Evening star., 1938-01-27
A Baseball Adventurer.

THE Cubs knew and freely
acknowledged that it was only
Browns great ARMAND heart-that
pulled them up by the boot straps.
They gave him a shotgun just to
show him that he was the ball players
idol.
Brown was the greatest adventurer
I ever knew in baseball. He was hap
piest when the bases were full and
nobody out. He was just naturally
tough about his pitching. He reliShed
the job of moving 'em down. And
II he missed there was no alibi. No
infielder got dirty look from Brown
for booting chance in tough spot.
THE test Of greatness in athletes is
what they do and how they do it when
the crisis comes. Brown pitched the
in the National League and he won
them in the most superior style, with
banners flying. That game he won
from Matty in New York in 1908, fol-
lowing his victory over Pittsburgh, was
almost lost cause when, in the very
first inning, Brown had to be rushed
to the relief Of Pfeister, whose ner-
vousness and ineffectiveness had
caused the usual placid Cub machine
to show signs of wobbling. They set
tied instantly when Brown went to
the slab. One run was in, two men
were on the bases, but Brown struck
out Devlin and went on to win, 4 to 2,
A01Nu,iy,y Ny,1v fo11r hiSc Sy, OH jyv
Brown had the stuff. Not as fast
As Grove or Walter Johnson, but with
plenty Of speed. And curve that no
other pitcher could excel Great con-
troll. Fast fielder. Good at watching
base runners and fine at covering first
on balls hit to the first baseman.
Nerve Made Him Players Hero.
1T WAS Browns nerve that made
him the hero to the other players.
A tight situation was a joke to him.
almost believe that Brown would
have filled the bases Intentionally now
and then just for the sport of wiggling
of the hook, had he not known that
such tactics were taboo.
'~Ty Cobb and the Tigers were the
victims Of that nerve in one of the
world series games In Detroit in 1908.
The Tigers got two Of their four hits
on Brown In the fourth inning. Char
ley O'Leary was on second, Crawford
on hrst, with none out, and Ty Cobb
coming to bat. Brown, Tinker and
Steinfeldt went into q huddle near
third. Brown told those two infielders
that he was going to give Cobb a per-
feet ball to bunt and that he would
handle the ball and make the play at
tnlrd base. Cobb laid the ball ex-
actly where Brown was looking for it.
Brown pounced upon that bunt and
broke up what might have been q
winning rally by throwing O'Leary out
at third. He shut the Tigers out that
day, 3 to 0. That was the kind of
thing that Brown could do and did do
IN games where the big money was
riding.
THE kind of stuff Brown was made
81 was illustrated during a game at
the Polo Grounds Roger Bresuahan
was at bat. He was the most adept
na1man IN the National League when
IL came to running out of the batter,s
box and mailing a curve ball before
u broke. (That stuff is barred today.
II you hit a ball while out of the
natter's box you're out. But they got
away with it in those dayso Bres-
nahan ran up to hit one, but let the
ball go by as 1t was outside. On the
next pitch Brown let a bean ball f1y
at Bresnahan's head. Bresnahan, by
good luck, lodged, but the ball tipped
his bat, broke Catcher Kings mask
and a piece Of wire was driven into
Kings forehead. Brown logged up
to the plate, saw that his catcher
was not badly hurt and remarked
nonchalantly: Dammit, I got the
wrong guy
Brown Good Sportsman.
1T SHOULD be explained that Bres-
nahan harbored no grudge
against Brown for trying to dust him
on II q batsman took the chances
that Bresnahan took, he knew that a
pitcher would resort TO punitive meas
ures now and then. It was all in
the game then. With the batters
anchored in the chalk marks by the
rules today. there isn't the occasion
for using the bean ball.
Present-day fans should not infer
from that incident in New York that
Brown was dirty player. Anything
but that. He was corking good
sportsman.
mo pitcher that can recall was
ever called upon to do the heroics
oftener than Brown. He failed only
once. That was in the final game
Of the 1906 world series with the
White Sox. It was Browns third
hard game In six days. Two days
previously he had beaten Nick Altrock
in q furious battle, with only one