Kansas City 'Pine Tar Day' Well-Remembered

An apt reminder from BEST & BRIGHTEST TKC readers regarding today in local history . . .

"On July 24, 1983, with two outs in the ninth inning and his visiting Kansas City Royals trailing, Brett hit a two-run home run off fellow future Hall of Famer Rich "Goose" Gossage, vaulting the Royals into a 5-4 lead. New York manager Billy Martin immediately challenged the homer on the grounds that the pine tar on Brett's bat covered more than the allowable 18 inches.

"After the umpires huddled and measured the bat's pine tar against the 17-inch width of home plate, rookie ump Tim McClelland invalidated Brett's blast, pointed the bat at the Royals' dugout and called Brett out, unleashing the ire of the Royals' third baseman, who stormed back onto the field. The chaotic scene, vivid for the ages, painted a new perception of Brett and altered the annals of baseball."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Hall of Famer George Brett on Pine Tar Game, 40 years later

The K.C. Royals legend, at age 70, describes his unforgettable tirade and how he feels about where the infamous bat eventually ended up.