it is far more than a radio station, and our feelings have little to do with the music.  We have made several close friends thanks to KFUO, and many of you will know that I have been a regular co-host on Classic Tracks on Tuesday nights.  We held the last ever Classic Tracks this week, and I was honoured to be invited along to co-host the final two-hour special.

Other than that not much to report, except for an extremely poor showing from England down in South Africa, and a disappointing exit for the U.S.A. at the hands of an impressive Ghanaian team.

 

Latest (well, sort of...) news

May 11, 2010

 

I have tried - without success - to post a couple of updates on here recently.  I don't know if it was the server, or the fact that I was trying to do them while I was on the road, but I've finally managed it!

The two "biggies" for me (Virginia Beach and Charlotte) both proved somewhat disappointing.  Although I did well in several events, I failed miserably in the two BDO-Ranked singles, and my chances of qualifying for Lakeside next year - on rankings, anyway - have disappeared.  It looks like I'll just have to rely on the playoffs at the World Masters.

On the subject of the World Masters, I was sad to read that the BDO have moved the venue from Bridlington to Hull.  Even out of season, Brid is a delightful little place to visit, and Hull at Halloween just won't be the same!

Other than the aforementioned tournaments, I haven't done too badly recently, and since Virginia Beach (where I made the semi-final), I've lost just one match in a cricket singles, and that was the final in Charlotte!  Yeah, I ran into my old friend and rival Brad Wethington, and it seems it was his turn...

Brad and I showed up at last weekend's Blueberry Hill Open each looking for a record-breaking sixth '01 Singles victory, to move ahead of the late John Reichwein.  However, we'll have to wait another year, as the ever-improving Connley Litton grabbed an impressive victory over tournament MVP Isen Veljic.  Some of you may not know Connley, but Brad and I have been grooming him for the last two or three years, and he is now really showing some form.

I was going up to Grand Rapids this week, but with some stuff going on at home, I reluctantly have to give it a miss.  I feel particularly bad as I was due to partner 2009 ADO National Youth Champion Robert Ham, but I'm sure we will team up again in the future.

Next week is the annual trip to Cedar Rapids, IA, for the Hawkeye Open.  They've had to drop the money this year, but it's still worth going to, not least because of the excellent Chinese Buffet next to the venue!  I'll let you know how I did.  At the tournament, I mean, not the buffet...

 

Latest news

(March 19,2010)

 

Well, I've been busy since the last update, but I must have picked up a bug in Indianapolis last weekend, and have spent the last few days in bed.  Still, as long as I can get over it before Virginia Beach (next week), I should be okay.

Anyway, I won our local Masters qualifier, and the following week's St. Pat's Tournament in Jefferson City also proved quite a success.  Of course, the main thing was qualifying for the World Masters Nationals in Houston, which I did.  Honestly, I shouldn't have won, but Phil Ponder slipped up in his last match, and I gratefully scraped through.  Congratulations to St. Charles' Angie Maxwell who won her first women's Regional from Margaret Hemsath.

Onto the tournament itself, and I won both singles events, including the cricket singles for the 14th (yes, fourteenth) time!  After a fierce battle with Phil Ponder in the semi, I managed to see off Marc Molnar (St. Charles) in the final.  The 501 singles gave Mr Ponder the opportunity to exact some revenge, as the draw kept us apart until the final.  This time, Phil really should have taken it.  After a beautiful 13-darter to make it 2-2, Phil totally outscored me in the decider.  However, the winning double - I really don't know how those darts at double 5 didn't go in! - proved elusive, and I grabbed another win.  I teamed up with Tony Wessley to secure first in the cricket doubles, and we also took the mixed triples (with Tracie Saale).

Indy wasn't quite as profitable, but after several years of trying, John Ankeney and I finally got our first win together!  Some of the darts that were thrown against us were incredible, and looking back, it's difficult to work out how we won.  Win we did though, and saw off Gordon Dixon and D.J. Sayre (congrats on the 501 singles, buddy) at T4, and Dayton Strawbridge and Larry Butler in the final.

