December 13, 2003: The Yankees Trade Jeff Weaver for Kevin Brown

December 13, 2003: The Yankees trade Jeff Weaver – 2 months 2 late -- and 2 other pitchers, Yhency Brazobán and Brandon Weeden, for a better pitcher. Or so we thought. It was Kevin Brown.

Neither Brazobán nor Weeden had yet reached the major leagues. Weeden never did. Brazobán soon did so, but was not especially distinguished. And Weaver... somehow won a World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. That still ticks me off. (Not that the Cardinals won that Series, but that Weaver was a part of it.)

Kevin Brown was a very good pitcher. In 1992, he went 21-12 for the Texas Rangers. In 1996, with the Florida Marlins, he went 17-11, and led the National League with an ERA of 1.89 and a WHIP of 0.944. In 1997, he went 16-8, and helped the Marlins win the World Series. In 1998, he went 18-7, and helped the San Diego Padres win the Pennant.

On December 12, 1998, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him to a 7-year contract worth $105 million, the 1st contract in North American major league sports worth more than $100 million. At first, it seemed like it would pay off: He went 18-9 in 1999, and in 2000, went 13-6 and led the NL with a 2.58 ERA. He battled injury after that, but still went 10-4 in 2001. In 2003, he went 14-9 with a 2.39 ERA, and made an All-Star Game for the 6th time. He had a career record of 197-131. He was approaching Hall of Fame worthiness.

Sounds like the Yankees made a good acquisition. Except he would be turning 39 during Spring Training 2004. And he was not a big-game pitcher. Although the Marlins won the 1997 World Series, Brown had lost Games 2 and 6. In the 1998 World Series, he started Game 1 against the Yankees, and while he wasn't the losing pitcher, the Yankees did win; and he was the losing pitcher in Game 4.

In 2004, he posted a 10–6 record with a 4.09 ERA. On September 3, after being removed from a game he lost to the Baltimore Orioles, he punched a concrete column in frustration, breaking his hand. He returned to the rotation on September 26, and lost his last 2 regular-season starts: He didn't get out of the 1st inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, and lost to away to the Toronto Blue Jays.

During that season's Playoffs, Brown pitched well in the American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins. But, with little choice, manager Joe Torre started Brown in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Red Sox. He gave up a 2-run home run to David Ortiz in the 1st inning, left with the bases loaded in the 2nd, and was charged with all 3 runs that Johnny Damon drove in ahead of him when he subsequently hit a grand slam off Javier Vázquez -- whom the Yankees had acquired 3 days after Brown, as if that trade hadn't been bad enough. Brown had authored the worst start in Yankee postseason history -- emotionally, if not statistically.

Brown struggled with injury through 2005, and finished it 4-7 with a 6.50 ERA. The Yankees did not lift a finger to sign him to a new contract -- though many Yankee Fans lifted some fingers for him -- and he retired, with a career record of 211-144, a 3.28 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.222.

He became eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. He has never come close to election.

*

December 13, 2003 was a Saturday. Baseball was out of season. There were no college football games that day, and the NFL played the next day. There were 8 games in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks beat the Denver Nuggets, 95-88 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-63 at the Memphis Pyramid.

* The Orlando Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks, 105-102 at the Philips Arena (now the State Farm Arena) in Atlanta.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-98 at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland. Paul Pierce led all scorers on the night with 41 points.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers, 86-75 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The San Antonio Spurs beat their arch-rivals, the Houston Rockets, 86-73 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns, 106-91 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 112-108 at the Moda Center in Portland. Kobe Bryant scored 35 points in defeat.

And there were 12 games in the NHL:

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The New York Islanders beat the Atlanta Thrashers, 4-0 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-0 at the Wachovia Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Washington Capitals, 5-1 at the MCI Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2 at the St. Pete Times Forum (now the Benchmark International Arena) in Tampa.

* The Florida Panthers and the Nashville Predators played to a tie, 2-2 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center (now the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-2 at the Corel Centre (now the Canadian Tire Centre) in Ottawa.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-3 at the Mellon Arena (as the Civic Arena was then named) in Pittsburgh.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Savvis Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis.

* The Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames played to a tie, 1-1 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* The San Jose Sharks beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 2-0 at the HP Pavilion at San Jose (now the SAP Center).

* And the Chicago Blackhawks, the Dallas Stars, the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Arizona Coyotes were not scheduled.

December 12, 1998: Baseball's 1st $100 Million Contract

December 12, 1998: The Los Angeles Dodgers sign free agent pitcher Kevin Brown to a contract worth $105 million over 7 years. It is the 1st contract in any of the "Big Four" North American sports leagues worth as much as $100 million. And it turns out to be a bad contract.

James Kevin Brown was born on March 14, 1965 in Milledgeville, Georgia, outside Macon. A white couple in Georgia, naming their son "James Brown"? No wonder he went by "Kevin" -- although Kevin Brown is also a very common name, even in sports: There's another baseball pitcher, a year younger, with the name.

This Kevin Brown won 211 games in the major leagues, against 144 losses, a very good percentage. He was a 6-time All-Star, twice led the National League in earned run average, pitched a no-hitter in 1997, and reached the postseason with 3 different teams -- and it probably would have been 4 times with 4 teams if the 1994 strike hadn't hit, denying the Texas Rangers the American League Western Division title. He won the World Series with the 1997 Florida Marlins, and another Pennant with the 1998 San Diego Padres. In 1999, the Dodgers thought he was worth a contract worth more than $100 million.

(UPDATE: With inflation factored in, that $105 million in 1998 would be worth $190 million in 2022.)

