Brown Gets Around to Attending Camp

The Dodgers exhaled Tuesday as the highly anticipated arrival of Kevin Brown finally occurred at Dodgertown.

The injury-plagued former staff ace reported to camp, saying he was unfazed by criticism of his timetable. Some in the organization also have privately expressed disappointment that Brown, coming off surgery in June for a herniated disk in his lower back, did not join the first group of players at spring training last week, and Manager Jim Tracy discussed the situation with Brown during a 20-minute meeting before the first full-squad workout.

Tracy, who declined to discuss specifics of the conversation, said he had closed the door on the issue of Brown’s spending time with his family before coming to Dodgertown, focusing now on getting Brown and the Dodgers ready for what they believe should be an outstanding season. The Dodgers lauded Brown for reporting in excellent shape and instructed him to proceed cautiously, hoping to have the $105-million pitcher for a full season for the first time since 2000.

“He came in and gave me a hug, so he’s in good spirits and that’s a good sign, and hopefully he’ll stay that way,” left fielder Brian Jordan said. “The bottom line is we’re better with him than without him -- but we can play without him.”

The five-time All-Star, who appeared considerably less ornery than usual on his first day in camp, is optimistic that his back and elbow problems are in the past after developing a rehabilitation program with specialists in the off-season, learning that some of his muscles needed to be reawakened. Brown, determined to regain the form that made him one of baseball’s top right-handed pitchers, challenged anyone who has watched him pitch with pain to question his dedication to the Dodgers, believing he has nothing to prove on that front.

“That’s somebody else’s problem. It’s not mine and it’s not an issue with the team,” Brown said of media criticism. “If someone else has a problem with it there’s nothing I can do other than just what I’ve always done. Since the point where I’ve had to leave [his family for camp], I’ve always shown up at this time, and if they move it [the reporting date] to Jan. 1 next year I’ll be here Feb. 18.

“That’s just the fact of the matter. Until they moved the dates up it was never an issue, but since they keep moving the dates up it has become an issue for some people. As long as it’s not an issue for the people I work for, and I don’t think it’s a problem for me, I’m not worried about it. They knew my situation. They knew the importance of my family and that’s not going to change. People can spin it however they want to spin it.”

He added: “If it felt like [five] days was going to cost me a chance to be ready for the season, I might have thought differently about it. I don’t believe that’s the case, and the team doesn’t feel that’s the case.”

Brown said players did not express concern about his timetable.

“They’re welcome to voice their opinion if they want to,” he said. “Everyone in here knows my dedication to the game and to the team. If anybody has been here and watched me pitch these last two years, with the things that have gone on, and can think that I don’t want to play for this team and don’t care about trying to win, well, that’s just

Brown, who has been on the disabled list six times in the last three seasons, including twice in 2002 because of elbow problems, returned to the field Tuesday with the Dodgers, playing catch for about 10 minutes and resuming his exercise program. He didn’t participate in fielding drills, bullpen sessions or join other starters in throwing live batting practice for the first time.

On the club’s recommendation, Brown didn’t throw much in the off-season, only occasionally playing catch with his sons.

“You would characterize it as a conservative plan,” pitching coach Jim Colborn said. “We’re going to evaluate where he is each day before we either plug him into our programs full bore or plug him in halfway.”

Brown said a specialist informed him “some of his muscles had just tightened up and locked down” last season, so reviving them was the key to “getting everything to work again.” He hasn’t experienced pain in “quite some time” but won’t make predictions about the season.

“I’m thinking I’ll be back to my normal self,” said Brown, who led the National League in earned-run average in 2000. “I don’t have a doctor or somebody else telling me, ‘You can’t pitch.’ Obviously, things haven’t been right the last two years, but I don’t have any reason, at this point, to think it’s going to be anything different than what it should be. I hope to be even better.”

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In a League of Their Own

Dodger pitcher Kevin Brown is among baseball’s highest-paid pitchers. Contracts for pitchers with average annual values of $10.5 million or more. Includes all guaranteed income but not income from potential incentive bonuses. There is no distinction for money deferred without interest:

*--* Player, Club Years Avg. salary MIKE HAMPTON, Atlanta 2001-08 $15,125,000 KEVIN BROWN, Dodgers 1999-05 $15,000,000 MIKE MUSSINA, New York Yankees 2001-06 $14,750,000 GREG MADDUX, Atlanta 2003 $14,750,000 RANDY JOHNSON, Arizona 1999-02 $13,100,000 CHAN HO PARK, Texas 2002-06 $13,000,000 PEDRO MARTINEZ, Boston 1998-03 $12,500,000 TOM GLAVINE, New York Mets 2003-05 $11,666,667 DARREN DREIFORT, Dodgers 2001-05 $11,000,000 KEVIN APPIER, Angels 2001-04 $10,500,000

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