As I said, it's off to "the Beach" in a few days, and the next major.  With BDO ranking points at stake, this really is an important one for us.

Finally, it's my sad duty to report the tragic passing of three fellow darters and friends; 
Lisa Perkins (Kansas City), Clayton Sloan (St. Louis), and former National Cricket Championship finalist, Chad Hersman (Columbus, OH).  All were taken far too early, and my thoughts are with the families of these wonderful people.

 

Latest news

(February 28, 2010)

 

Apologies again for the lack of updates, but this time it was due to a serious issue.  My father-in-law, Paul Neeley, was rushed into hospital in Northern Iowa after a massive heart attack, so we dropped everything and went up there for a while.  Things really didn't look too promising, particularly as he'd been without oxygen for over ten minutes, but thankfully, he is doing much better now.  Although he will still be in hospital for a while, Paul has now been fitted with a pacemaker, and should be able to live a relatively normal - if a little sedentary - life.

Anyway, on to the darts...  Las Vegas was a trifle disappointing to say the least.  I played poorly in the National Cricket Championship, although I did end up reaching the quarter-final where I lost to Jerry Van Loan.  I played much better over the rest of the weekend, but with little reward.  However, I did pick up ten valuable BDO Ranking points (from the 501 singles), which will certainly help in my attempt to qualify for next year's BDO lakeside World Championship.

The following weekend was the Shoot for the Moon in Decatur, Alabama.  Highlight of this tournament was a hard-earned victory in Sunday's cricket singles.  Then it was on to the Tri-State Open in Joplin, Missouri, last week.  I only competed in four events - and won three of them!  I won both singles finals against eventual MVP Phil Ponder, and I partnered Brad Wethington to victory in the cricket doubles.  The only disappointment was that we lost first round of the Mixed Triples (with Wichita's Kris Reynolds).

Now, I'm getting ready to head down to the South County Hotshots for the last qualifier for next week's World Masters Regional in Jefferson City.  I'll let you know how I did...

 

Latest news...

(January 26, 2010)

 

Sorry for the delay in updating the site, but I've had quite a lot going on over the last few weeks.  Playing-wise, it's been fairly sedate this year, with the Air Capital Open in Wichita being the longest trip so far.  Highlight of that tournament was one of our local youth players making a big impression, as you will see. 

Sixteen-year-old Jared Sullivan from St. Peters rode down there with me to simply get some experience, but ended up partnering Philadelphia's Bill Davis.  Bill and Jared made the semis of both doubles events, and teamed up with Christy Zimmerman to capture the 601 Mixed Triples.  Making his debut on stage, Jared actually hit the winning shot in the deciding leg of the final!

On a personal note, I haven't really made an impact yet, and the only singles win I've had in 2010 was at last week's MVDO Open here in St. Louis.  I scraped past Brad Wethington in the final when he couldn't capitalize on a brilliant start to the second leg.  For five darts, Brad was on a perfect game, but the doubles proved elusive.  I certainly know that feeling...

Still, it was nice to be confirmed as U.S. #1 for 2009.  It's 10 years since I last topped the ADO rankings, so it was a great feeling to be back on top.  Hopefully I can keep that going, preferably doing well enough in the BDO-ranked events to make it to the Lakeside World Championship next January.  A good performance at the Las Vegas Open this weekend won't hurt...  In addition, we have the 2010 National Cricket Championship, which is another title I haven't held since 1999.  It will seem very strange being in Vegas without Della Fleetwood, who sadly passed away recently.

Away from darts, I've just finished another spell co-hosting Classic Tracks on KFUO FM radio, as regular host and fellow "Limey", Robin Weatherall, is back from spending the holidays in Germany.

Finally, it's good to see Dan Zimmerman on the road to recovery after suffering a ruptured appendix a couple of weeks back.

I'll be in touch when I get back from Vegas in a few days.

Steve

 

 

 

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