Royal Treatment

Joe Stephenson, the Boston Red Sox scout who came to the house in El Segundo to get the signature, remembers. So does Ken Brett, who was 17 in 1966, a two-time CIF player of the year at El Segundo High, and the first-round pick of the Red Sox in the June draft, the fourth player chosen overall.

“We had worked out the contract details and I had just signed,” Brett recalled, “and my dad said to Joe, ‘OK, now here’s the guy you should really sign,’ and he pointed to my brother George, who was 12 at the time. I mean, I have a son who’s 12 and I wish I knew what Dad saw in George that others didn’t see, but he was very serious. He told Joe, ‘Here’s the hitter in the family, keep an eye on him.’ ”

Did father know best? The ultimate confirmation comes today when George Brett, now 45, the youngest of the four Battling Brett brothers of El Segundo, will be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame, the realization of a dream, the former Kansas City Royals third baseman said.

John Howard Brett, who saw something at that early age and set a demanding tone for all his sons, died in 1992, but Brett’s mother, Ethel, is here to share in the celebration, as are brothers John, 52, Ken, 50, and Bobby, 48, all of whom played professionally and remain--with their more renowned sibling--a team themselves. They are partners in business and life--to the extent that Ken Brett was hoping to introduce his brother at today’s ceremony before Commissioner Bud Selig said it was his responsibility.

“I wanted people to know how proud I am of him and the way he played the game,” Ken Brett said. “I wanted to talk about his intensity and hustle and how, as a broadcaster now, I see so many players hitting ground balls and pulling up 10 feet short of the bag. George never did that. He had too much respect for the game.”

George Brett played 21 seasons with the same team, a throwback who never wore batting gloves, who “didn’t hear the crowd or didn’t feel the weather when I hit, didn’t know if I was sweating or shivering.”

Brett’s 3,154 hits rank 13th on the all-time list. His 665 doubles rank fifth. He led the Royals to the 1985 World Series title and won the American League’s 1980 most-valuable-player award when his .390 average was the highest since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. He is the only player to win batting titles in three decades--1976, 1980 and 1990 (when he became the third oldest player to win a title)--and he is the only player to amass 3,000 hits, 300 homers, 600 doubles, 100 triples and 200 stolen bases.

The camera of the mind so often sees Brett only in terms of that mad dash from the dugout when umpire Tim McClelland disallowed his two-run homer off Goose Gossage on July 24, 1983, because pine tar extended too far up the handle of his bat (a decision reversed by American League President Lee MacPhail on the basis that Brett had not violated the spirit of the rule), but there was clearly so much more than that renowned incident--and what Brett would say of himself is pretty much what brother Ken said.

“I’d like to be remembered as a gamer,” George Brett said. “Someone who played hard, respected the game and had fun playing it.

“I don’t think anyone had as much fun as I did.”

The Brett brothers always had their fun. On the field and off. Sometimes with their fists, sometimes employed on each other.

It really wasn’t that long ago that oldest brother John and George were rolling around the parking lot of the Stick and Stein tavern in El Segundo. The guy who tried to break them up suffered a broken nose. John and George were ultimately given the opportunity to cool off in the local jail.

Sibling rivalry translated to a competitiveness that shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of sibling unity and support. They are scattered now, but as close as ever.

George took the family to Mexico on mom’s birthday. They came back to El Segundo earlier this year for dedication of a Little League field in George’s name. They help underwrite a trip for the El Segundo High baseball team each summer and are hosting Coach John Stevenson, in his 40th year at the school, at the Cooperstown ceremonies.

“I’ve been extremely lucky to have the Brett family in my life, and the best part of it is they’re still in my life,” Stevenson said.

John Brett owns a construction company and lives in Palm Desert. Bobby, who went to Cal Poly Pomona and has always supervised the brothers’ business interests, lives in Washington and runs their ownership of the Spokane hockey, baseball and soccer teams (they also own the High Desert Mavericks baseball team and are part owners of the El Paso Diablos). Ken, who does some TV work after pitching for 11 years in the majors and having become the youngest player to appear in the World Series when he made it in that first season at 19, recently moved to Spokane and oversees the Brett Brothers Bat Co. there.

The Bretts also have varied real estate holdings, but were recently rejected in their bid to buy the Royals--”we were longshots from the start and it hasn’t changed our relationship with the Royals,” Bobby said.