So why isn't he in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Mainly because of the 2004 season, his last full one in the majors. Known as a "Yankee Killer" during is time with the Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles -- but losing twice against them in the '98 World Series -- the Yankees traded for him, and became a bigger Yankee Killer than ever. During a September loss, he reacted to being taken out of the game by punching the dugout wall and breaking his pitching and. He returned in time to start Game 7 of the AL Championship Series, and turned in the worst postseason start in Yankee history. He got hurt again the next year, and retired.

He has been the subject of steroid rumors, which may also be keeping him out of the Hall. He lives in Macon, and does not work in baseball, in any capacity. No one seems to want him around.

*

December 12, 1998 was a Saturday. Baseball was out of season. This was the weekend between college football's Conference Championship Games and its bowl games. And the NBA team owners had locked the players out, so the season hadn't started yet.

There were 11 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum. Former Islander Benoit Hogue scored the winning goal, with 48 seconds left in overtime.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Colorado Avalanche, 5-3 at the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Boston Bruins, 4-1 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Detroit Red Wings, 3-0 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Florida Panthers, 4-2 at the National Car Rental Center (now the Amerant Bank Arena) in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, Florida.

* The Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators played to a tie, 2-2 at the Nashville Arena (now the Bridgestone Arena).

* The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Ottawa Senators, 2-0 at the Corel Centre (now the Canadian Tire Centre) in Ottawa.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues, 4-3 at the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis.

* The Los Angeles Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-0 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* The San Jose Sharks beat the Washington Capitals, 2-1 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Center).

* And the New York Rangers, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Dallas Stars, the Edmonton Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks were not scheduled.

July 5, 2002: The Yankees Trade Ted Lilly for Jeff Weaver

Jeff Weaver. Middle name not mentioned.

July 5, 2002: A 3-team deal. The New York Yankees trade Ted Lilly, John-Ford Griffin and Jason Arnold (a minor-leaguer who never made it to the major leagues) to the Oakland Athletics. The A's send Jeremy Bonderman, Carlos Pena and Franklyn German to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers send the A's cash. And the Tigers send the Yankees Jeff Weaver. From the Yankee perspective, this was essentially a trade of pitchers: Lilly for Weaver.

Lilly was considered a great prospect. He did well after leaving the Yankees, and lots of people said the Yankees never should have gotten rid of him. Wrong: He was never going to handle the pressure of pitching in New York.

Weaver sure as hell didn't. As a Yankee, he was 12-12 with a 5.35 ERA and a WHIP of 1.492. A whopping WHIP. He should never have been on the 2003 World Series roster: He almost prevented the Yankees from making the Playoffs that season. But Joe Torre trusted him in extra innings in Game 4. With one pitch to Alex González of the Florida Marlins, Weaver turned a good shot at being up 3 games to 1 to losing the Series 4 games to 2.

Weaver's middle name is Charles. Since the 2003 World Series, however, in the tradition of what Red Sox fans call Bucky Dent, I have continually referred to him as "Jeff Fucking Weaver." The Yankees wasted little time in getting rid of him.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers made their 1st trip to New York to play the Mets in 2004, I bought a ticket -- just to yell at Weaver. The Met fans, who apparently never watch the World Series unless their team is in it (in other words, hardly ever), were clueless. I mean, more so than usual.

Then again, maybe getting rid of him was an even worse idea. On December 13, 2003, the Yankees traded Weaver, Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Kevin Brown.

Brown had won the World Series with the 1997 Marlins and the Pennant with the 1998 San Diego Padres. Before that, he had pitched well for the Texas Rangers, especially against the Yankees. (Having him to start in Games 1 and 4, and maybe 7 if it got that far, was a big reason Padre fans and Yankee Haters thought the Padres would win the 1998 World Series. Instead, the Yankees swept.) The Dodgers signed him to baseball's 1st $100+ million contract for 1999, and he wasn't terrible: He won 18 games that year, and led the NL in ERA the next.

Although he would be 39 on Opening Day 2004, he was good the season before, and, having lost Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte to free agency, the Yankees thought he was worth a shot. But he only went 10-6. Late in the season, after a defeat, he punched the dugout wall and broke his hand.

He wasn't out for the season. The Yankees might have been better off if he was: Torre looked at his exhausted staff, and decided that Brown was the best choice to start Game 7 of the 2004 AL Championship Series. My 78-year-old grandmother might have been a better choice: It was the single most embarrassing game in Yankee history.

He went 4-7 for the Yankees the next year, was not re-signed, and retired. He was 211-144 with a 127 ERA+ and a 1.222 WHIP, but his very decent career had a terribly indecent last year and change.

Meanwhile, Weaver helped the Dodgers win the NL Western Division in 2004 and 2009. In between, he was with the St. Louis Cardinals, and helped them win the 2006 World Series. Think about that for a moment: Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, Carl Yastrzemski and Don Mattingly don't have a single World Series ring between them, but Jeff Weaver does. Jeff Weaver has as many World Series rings as Willie Mays, as many as Hank Aaron, as many as Tom Seaver, as many as Nolan Ryan, as many as Jackie Robinson.

The hell?

*

July 5, 2002 was a Friday. This was the day that one of the greatest of all baseball legends, Ted Williams, died, from complications from several strokes, at the age of 83.

These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3 at Yankee Stadium. Orlando "El Duque" Hernádez was the winning pitcher. Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada hit home runs. Derek Jeter did not play.

* The New York Mets beat the Florida Marlins, 5-3 at Pro Player Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Boston Red Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers, 9-5 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-3 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Houston Astros, 4-3 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Anaheim Angels beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-5 at Edison International Field of Anaheim (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). David Eckstein singled home Scott Spiezio in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-6 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres, 9-6 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-1 at Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field) in Phoenix.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-3 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the Network Associates Coliseum).

* And the Minnesota Twins beat the Seattle Mariners, 8-4 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.