George Brett and the Pine Tar Incident

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Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett turned 60 earlier this year.

That's kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around. I remember watching him play ball when I was a kid.

Well, we're all older now.

But I mention Brett's age because when he was exactly half his current age — 30 years ago today — he was involved in perhaps the most notorious incident of his time.

They called it the "pine tar incident" then, and I presume they still do today.

Brett's original major–league team, the Kansas City Royals, was playing the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium on that day. Brett started playing in the major leagues in 1973. A decade later, the Royals and Yankees had met in the American League Championship Series four times, and they had kind of developed an animosity toward each other.

Now, I say that knowing that just about every team in baseball loathes the Yankees. They've won more championships than any other team — by far. The Royals were no different than any other team in baseball, but, since they didn't exist until 1969, they were just a little later to the party than the others.

Anyway, as I was saying, the teams were playing each other on this day in 1983. The Royals trailed by a single run with two outs in the top of the ninth, and Brett came to the plate. Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage was on the mound. Gossage delivered the pitch, Brett connected and the ball sailed over the fence. Home run. Two runs scored. Royals led, 5–4.

But when Brett crossed the plate with the apparent go–ahead run, Yankee manager Billy Martin left the New York dugout and walked up to the home plate umpire. Martin said he wanted Brett's bat examined. He had observed what he thought was an excessive amount of pine tar on the bat.

Now, at this point, it is probably useful to explain the relevance of pine tar in baseball. Pine tar is a sticky material that has several applications, one of which is to make a baseball bat easier for a player to grip and helps keep a bat from slipping out of a player's hands when he swings.

According to the rules of major league baseball, players may only apply pine tar from the handle of the bat up 18 inches. Martin believed the pine tar on Brett's bat exceeded the 18–inch restriction.

Actually, players are allowed to use any substance or material to improve the grip as long as it does not exceed 18 inches. If it exceeds 18 inches, the rules call for the bat to be removed from play. If a player made a hit with such a bat, it was termed at the time an "illegally hit ball" — resulting in an out.

So, the home plate umpire and the rest of the umpiring crew gathered at home plate to examine Brett's bat — with Brett and the rest of the Royals watching from their dugout. Apparently unable to make an eyeball assessment, the umpires measured the pine tar on the bat against the width of home plate, which is 17 inches, and they determined that Martin was right.

Brett was ruled out, giving the Yankees the victory.

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Infuriated by the ruling, Brett ran from the dugout and vigorously objected. He had to be restrained by his manager and teammates, but his protest made no difference. The ruling stood.

(Memorably, a commentator on the scene said that Brett was the first player in history to hit a "game–losing home run.")

The Royals challenged the ruling, and American League President Lee MacPhail overruled it, awarding the victory to the Royals. He explained that the "spirit" of the rule had nothing to do with an unfair advantage for one player or team over another. Rather, it was based on economics. Pine tar that is any higher than 18 inches on a bat runs the risk of smearing the ball and rendering it unfit for use in a game. Home teams are required to provide the balls for games, and that would raise the home team's expenses.

MacPhail believed Brett had not violated the spirit of the rule and that the ball had not come in contact with the pine tar. He decided that the game should be resumed with the Royals leading, 5–4, and Brett was not to play. He was ejected for arguing with the umpire.

So the game was resumed nearly a month later on a scheduled off–day for both squads. Brett, his manager and two of his teammates were ejected per MacPhail's decision. There were additional maneuvers by the Yankees, made necessary by various things that had happened since the July 24 encounter (one of the Yankee players who was in the lineup that day was injured and another had been traded) but, in the end, Kansas City reliever Dan Quisenberry retired the side, and the Royals won the game.

And the pine tar incident took its place in baseball's history.

George Steinbrenner Dies

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I'm not a New York Yankees fan. Never have been.

But, while longtime Yankees fans may disagree with me, it seems to me that the last couple of days have been among the most extraordinary in the long and colorful history of the storied franchise.

First, over the weekend, retired announcer Bob Sheppard, known as the "Voice of the Yankees" and often referred to as the "voice of God," died at the age of 99.

Then, today, George Steinbrenner, who owned the Yankees for more than 35 years, died following a massive heart attack. He was 80.

Ironically, today is the day when major league baseball's all–star game will be played. Other than the World Series — which Steinbrenner's Yankees won last fall — perhaps no other time (other than Opening Day) is as meaningful to baseball fans.

The game isn't being played in New York, but wouldn't it be ideal if it was, today of all days? It seems all but certain that, when the festivities begin tonight, at some point the folks in the ballpark will be asked to observe a moment of silence in Steinbrenner's memory.

Silence. What a concept to be mentioned in connection with a man who may have been the most bombastic sports team owner in memory.