That relationship has been tenuous at times since George retired. He has two years left on a contract as a club vice president, but his desire to do more than help with young players in spring training has at times been a bone of contention and provided media fodder. Nevertheless, he continues to live in Kansas City with his wife and three sons (the youngest of whom is named Robin in honor of Robin Yount, who will be inducted with him today) and he maintains cordial and communicative ties to club officials.

“It hurts to be called the vice president of nothing at times,” Brett said. “I want the best for the Royals and am willing to do anything to help make it happen for the fans there. We love it. The town adopted me. It’s been unbelievable. I’ve had no reason to leave.”

Kansas City personalities, of course, will dominate his speech today. Brett will pay homage to the late Kansas City scout Rosey Gilhousen, whose reports led to the drafting of the former El Segundo shortstop on the second round in 1971. He will salute former Royal manager Whitey Herzog and former Royal teammate and manager Hal McRae, whose fire and competitiveness rubbed off at an early age. He will pay special tribute to the late batting coach Charlie Lau, who was a “second father” and told the young player that if he wanted to stay in the majors he would have to turn over his “heart and soul” to him and of whom an emotional Brett says, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Charlie.”

He will credit former Royal owner Avron Fogelman with delivering a wake-up call in 1984 when Fogelman came to him and said, “George, we’re paying you a lot of money and you’re always injured or on the disabled list.” Brett, who would play nine more years, said he realized what Fogelman was saying and opted to change a lifestyle that would have led to a downhill and premature retirement.

“I hired a personal trainer and had one of my best years in 1985,” he said. “I’d have never played as long as I did if it hadn’t been for that wake-up call. I mean, the things I could get away with doing in my 20s, staying up and playing hard the next day, I couldn’t continue to do in my 30s.”

He will pay tribute, as well, to the fundamental teachings of coach Stevenson, who doesn’t want to hear it.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Stevenson said. “The best thing I did for George was not get in the way. He was a fine high school player (his senior team included pitcher Scott McGregor and was 33-2) who kicked it up a notch when he went into the pros.

“He was never satisfied at any level, including the big leagues. He wanted to get better and knew he had to work harder, and one of the reasons he made it was that he never carried anything off the field with him. An 0 for 5 was in the books. He wasn’t going to fret about it in his personal life or baseball life, and as proud as I am of him for making the Hall of Fame, I’m even prouder of the type person he grew up to be. Loyalty means everything to George.”

Brett was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility with the third highest percentage in history behind Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, who also goes in today. The feeling among the brothers is that dad would have been pleased. The accountant’s ledger returned the biggest dividends for discipline and dedication, doing it right, being prepared.

“It wasn’t that Dad was a slave master, but if you were going to mow the lawn you had better make it look like the Dodger Stadium infield,” John Brett said. “If you were going to wash the dishes, they better be spotless. I remember coming back from one of George’s games as a kid and George was grumbling about an error or strikeout or something and Dad kicked him right in the [rear] as we were walking up the steps to the house and said, ‘You didn’t have your head in it, you weren’t ready.’ He could accept losing, but he wanted us to go about it the right way.”

Said Stevenson, the coach: “The dad was old school. He recognized early that George had a special talent and he was terrified that he would blow it by getting involved with drugs or alcohol or the wrong crowd. He was hard-nosed and gruff, but it was all done with a loving hand.”

If George Howard Brett was never satisfied, always striving to be better, maybe it was because he knew how difficult it was to satisfy John Howard Brett, the father.

“Dad was a tough soldier who had been wounded in World War II and he ruled the house like a soldier,” Brett said. “He also had been in some trouble as a kid and he was determined that we wouldn’t go that route. If you screwed up, you heard about it, and sometimes it wasn’t very pretty. But I look at the competitive nature of my brothers and myself and how we’ve each been successful and I’d have to say that he did a very good job of getting us ready for the real world. The one thing he taught us was that you should never be content.”

Along the way, while Brett was trying to satisfy dad and refining his stroke under Lau, his second father, there may also have been something of a sibling rivalry played out with brother Ken, who went off at 17 as all-world.

“Compared to Kemmer [Ken’s nickname], I thought George would end up working for me in construction or tending bar,” brother John said with a laugh. “Kemmer was the natural talent. He was a great hitter and pitcher. If he had played professionally as an outfielder, we might never have heard of George.

“I know we all got tired of the old man talking about Kemmer as if he was Adonis, a Greek god. Maybe George was driven to be better than Kemmer. Maybe he just didn’t want to work for me hammering nails.”

