This article deals with the baseball player George Howard Brett. For the World War II general by that name, see: George Howard Brett (military). World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: Immense human sacrifice, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons - the atom bomb being the ultimate. ... George Howard Brett, February 7, 1886 - ? 1963, was a US Army Air Corps general during World War II and was, for a short period, deputy commander of the major Allied command in South East Asia, the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM). ...

George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former American baseball player. He is one of the greatest third basemen in Major League Baseball history and the only man to ever win batting titles in three different decades. May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Glen Dale is a city located in Marshall County, West Virginia. ... Nickname: The Steel City Location in Pennsylvania Founded  -Incorporated 1758   County Allegheny County Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... Baseball is a team sport, in which a fist-sized ball is thrown by a defensive player called a pitcher and hit by an offensive player called a batter with a round, smooth stick called a bat. ... MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ...

Brett was the youngest child of a sports-minded family which included his older brother Ken, a major-league pitcher. His family moved to the midwest and later to southern California when he was a boy, and Brett grew up hoping to follow in his brother's footsteps as a big-league baseball player. He was drafted by the fledgling Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1971 baseball draft. Kenneth Alven (Kemer) Brett (September 18, 1948-November 18, 2003) was a Major League Baseball pitcher and the older brother of Hall of Famer George Brett. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

Brett began his professional career as a shortstop, but had trouble going to his right defensively and was soon shifted to third base. As a third baseman, his powerful arm remained an asset, and he remained at that spot for 15 years. The Royals promoted him to the major leagues on August 2, 1973. The position of the shortstop A shortstop moves to his left, toward the center of the field, to play a ground ball Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

He won the starting third-base job a year later, but struggled with the bat until he asked for help from Charlie Lau, the Royals' hitting instructor. Spending the 1974 All-Star break working together, Lau taught Brett how to protect the entire plate and cover up some holes in his swing that experienced big-league pitchers were taking advantage of. Armed with this knowledge, Brett developed rapidly as a hitter.

He topped the .300 mark for the first time in 1975 with a .308 mark, then won his first batting title in 1976 with a .333 average. The four candidates for the batting title that year were Brett and Royals teammate Hal McRae, and Minnesota Twins teammates Rod Carew and Lyman Bostock. In dramatic fashion, Brett went 2 for 4 in the final game of the season against the Twins, beating out his three rivals, all playing in the same game. His lead over second-place McRae was less than .001. 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Harold Abraham McRae (born July 10, 1945 in Avon Park, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball who played with the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970-72) and Kansas City Royals (1973-87). ... The Minnesota Twins are a Major League Baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... Carew, Time, 1977 Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945 in Gatun, Panama) was a Major League Baseball player for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Lyman Wesley Bostock Jr. ...

That year, the Royals won the first of three straight West Division titles, beginning a great rivalry with the New York Yankees -- whom they faced in the American League Championship Series each of those three years. In the fifth and final game of the 1976 ALCS, Brett hit a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score at six -- only to see the Yankees' Chris Chambliss launch a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to give the Royals' rivals a 7-6 win.. The New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. ... Carroll Christopher Chambliss (born December 26, 1948 in Dayton, Ohio) was a Major League Baseball player from 1971-1988 for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves. ...

A year later, Brett emerged as a power hitter with 22 home runs helping the Royals to another American League Championship Series, 1977, and proceeded to have an incredible 1979 season in which he was an MVP candidate. He became the first player in league history to have at least 20 doubles, triples and homers all in one season (42-20-23) and led the league in hits, doubles and triples while batting .329. All these impressive statistics were just a prelude to 1980, when Brett nearly matched Ted Williams' feat of batting .400. He was at or above .400 as late in the season as September 19 before settling at .390, the modern record for the highest average ever by a third baseman. This time, there was no doubt Brett was the league MVP. In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series (ALCS) determines who wins the American League pennant and advances to baseballs championship, the World Series. ... The 1977 American League Championship Series was a 5-game series played between October 5 and October 9, 1957, at Yankee Stadium (Games 1-2), and Royals Stadium (3-5). ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Ted Williams & Tom Yawkey Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002), nicknamed The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, The Thumper and The Kid, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played 19 seasons, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot, with the Boston... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... In the game of baseball, both amateur and professional, it is tradition to annually recognize the one player in the league who has contributed the most to the success of the players team. ...

