Tuesday, June 3, 2003 | 9:59 a.m.
He's as ornery as ever, having punched a hole in a wall in the new Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and crumbling a table, after snagging it on some clothing, on another road trip.
Don't expect Brown to smile much as he tries to mow down the White Sox, the third-worst hitting team (at .243) in the American League, on Friday night.
The oft-injured Brown, 38, can become only the third player to win the Cy Young and Comeback Player of the Year awards in the same year, joining John Denny (Philadelphia, 1983) and Mike McCormick (San Francisco, 1967).
Over his past four years in Chicago, Konerko, 27, hit .294, averaging 26 homers and 95 RBIs. During most of the first half last year, he led the AL in hitting. He ended last June at .340. He finished the season at .304, tied for fourth in the league.
The drop has been most disturbing to Konerko, but he pledged to remain positive after Monday's defeat.
The Mariners have the highest combined ranking of pitching (3.82 ERA, second) and hitting (.282, third) in the majors. Anyone who thought Gil Meche would be the ace of the M's staff, though, gets a full share of playoff loot.
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