25 Years Ago Today....

[Armchair_QB]

George Brett went bat**** crazy at Yankee Stadium.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-pinetaranniversary&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[spnited]

Re: 25 Years Ago Tomorrow....

As one who was there remembers:

http://www.murraychass.com/?p=35


I was there also but did not cover the completion of the game, therefore did not get my "I covered the pine tar game" T-shirt.

 

[Oz]

Brett said he's amazed at how angry he became after the call. He watches a tape of the game at least once a year with his sons.

"They don't want to watch the whole game," he said. "They just want to watch the aftermath of what happens when the umpire calls me out."

As we all do.

 

[Bubbler]

Got to give Billy Martin credit. He was one hell of a genius for instigating all of that.

 

[buckweaver]

Words can't describe it:

 

[BYH]

I remember watching the game on WPIX and then going into my backyard and spending the next hour or so imitating George Brett.

Has there ever been a madder human being than Brett at the moment he bolts from the dugout? (Edit: honest to God, I wrote that before reading that Gossage described him in the exact same terms. Brilliant minds think alike and all that)

Too bad George didn't use his best line (or if he did, it didn't make the final cut, which leads me to believe he didn't say it) about how before that, he was best known for having hemmorhoids during the World Series. "What would you rather be known for: Having hemmorhoids or too much pine tar on your bat?"

Man. Good times.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

What I love on the clip is one of the Yankees' broadcasters (Frank Messer?) going "Uh oh...uh oh..." when the ball left Brett's bat. That's kinda funny.

Two pieces of trivia:

a) Including Brett, there were four Royals players/coaches ejected. Who were they?

b) Who was the Royals' winning pitcher?

 

[BYH]

What I love on the clip is one of the Yankees' broadcasters (Frank Messer?) going "Uh oh...uh oh..." when the ball left Brett's bat. That's kinda funny.

Two pieces of trivia:

a) Including Brett, there were four Royals players/coaches ejected. Who were they?

b) Who was the Royals' winning pitcher?

Wasn't Gaylord Perry ejected for trying to hide the bat?

 

[doubledown68]

Don't know the answer to the trivia... I did read in some 25th anniversary book about the Royals a while back that Brett remembers nothing about the tirade itself, what he was screaming, etc.

He said the last thing he remembers saying is something to the effect of "If that guy calls me out, I'm going to ****ing kill him."

Apparently, George wasn't kidding.

 

[Chef]

Don't know the answer to the trivia... I did read in some 25th anniversary book about the Royals a while back that Brett remembers nothing about the tirade itself, what he was screaming, etc.

He said the last thing he remembers saying is something to the effect of "If that guy calls me out, I'm going to ****ing kill him."

Apparently, George wasn't kidding.

He then remembers that McClelland is about 6'5 and 250.........recalls "What the hell am I going to do to him?"

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I remember missing most of the game, but then coming downstairs to watch the final inning (lucky me). You can almost feel the tension build up as McClellan is walking to the Royals' dugout, then the explosion as he thumbs out Brett.

 

[spnited]

Got to give Billy Martin credit. He was one hell of a genius for instigating all of that.

Actually, it was Graig Nettles who alerted Martin to the fact that there was too much pine tar on Brett's bat earlier in the season. Martin was waiting for the opportunity to use it against Brett.
Then came the problem. The rule at the time said no subustance could be more than 18 inches above the knob of the bat.
They did not have a tape measure at Yankee Stadium so McClelland laid the bat across the plate (17" wide) and estimated that the pine tar extended beyond 18 inches.
Plus, the rule said nothing of calling the batter out, only that the bat should be removed from the game...which is what MacPahil used to overturn McClelland's call.
During Brett's tirade, the batboy got the bat and gave it to Gaylord Perry who tried -- unsuccessfully -- to hide it in the clubhouse.

The whole thing was hysterical to watch.

 

[Starman]

Ah yes, the "anniversary story," the laziest, most unimaginative, regurgitative staple of our industry.

 

[spnited]

Much like a Starman post.

 

[doubledown68]

Don't know the answer to the trivia... I did read in some 25th anniversary book about the Royals a while back that Brett remembers nothing about the tirade itself, what he was screaming, etc.

He said the last thing he remembers saying is something to the effect of "If that guy calls me out, I'm going to ****ing kill him."

Apparently, George wasn't kidding.

He then remembers that McClelland is about 6'5 and 250.........recalls "What the hell am I going to do to him?"

And McClellan even had the bat in his hands. If a grizzly had charged onto the field at that moment in time, it would've been an even fight.

 

[Oz]

Ah yes, the "anniversary story," the laziest, most unimaginative, regurgitative staple of our industry.

If were the 13th or 22nd anniversary, I might agree. But 25 years is a good time to revisit that.

 

[Armchair_QB]

What I love on the clip is one of the Yankees' broadcasters (Frank Messer?) going "Uh oh...uh oh..." when the ball left Brett's bat. That's kinda funny.

Two pieces of trivia:

a) Including Brett, there were four Royals players/coaches ejected. Who were they?

b) Who was the Royals' winning pitcher?

Were the players Gaylord Perry, Hal MacRae and Steve Renko?

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Words can't describe it:

But a baseball card can!

One of my all-time favorite cards.

 

[goalmouth]

Just another game where Brett killed Gossage.

Trivia: The bat got handed out of the Yankee bus and later found its way into the possession of noted collector Barry Halper.

Who can name the defensive line-up Billy Martin used for the replay of the ninth inning?

 

[BYH]

Ah yes, the "anniversary story," the laziest, most unimaginative, regurgitative staple of our industry.

Not this one. Not with Goose joining Brett in the HOF in three days.

Edit: Goalmouth, I believe Martin's "lineup" in the replay included Mattingly at 2B and Ron Guidry in CF. And George Brett, I believe, had a nice dinner in Jersey as the final outs were recorded for a second time.