But he did get results — 11 American League pennants and seven world titles. Not bad when you realize that, when Steinbrenner took over the team in 1973, the Yankees hadn't won an American League crown in nearly a decade.

Still, his often–brash personality was fodder for the late–night guys and for those who were eager to make a few bucks on his somewhat salty reputation.

He hired (and fired) former Yankee player Billy Martin to manage the team on several occasions. Martin took the Yankees to a world championship in 1977, but his frequent undoing as their manager may have been his volatile nature.

The Miller Brewing Co. got a lot of mileage out of their relationship in the 1970s and 1980s — and the "Less filling! Tastes great!" debates seemed tailor–made for Steinbrenner and Martin. There were several of them over the years. My favorite was always the ad where Steinbrenner and Martin argue, as they do in the attached clip, and then Steinbrenner says, sternly, "Billy! You're fired!"

And Martin replies, "Oh, no! Not again!"

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Even though Steinbrenner hadn't been particularly active in the Yankees' day–to–day business in recent years, he always seemed like a constant presence.

And, in truth, it may be difficult now to realize that he's gone. Not just because his public appearances were so rare in recent years but also because his sons Hal and Hank have been running things since he mostly stepped aside in 2006. I've heard that the two, especially Hank, have demonstrated qualities that are reminiscent of their father.

So it may seem, in a way, that Steinbrenner isn't really gone. Yep, it may seem that way. For awhile.

But he is gone. And he will gradually recede into Yankee lore, along with the great players who have come and gone.

But there may yet be another opportunity for the Yankees to honor their one–of–a–kind owner.

If the Yankees return to the playoffs this fall — and, given the fact that they currently lead their division (which is significant, even though New York's lead is a mere two games, because, as Tom Verducci observes in Sports Illustrated, teams that lead their divisions at the All–Star break have proceeded to the playoffs nearly three–quarters of the time in the 14 years since the introduction of the wild card into the playoff lineup, and the leader of the AL East has been even more automatic than that), it seems all but certain that they will — I am sure we will hear Yankee coaches and players speak of how they have dedicated the postseason to the Boss' memory.

The crowds at the home games will be worked up into a frenzy. And if the Yankees win what would be the 28th World Series title in their history, it will be an emotional moment for fans and players alike — not to mention Hank and Hal, who would certainly be on hand.

Such drama would clearly be worthy of Steinbrenner. But we will have to wait until October to see if it comes to pass.

In the meantime, tonight's tribute should be worth watching.

An era in American sports truly has ended.

Remembering Billy Martin

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In a way, I guess it is appropriate that the New York Yankees won the World Series this year.

It was on this day in 1989 that Billy Martin, a second baseman for the Yankees from 1950–57 and later a five–time manager of the Yankees, died in a one–vehicle accident near his farm in Fenton, N.Y. And, in the two years ending in a "9" since then, the Yankees have won the World Series.

Martin, who was 61 at the time of his fatal accident, was known to have an addiction to alcohol, and he and the driver of the pickup in which he was riding had been drinking heavily that Christmas Day. It was suggested, by sports journalist Peter Golenbock, that Martin had been the actual driver of the truck, but Martin's widow and his drinking buddy attempted to cover up his complicity. The autopsy concluded that Martin had been a passenger and that he hadn't been wearing his seatbelt.

It is said that, at the time of his death, Martin was preparing for yet another stint as Yankees manager. Supposedly, he had even gone so far as to assemble a coaching staff. But it was not to be.

It would have been wildly entertaining to see Martin back in the dugout, I'm sure.

Martin played big–league baseball from 1950 to 1961 — most of that time (1950–57), he played for the Yankees. He was a teammate of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. During that time, he was a member of four World Series–winning teams.

He was the manager of five teams between 1969 and 1988 (he didn't manage in 1984, 1986 or 1987) — and most of those seasons (1975–78, 1979, 1983, 1985 and 1988), he managed the Yankees. Reggie Jackson was one of his players. He won another World Series (in 1977) in that role.

He was talented, but he was volatile, and his drinking problem only exacerbated the situation. He got into fights as a player. He got thrown out of ball games as a manager. His frequent firings by Yankee owner George Steinbrenner became the subject of jokes in the 1970s and 1980s.

One can only wonder if he had mellowed enough, at the age of 61, to last more than a season as the Yankees' skipper.

I always felt a couple of statements summed up Martin quite nicely:

• A few years before Martin's death, I remember reading "Bill James' Baseball Abstract," and James speculated about what each team's manager might be doing, presumably based on his education or experience or general personality, if baseball did not exist. The answer for Martin was "10 to 20."


• The other was a comment from Martin himself that is chiseled in his grave marker: "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I was the proudest."

Well, as a wise man once said, "Temper gets you into trouble. Pride keeps you there." Billy Martin was well acquainted with both.