|
Not every city can
support two baseball teams. In fact few can. For a while
Philadelphia hosted two of the earliest teams in professional
baseball. The Phillies, which are still there, and the
Athletics owned and ran by Connie Mack. A fabled name
in baseball lore, but then times change. With only so
much fan money to go around one of the teams had to
leave. In 1956 the Athletics got a new zip code. That
year they played ball in Kansas City, Missouri.
Baseball fans there loved them, but once
again times changed. In 1967 the Athletics went west
to California. This put Midwest fans in a baseball limbo
that only one thing could cure. That being another team
with the "Boys of Summer. " In
1969 Major League Baseball (MLB) filled the void in
Kansas City with an expansion team. The name was chosen
from one of Kansas City's biggest events. The American
Royal Livestock Show an annual event since 1899. Only
this time the show would be held in a ballpark with
players, not livestock, on display. Into the baseball
world the Kansas City Royals entered. In time they had
some royalty.
George Brett was born May 15, 1953 in
Glen Dale, West Virginia. Not long after that his family
moved to El Segundo, California in Los Angeles County.
Twenty years after the event in Glen Dale he was playing
professional baseball. On August 2, 1973 he signed with
the Royals and never left. Something that happens rarely
to career sports players these days. Many don't even
call home the town in which they play.
During the course of twenty years of playing
he threw right and batted left. He started off as a
short stop but then spent fifteen years in the hot spot
of third baseman. Towards the end of his playing time
he covered first base. He also amassed numerous awards
and achievements. A few are mentioned here:
American League Most Valuable Player (MVP)
in 1980. This year he almost batted .400 for the season.
A feat not done since Ted Williams in 1941. An injury
caused a batting slump in September, yet the Royals
made it to the World Series. There they lost to the
Phillies.
Americal League championship MVP in 1985.
Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, 1986.
American League Batting Champion in 1976,
1980 and 1990 (three different decades).
All Star in 1976 and 1988.
Perhaps most important in recognizing
his playing contributions George Brett entered Baseball's
Hall of Fame in 1999 after garnishing 98.2% of the first
ballot. A record held until 2007 when Cal Ripkin entered
on the first round with 98.5% of the votes. Both of
these gentlemen are in good company.
Despite all the good
deeds Royals number "5" (since retired by
the organization) brought to the plate there are those
that remember one time when he got angry. It happened
July 24, 1983 in a game against the New York Yankees.
It has since been referred to as the "Pine Tar
Incident." Brett hit a homerun off of Goose Gossage
that put the Royals up five to four. However, Yankees
coach Billy Martin calmly walked out to talk with the
home base umpire. The fact he was calm was a clue something
was up.
Martin pointed to the pine tar on the
bat used to hit the homerun. Pine tar is a baseball
legal substance used on a bat to increase the batters
grip. There was no problem there, and Martin had seen
the bat numerous times in previous games against the
Royals. Two things made this Brett's at bat different.
First he hit a home run tipping the game in the favor
of the Royals. The second was Martin found some obscure
rule saying the tar could be no more then eighteen inches
up from the bottom of the bat. George Brett's bat when
measured had twenty-four inches of pine tar. The umpires
had no choice but to call the home run back. To lose
a homerun against Gossage was tough enough. Knowing
Martin had seen the bat earlier in the season and never
said anything was too much. He threw a royal fit and
got called out. In the long run, though, it meant little.
George Brett played his last game on October
3, 1993. After more then twenty years he walked away
with a batting average of .305 with 317 homeruns and
3,154 hits. Putting him again in good company as only
three other baseball players can claim 3,000 hits, 300
homeruns and a career .300 average. They are Stan Musial
who played from 1941 - 63. Willie Mays between the years
of 1951 - 73, and Hank Aaron from 1954 - 76.
The year 1993 did not mark the end of
George Brett in Kansas City. His wife, and three children,
is very happy in that area. They had formed roots with
Kansas City and the Royals. Filling a Vice President
position with the Royals was a perfect fit for him,
his family, the Royals organization, and the fans. He
worked full time being a part time head coach, batting
coach when needed, and at times a mentor to minor league
prospects.
He also has a baseball equipment company
called Brett Brothers. At one time he and his brother
Bobby tried to form an investment company to buy the
Royals. While that was not successful the restaurant
he lent his name to is doing very well.
A quote of his is often remembered. "I
could have played another year, but I would have been
playing for the money, and baseball deserves better
then that."
That feeling, along with his accomplishments,
is what makes him Kansas City Royalty.
|
