The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-15

a the DdSGDd41 AfCtlQ ONel dS MI
ner' Brown. Bleacherites in the
east, particularly New York, call him
"Three-h fingered Brown" To his friends
he is plain old Mordecai Brown, Of
Nyesyille, Ind. He IS the best exponent
of the pitching art in the history Of
baseball. Wherever the game is played
the name Of Miner" Brown is known.
Appended is a. table giving his record
since he entered last company. This
table. showing Where Brown has off,
ciated in 1855 games and won $50 of
them, or grand percentage of .1O7, IS
sufficient in itself to- convince the most
caustic critic that the Hoosier lad has
done wonders IN his chosen profession.
Brown's work this season has been
most sensational. He has ofnciated in
80 games and has won % of them-a
record never before equaled in the his
tory of the game. As there are still
about rs games to be played, the
chances are the Hoosier phenom. will
work in several more games, and
judging from the speed he displayed
yesterday. he viii @tin-ean'' in each es-
say.
While the Hoosier kid Is now star
ring as the wonder of the pitching
world, he has never been given the
publicity ana boosting that Matthew
son, Young, Waddell, Plank and Nc
Ginnity have received. Even this sea-
son, while he is easily the king Of all
boxmen, one hears little of him.
The famous Miners pitching hand
is busted" all to pieces. His index
finger, the diget which all great pitch
ers use to grip and control the ball, is
shy two joints. 1t Is merely a short
stump. His middle finger, or the main
stay Of any mans hand, is twisted out
Of all proportion. HIS twiggle" or lit
tie finger is broken in two places and
the top joint is drawn down, the lead
er of the finger being missing. His
thumb is also broken and badly shat
/ tered. He possesses one real healthy
| finger on this wonderful pitching hand
his third finger.
Ordinarily this finger is of little use
to the average heather finger, and in
/ Browns case, he has found It of little
help to him. Following his pitching
career, from the day he started in fast
/ company with Terre Haute, he has a
equaled by any pitcher He attributes
/ his wonderful control to the loss of
his index finger. He grips the ball
with his broken thumb. shattered
middle finger, and the one good diget.
/ the third finger.
He grips the ball the same way.
] whether throwing an out, IN, drop or
| slow ball. In throwing an out curve
4 he switches the short stump, or what
/ is left Of the index finger, outward. In
| tossing his deadening, swift in-shoot
he moves the guide finger just the op-
! posite. He possesses great speed. is a
/ perfect fielder, and these virtues,
| coupled with the natural baseball in
Ht1ncCS he possesses, all go TO make
4 him a star boxman.
i Brown was born in Nyesville, Ind,
twenty-six years ago. When five years
old he met with the accident which al
most robbed him of his right hand He
was playing about feed store in Nyes-
vile when he playfully placed his
hand IN the feeder of a hay grinding
machine The index finger was cut
off at the first joint the second finger
| was broken and the thumb and little
finger badly crushed.
As he was unable to do manual Ia
Dor, owing to this defornaity. his faith
er decided to make a barrister out OF
him. Brown loved study, but at the
age of Is he had won the reputation
of being the "kid' phenom Of Indiana.
This settled HIS career as a lawyer.
He twirled independent ball up to
1901, when he joined Terre Haute, OF
the .sThree-Eye" league. Figuring
his record from September 1, 1905
to date. he has officiated in just forty
six games. He has won forty and lost
only six, a record which has never
been equaled in the history of the
game.
Chicago secured Brown in 1903
when the Robisons traded him and
Jack O'Nein for Jack Taylor.