On the Yankees beat

Check out this story:

Ex-hurler Kevin Brown, neighbor at odds

MACON, Ga. (AP) — A neighbor accused retired All-Star pitcher Kevin Brown of pulling a pistol during a dispute over yard debris, officials said.

Michael Haws, whose property backs up to Brown's estate, called Bibb County sheriff's deputies Monday after an argument. He said it began when he found Brown throwing grass clippings over the fence into Haws' yard.

Haws told deputies that Brown pulled a gun and warned him against coming onto Brown's property, but did not point the gun at him.

Brown, baseball's first "$100 million-dollar man," told deputies that he carries a gun while strolling through the woods because he often sees snakes, and had seen one the previous day.

"The guy admits he was dumping stuff on my property," Brown told The Associated Press. "I have more than a few neighbors. Some of them dump trash onto my property. If I see it I'll put a limb over the fence into their yard. It's a subtle way of saying 'please stop dumping.'"

"He got irate and he threatened me, he's threatening to take me out. I stepped back away from the fence, took the gun out of my pocket and held it by my side. I think it was something anybody would have done in my situation."

Brown, who once broke his left hand punching the wall outside Yankees manager Joe Torre's office, told investigators that it was Haws who threw yard debris onto his property. He said he found clippings on his side of the fence and tossed a couple of fistfuls back into Haws' yard, the deputies' report stated.

Neither wanted to press charges, the report stated. Deputies said Brown resolved to "put up a taller fence" and Haws said he planned to buy a mulching mower.

Brown, 41, a middle Georgia native who pitched for Georgia Tech, was drafted fourth overall by the Texas Rangers in 1986. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres before signing a seven-year, $105 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1998 season.

The right-hander went to the Yankees in a December 2003 trade and went 10-6 with a 4.09 ERA the following season but experienced health problems. Toward the end of the season, he broke his hand outside Torre's office. Brown did pitch in the post-season, lasting less than two innings against the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2004 AL Championship Series.

He missed several games in 2005 due to injury and finished 4-7 with a 6.50 ERA. Brown announced his retirement in February after a 19-year major league career with a record of 211-144.