Kevin Brown, 1996 Topps #376

Last night I discussed some of the strange maladies of Brady Anderson. Tonight I'm featuring Kevin Brown, who had a penchant for stabbing at balls hit back up the middle with his bare pitching hand, which strikes me as a particularly stupid instinct. Of course when it comes to stupid self-inflicted injuries, Kevin had a real doozy near the end of his career. It was 2004, when he was playing out the string with the Yankees. They had traded for him because he was old and expensive, and therefore passed the Yankee Test. On September 3, he started against the Orioles and took the loss, giving up three runs in six innings against his former club. After being pulled from the game, he stormed into the Yankee Stadium clubhouse and punched a wall with his left (non-pitching hand). Despite having the presence of mind to protect his money-making hand, the tempremental veteran missed three weeks of action after having pins inserted in the broken appendage.

Of course, New York fans probably wished that he had smashed the other hand, as he returned just in time to lose three of his last four decisions. This included an absolute thrashing in the deciding game of the 2004 ALCS, in which the Red Sox chased him in the second inning. He allowed five runs and recorded four outs, and Boston completed their comeback from a three games to none deficit in the best-of-seven series in an anticlimactic fashion. If the clubhouse attendant had any sense, he probably covered the clubhouse walls with foam rubber before Joe Torre gave Brown the hook.