Tike Redman and Adrian Brown

One of the common pessimisms in the pre-season was that Tike Redman would be another Adrian Brown. We need to revisit the history of Adrian Brown before we can know what their similarities suggest.

Last year, Tike Redman was 26 in 2003 when he came up mid-year and hit .330 / .374 / .483 with 7 steals in 230 at-bats. Adrian Brown was 26 in 2000 when he came up mid-year and hit .315 / .373 / .432 with 13 steals in 300 at-bats.

Adrian Brown was given the starting centerfield job going into the 2001 season. Fantasy baseball players regarded him as a nice little sleeper for his combination of on-base ability, speed, and opportunity in the leadoff spot. The Pirates were beginning 2001 with a new stadium, a new manager, and big expectations. The Pirates and the fans were cautiously optimistic about Adrian Brown as a piece of the next winning team. Bill Virdon was hired as bench coach to keep a mentor's eye on his centerfield defense.

Adrian Brown reported to spring training with soreness in his right shoulder. In the second half of March, he broke down and could no longer play. X-rays indicated a slight tear in his labrum but the problem was worse than that (or got worse than that) as he attempted to rehab without surgery. In mid-May, he underwent season-destroying surgery to repair his torn labrum, and he would never be the same player. This was a tough time for the team and for the fans. As Brown was rehabbing his "sore shoulder," Emil Brown and Chad Hermansen were floundering in his place. On the day they opened Brown's shoulder, the Pirates were 13-27, 11 games behind the Cardinals, and competing with the Devil Rays for the worst record in the major leagues. Kris Benson's misdiagnosed elbow was barking loud and Derek Bell, in the first, double-secret phase of Operation Shutdown, had to be euthanized put on the DL for a sore knee and a sore neck.

It's little wonder that we remember the end of the Adrian Brown era with intense misery and bitterness. If we remember it at all - sometimes trauma affects memory. Tim Wakefield pitched two complete-game victories in the 1992 NLCS but all I remember is Chico Lind's freak error and the six strikes Ron Howard Stan Belinda had to throw to "walk" Damon Berryhill.

Is Tike Redman Adrian Brown all over again? Not unless he tears the labrum in his right shoulder. Let's put the Adrian Brown cynicisms out with the trash. If it makes any sense to compare the two players, it makes sense only to compare Redman to the player Brown could have been had he avoided that injury.

One more thing. Here's a curiosity about the misery that was May 2001. When Derek Bell was put on the DL, the Pirates recalled a 25-year-old utility player to take his place. He was a non-prospect, a 53th-round draft pick. His signing bonus had been a chance to eat at Subway with a scout. (He had to pay for his own sandwich.) With Nashville, this guy was hitting .288 with 3 home runs but also had 31 strikeouts in 80 at-bats. He made the Show on his ability to hit left-handed and play almost any position - he was even willing to pitch in an emergency. It was hard to get excited about Rob Mackowiak.