Gutsy Brown Has Her Support

Editor’s note: When Sarah Morris took exception to Bill Plaschke’s Valentine’s Day column on pitcher Kevin Brown, she wrote and posted the following column on her Web site, www.dodgerplace.com.

Thursday, the Los Angeles Dodgers opened their spring training for pitchers, catchers, and injured players. This was a voluntary report date. Some media members took offense because Kevin Brown did not report to Vero Beach on Thursday. Brown plans to report to Vero Beach on Monday after spending the weekend with his family. It is nine days before the mandatory reporting date. It will be 40 days before the season begins, enough time for any player to get ready.

Kevin Brown is a fierce competitor. That is the only way to describe him, but in Bill Plaschke’s ... column he questioned Brown’s desire to win. Plaschke showed that he did not understand the man and did not trust him to be ready for the season without the Dodgers’ medical staff supervising his rehabilitation.

Before 2001, Brown was one of the premier pitchers in the National League. Between 1996 and 2001 Brown averaged more than 230 innings a season. During this period, he dominated the league with nasty pitches, and his ERA never was above 3.00.

After the 1998 season, the Dodgers, eager to get a starting ace, signed Brown to a long-term lucrative contract with some unusual perks. Although Brown pitched exceptionally for the first two seasons as a Dodger, the media and fans were unsatisfied with Brown’s performance because he did not lead the Dodgers to the playoffs. With his unbelievable contract, people want Brown to perform as if he were Superman. He is not.

Anyone who pitched as much as Brown did is likely to develop injuries, and Brown did in 2001. While most pitchers would be on the disabled list and heading for surgery to repair the partially torn ligament in their pitching elbow, Brown tried to endure the pain to help his team. In the gutsiest performance by a pitcher that I have witnessed, Brown pitched 115.2 innings, won 10, lost four, and had a 2.65 ERA.

Last season Brown did not pitch much or well. He tried his best, but his health prevented him from doing much. Plaschke is mad the Dodgers allowed Brown to start last year’s opening day because the San Francisco Giants abused Brown. He likes to forget they abused Hideo Nomo the next day.

Brown had major back surgery in June. Almost everyone believed Brown would be out for the rest of the season. However, he returned to the mound in early August. The Dodgers used him as a reliever. Though most starters would complain about being a reliever, Brown did not. He was disappointed by his performance, but he wanted to help his team any way he could. Pain forced him to miss the last two weeks of the season.

Plaschke believes Brown is selfish. Brown would not pitch in pain, risking the future of his career, if he was selfish. He has received all of the attention that he probably wants.

Plaschke forgets or does not know being a major leaguer takes much self-discipline. The level that Brown has reached takes work on his own. This off-season Brown probably has worked hard on his rehabilitation while his sons watched.

Kevin Brown has been in the major leagues for 16 years. By now, he should know what it takes to get ready for the season. If the Dodgers do not know what the attitude of Kevin Brown is by now, they will never know. If he feels like he has time to celebrate a family birthday, he should be entitled without criticism from the media. Plaschke should have waited to write his article until Kevin Brown showed up at Vero Beach out of shape.