In the 1980 postseason, Brett led the Royals to their first pennant, sweeping the playoffs in three games from the rival New York Yankees who had beaten K.C. in the 1976, 1977 and 1978 playoffs. In Game 3, Brett hit a ball into the third deck of Yankee Stadium off superstar closer Goose Gossage, a longtime rival. He then hit .375 in the 1980 World Series, but the Royals lost in six games to the Philadelphia Phillies. During the 1980 World Series, Brett made headlines for reasons behind his play on the field. After Game 2, Brett had to have surgery to remove hemorrhoids. In Game 3, a fully recovered Brett hit a home run as his Royals wound up winning in 10 innings by the score of 4-3. The New York Yankees are a Major League baseball team based in The Bronx, New York City. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Yankee Stadium is the home stadium of the New York Yankees, a major league baseball team. ... Richard Michael Goose Gossage (born July 5, 1951 in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 21 seasons for nine different teams before retiring in 1994. ... The 1980 World Series matched the Philadelphia Phillies against the Kansas City Royals, with the Phillies winning in six games to capture the first World Series title in franchise history. ... The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Hemorrhoids (also haemorrhoids or piles) are varicosities or swelling and inflammation of veins in the rectum and anus. ...

Brett had injuries on-and-off for the next four years, during which his most noteworthy achievement was the notorious "Pine Tar Incident." On July 24, 1983, the Royals were playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. In the top of the ninth inning, Brett came up to bat against Goose Gossage, his old rival. Brett hit a two-run homer, putting the Royals up 5-4. After Brett rounded the bases, Yankees manager Billy Martin (at the suggestion of his third baseman Graig Nettles) came out of the dugout and used home plate to measure the amount of pine tar on Brett's bat, citing an obscure rule that stated the pine tar on a bat could extend no further than 18 inches. Brett's pine tar extended about 24 inches. While pine tar is most widely known as the sticky substance baseball players use on their bats to improve grip, it has many, lesser-known uses. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alfred Manuel Billy Martin, a. ... Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944 in San Diego, California) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and left-handed batter who played for the Minnesota Twins (1967-69), Cleveland Indians (1970-72), New York Yankees (1973-83), San Diego Padres (1984-86), Atlanta Braves (1987) and Montreal Expos... Cincinnati Reds dugout, 1991 In baseball, the dugout is where a teams bench is located. ...

"I've never seen this," said sportscaster and ex-Yankee Bobby Murcer on WPIX as he watched McClelland measure the bat across the plate. "I never have either," said Murcer's partner, Frank Messer. A few moments later, the home plate umpire, Tim McClelland, signalled Brett out. Bobby Murcer (b. ... WPIX-TV WB11 in New York City is the flagship station of the Warner Brothers television network. ...

The normally mild-mannered Brett charged out of the dugout, enraged, and was immediately ejected. An incredulous Messer:

Look at this!...He is out, and having to be forcibly restrained from hitting plate umpire Tim McClelland. And the Yankees have won the ball game 4 to 3!

The Royals protested the game, and their protest was upheld by AL president (and former Yankees chief executive) Lee McPhail, who ruled that the bat was not "altered to improve the distance factor", and that the rules only provided for removal of the bat from the game, and not calling the batter out. The game was replayed, starting after Brett's homer. Billy Martin had one last trick up his sleeve, appealing the play before, saying the umpires had no way of knowing Brett had touched all the bases. The umpires produced affidavits saying he had. The game had virtually no effect on 1983's pennant race, but was in many ways the closing chapter on a heated rivalry. When an umpire makes a decision that a manager feels is incorrect, the manager may decide to protest the decision. ... Lee McPhail (son of former baseball executive Larry McPhail and father of Andrew McPhail) was president of Major League Baseballs American League from 1973- 1984. ...

