Ailing Brown Vows To Pitch In Game 5
Florida Marlins ace Kevin Brown, who missed his scheduled start Saturday because of a viral infection, pledged to be ready to pitch today against the Atlanta Braves in the National League championship series.
“They would have to shoot me to keep me from going out there,” Brown said.
Manager Jim Leyland wasn’t quite so confident about his right-hander’s recovery.
“It’s probably 95 percent that he’s going to pitch today,” Leyland said.
Brown declined to discuss his symptoms other than to say he has “lost a lot of water in the last 24 hours.” He stayed home Friday and watched the Marlins’ 5-2 victory in Game 3 on TV.
Key may be done for ALCS
Jimmy Key, who pitched four shaky innings in Game 2, could be done for the season if the Orioles don’t get into the World Series.
Baltimore manager Davey Johnson said that Key would be in the bullpen for Game 5, but by Saturday he changed his mind.
“I probably won’t use him,” Johnson said. “He could possibly be a World Series starter. He threw about 80 pitches on three days’ rest, so I wouldn’t bring him back.”
Key allowed two runs, five hits, two walks and three hit batsmen in four innings.
Injured Smiley visits teammates
John Smiley greeted his teammates and coaches with the best one-armed hugs he could give.
Smiley, who fractured his humerus bone while warming up before a Sept. 20 start in Kansas City, was back with the Cleveland Indians for the first time since suffering the freak injury while warming up in the bullpen.
Fitted with a soft cast from his left shoulder to his palm that held his arm away from his body, Smiley said doctors have decided not to operate on him, unless the injury does not heal naturally.
Smiley, acquired in a July 31 trade with Cincinnati to bolster the Indians’ rotation for the playoffs, said it’s been difficult to sit out while the club played the postseason.
“It’s really tough,” he said. “I was traded kind of for the postseason, to break your arm … it’s really hard.”
Smiley said doctors were still unsure as to what caused his bone to break.
“They said there was no way of knowing for sure,” he said. “I guess it was just one of those freak injuries.”
Elite free agents disappearing
It was going to be the most illustrious free-agent class of all time: Greg Maddux. Tom Glavine. Mark McGwire. Curt Schilling. Mike Mussina. Cal Ripken. Kenny Lofton. Ivan Rodriguez. And many, many other marquee attractions.
Not anymore.
“Teams got scared of having expansion teams running up the price,” says an American League general manager. “So they took their players out of the game.”
Amazingly, every one of the megastars above - except Lofton - has signed. What remains is a crop of free agents whose names look great on paper - until they start asking for $7 million a year. That said, here’s the best of what’s left: Premier starting pitchers: Darryl Kile, Wilson Alvarez.
Very useful starting pitchers: Ken Hill, Andy Benes, Todd Stottlemyre, Willie Blair.
Grab-bag starting pitchers: Orel Hershiser, Dwight Gooden, Bobby Witt, Kent Mercker, Terry Mulholland, Mark Langston, Scott Kamieniecki, Pete Harnisch, Mike Morgan, Bob Tewksbury, Pete Schourek, Frank Castillo, Tom Candiotti, Doug Drabek, Jack McDowell, Danny Darwin.
Closers: Randy Myers, Rod Beck, Roberto Hernandez, Doug Jones, Todd Worrell, Dennis Eckersley.
Household names: Darren Daulton, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter, Jay Bell, Jeff Blauser, Mark Lemke, Hal Morris, John Olerud, Dean Palmer, Tony Phillips, Bip Roberts, Chili Davis, Otis Nixon, Shawon Dunston, Ozzie Guillen, Cecil Fielder.
Grab-bag position players: Paul Sorrento, David Segui, Joey Cora, Darrin Fletcher, Rey Sanchez, Kevin Elster, Jose Vizcaino.
Fading stars: Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Tim Raines, Rickey Henderson, Darryl Strawberry, Deion Sanders.
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