BROWN'S VIEW OF DODGER BLUE IS ROSY; PITCHER REMAINS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE TEAM'S 67TH LOSS : FLORIDA 6, DODGERS 1.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer There have been times this season when Kevin Brown The name Kevin Brown can refer to several different people, including the following:
Other times he didn't pitch well, was the recipient of breaks he thought were unfavorable or, as of late, has pitched a whale of a game but has been less than flamboyant afterward. Indeed, on an overhyped team with outlandish expectations, the losing hasn't sat well with Brown. The Dodgers' 6-1 loss to Florida at Dodger Stadium • • [ on Tuesday was just a sidelight side·light n. 1. A light coming from the side. 2. Nautical Either of two lights, red to port, green to starboard, shown by ships at night. 3. A piece of incidental or contrasting information. to the doldrums. But no matter how desolate this season has become, Brown holds the belief that this straying ship will find its course in time for next season. ``I've seen it happen in the past, so there's no reason it can't happen (programming) can't happen - The traditional program comment for code executed under a condition that should never be true, for example a file size computed as negative. Often, such a condition being true indicates data corruption or a faulty algorithm; it is almost always handled here,'' Brown said. ``If you don't think you're going to win . . . why would I be here?'' Brown, who signed a $105 million contract as a free agent, isn't used to the losing. He won the World Series two years ago with the Marlins and helped rejuvenate re·ju·ve·nate tr.v. re·ju·ve·nat·ed, re·ju·ve·nat·ing, re·ju·ve·nates 1. To restore to youthful vigor or appearance; make young again. 2. the city of San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. last year by leading them to the NL pennant. He was supposed to do the same for the Dodgers. Instead, his 14-6 mark and 3.14 ERA are easily overlooked on a team that's spent the better part of two months bouncing between fourth and last place in the NL West. ``It's really easy to get used to winning,'' Brown said. ``Obviously, pitching well and getting good results is great. It would be much better and mean much more if it was in the backdrop of a team that was winning.'' It's been no easy chore to turn around the Dodgers, but Brown, when he ponders that issue, says he knew it wasn't going to be simple. ``Nothing worth doing ever is,'' Brown said. ``There's lessons to be learned from this kind of season. Sometimes the lessons learned . . . sometimes it's very subtle. Sometimes it's something you don't realize right away. You don't always know.'' When Brown signed the mega-deal, he spoke of reasons why he wanted to pitch on the other side of the country instead of near his Georgia home. The jet to cart Brown's family to and fro to and fro adv. Back and forth. to and fro Adverb, adj also to-and-fro 1. were pretty high on Brown's list. Brown also mentioned the history of the new hierarchy and its ability to build a minor-league system that could complement a robust major-league team. ``I think they have the understanding for how things work, how a farm system works, in conjunction with having the ability to sign free agent, to build a team,'' Brown said. ``You can't have a great team without an understanding of how each part works.'' The Dodgers' minor-league system is nearly barren. Some call it a disaster. And the rebuilding will take years and go deep into Brown's seven-year contract. But interspersed between now and the end of the season will be hints or glimpses of how the minor-league system can aid the Dodgers in the next year or two. A piece of that was on display Tuesday night against the Marlins in starting pitcher Noun 1. starting pitcher - (baseball) a pitcher who starts in a baseball game baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; Mike Judd Michael Galen Judd (born June 30, 1975, in San Diego, California) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 9th round of the 1995 MLB amateur draft, Judd would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on . He was supposed to make one start for the Dodgers but impressed manager Davey Johnson Johnson saw six-plus innings from Judd, who allowed four runs on eight hits. Maybe the most impressive thing about Judd was his pitch efficiency The way it's gone this season, six innings usually translates into 105 or so pitches and a forced call to the bullpen. Judd threw 89 pitches but fell behind early. He allowed a two-run homer by Bruce Aven with one out in the first and gave up an RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in single to Mike Redmond in the fourth as the Dodgers fell behind 3-0. Meanwhile, Marlins starter A.J. Burnett allowed one run in 5-2/3 innings in his major-league debut and left with a 3-1 lead. The Marlins added a run off Judd in the seventh and Jamie Arnold allowed an RBI double to Preston Wilson in the eighth as Florida built a 5-1 lead. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) The Dodgers Mark Grudzielanek chases Florida's Mike Redmond. The Marlins' Preston Wilson scored just before the rundown. (2) Florida's Preston Wilson scores as Todd Hundley directs a throw to the cut-off man. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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