In 1985, Brett had another brilliant season in which he almost propelled the Royals to their second pennant. He batted .335 with 30 home runs and 112 RBI, finishing in the top 10 of the league in 10 different offensive categories. In the final week of the regular season, he went 9-for-20 at the plate with 7 runs, 5 homers, and 9 RBI in six crucial games, five of them victories. He was MVP of the 1985 playoffs against the Toronto Blue Jays, leading K.C. back from a 3-1 deficit in games, and then batted .370 in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, as the Royals again rallied from a 3-1 deficit to become world champions. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Toronto Blue Jays are a Major League Baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for being the first team from outside the United States to win the World Series. ... The 1985 World Series, also called the I-70 Series, pitted the National League champion St. ... The St. ...

In 1988, Brett moved across the diamond to first base in an effort to reduce his chances of injury and had another MVP-calibre season with a .306 average, 24 homers and 103 RBI. But after batting just .290 with 16 homers the next year, it looked like his career might be slowing down. He got off to a terrible start in 1990 and at one point even considered retirement. But his manager, former teammate John Wathan, encouraged him to stick it out. Finally, in July, the slump ended and Brett batted .386 for the rest of the season. In September, he caught Rickey Henderson for the league lead, and in a battle down to the last day of the season, captured his third batting title with a .329 mark. This made him the first, and only to this date, player in history to win batting titles in three decades. 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rickey Henderson Rickey Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is a professional baseball player. ...

Brett played three more seasons for the Royals, mostly as their designated hitter, but occasionally filling in for injured teammates at third base and in the outfield. He passed the 3,000-hit mark in 1992 and retired after the 1993 season. In his final at-bat, he hit a single up the middle against Rangers closer Tom Henke and scored on a home run by teammate Gary Gaetti. A designated hitter, or DH, is a baseball player who is chosen at the start of a game to bat in place of the pitcher. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Thomas Anthony (Tom) Henke (born December 21, 1957 in Kansas City, Missouri) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. ... Gary Joseph Gaetti (born August 19, 1958 in Centralia, Illinois), nicknamed G-Man (Rat during his earlier days), is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins (1981-90), California Angels (1991-93), Kansas City Royals (1993-95), St. ...

His 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th all-time. Baseball historian Bill James regards him as the second-best third baseman of all time, trailing only his contemporary, Mike Schmidt. Brett was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999, with the fourth-highest voting percentage in baseball history, receiving a higher percentage of the vote than Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio. This article is about Bill James, the baseball writer and father of sabermetrics. ... Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949 in Dayton, Ohio) is a former professional baseball player, playing his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies, and is widely regarded as having been the greatest third baseman in the history of baseball. ... This year in baseball: 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 Events January-March January 5 - Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ... Ruth batting for the Yankees George Herman Ruth, (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth and also commonly known by the nicknames The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat, was an American baseball player and United States national icon. ... Henry Louis Hank Aaron (born February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama), is an American baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. ... Willie Howard Mays, Jr. ... Stanley Frank Musial (born November 21, 1920), nicknamed Stan the Man, is a Polish-American former player in Major League Baseball who played 22 seasons for the St. ... Ted Williams & Tom Yawkey Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002), nicknamed The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, The Thumper and The Kid, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played 19 seasons, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot, with the Boston... Joseph Paul DiMaggio, born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), was an American baseball player. ...

Following the end of his baseball career, Brett became a vice president of the Royals and has worked as a part-time coach, as a special instructor in spring training, filling in as the batting coach, and as a minor league instructor dispatched to help prospects develop. In 1998, an investor group headed by Brett and his older brother, Bobby, made an unsuccessful bid to purchase the Kansas City Royals. A Grapefruit League game at the LA Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of exhibition games which precedes the regular season. ... See also: 1997 in sports, 1999 in sports and the list of years in sports. Auto Racing Stock car racing: Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Jeff Gordon Indy Racing League - Indianapolis 500 - Eddie Cheever CART Racing - Alex Zanardi won the season championship Formula One Championship - Finland 24...

See also

"Mendoza line" Mendoza Line is a somewhat informal term used in the sport of baseball. ...

External links

• George Brett's career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
• George Brett's page on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Website