George Brett constructed a career out of more than pine tar. He hit .373 in two World Series, .340 in six league championship series, at his best under pressure. He had three hits on the last day of the season to win the 1976 batting title, was hitting over .400 in mid-August en route to the 1980 title and batted .388 over the second half to win the 1990 title at 37, reenergizing his final years. He joined the 3,000-hit club on Sept. 30, 1992 by going four for four in a game at Anaheim. He retired after the 1993 season.

“I led the Royals in RBI and homers that year and I could have kept playing,” Brett said, “but it would only have been for the money, I would only have been going through the motions, and I don’t think baseball deserved that. The wins just weren’t as exciting anymore and the losses didn’t hurt as much.”

He had often told the Royals to get on his back, so it is appropriate that Brett reflected on the highlight reel and chose the 1985 World Series victory as the top thrill, the best moment. He carried the Royals that year, batting .335 with 30 homers and 112 RBI. He won a Gold Glove and turned around the championship series against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 when he had a single, double and two homers, and made the pivotal fielding play in what he calls “the greatest game I ever played.”

It all proved that John Brett was right when he told Joe Stephenson, the Boston scout, to keep an eye on his youngest son.

It is 33 years later, and the baseball world will have its eye on him today.

GEORGE BRETT BY THE NUMBERS

3,154: Career hits (13th overall)

665: Career doubles (5th all time)

3: Batting titles (1976, 1980, 1990)

.390: Batting average in 1980, highest since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941

.305: Career batting average

.337: Career batting average in postseason games

1,595: Career RBIs (tied for 22nd with Mike Schmidt)

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Hall of Fame Inductees

* GEORGE BRETT: Born George Howard Brett on May 15, 1953, in Glen Dale, W.Va. . . . Ranks 13th in career hits with 3,154. . . . 13-time all-star third baseman. . . . Hit .305 in 21-year career, all in Kansas City. . . . Holds Royal records in runs (1,583), hits (3,154), doubles (665), triples (137), home runs (317) and RBIs (1,595). . . . Hit .370 in taking Royals to only World Series title in 1985. Was ALCS MVP. Won Gold Glove too. . . . Won AL MVP award in 1980, batting .390 in leading Royals to first Series appearance. Had 30-game hitting streak that year. . . . Batted .340 with record nine home runs in six LCS appearances. Homered three times in playoff game at Yankee Stadium in 1978. . . . . First player to win batting titles in three decades (1976, 1980, 1990). . . . Holds major league record of six straight games with three or more hits. . . . Drew AL-record 229 intentional walks. . . . Twice hit for cycle. . . . Now works in Royals’ front office.

* NOLAN RYAN: Born Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. on Jan. 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas. . . . Held or shared 51 major league records when he retired in 1993. . . . Struck out 5,714 batters. . . . Pitched seven no-hitters, getting last one at age 44 in 1991. . . . Was 324-292 with a 3.19 earned-run average in record 27 seasons. Tied for 12th with Don Sutton on wins list. . . . Pitched 12 one-hitters. Also had five no-hit bids broken up in ninth inning. . . . Right-hander struck out 1,176 different players, including Roger Maris, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. . . . Only player to have number retired by three teams--Texas and Houston honored his No. 34, Angels retired his No. 30. . . . Will wear a Texas Ranger cap on his Hall plaque. . . . Fanned record 383 in 1973, going 21-16. Still did not win Cy Young--he never won the award--losing out to Jim Palmer. . . . Got a save in his only World Series game, pitching for 1969 Miracle Mets. . . . An eight-time All-Star. . . . Named on 98.79% of the writers’ ballots, nearly beating former teammate Tom Seaver’s 98.84 in 1992 for the highest total . . . Baseball’s first $1 million-a-year player. . . . Made record 595 straight starts from 1974-93. . . . Also holds records for walks (2,795) and grand slams allowed (10). . . . Spent last 14 years playing for teams in his native Texas. . . . Tore elbow ligament while pitching to Dave Magadan in Kingdome on Sept. 22, ending his career. . . . Final appearance in uniform came Oct. 3 vs. Kansas City in last game at Arlington Stadium. . . . Now works as special assistant to Ranger President J. Thomas Schieffer.

* ROBIN YOUNT: Born Robin R. Yount on Sept. 16, 1955, in Danville, Ill. . . . Ranks 15th on career hits list with 3,142. . . . Spent all 20 years with Milwaukee. . . . Brewers career leader in runs (1,632), hits (3,142), doubles (613), triples (126), home runs (251) and RBIs (1,406). Hit over .300 six times, finished with .285 lifetime average. . . . Two-time AL MVP. Won at shortstop in 1982 and center field in 1989. Only other players to win MVP awards at two positions were Stan Musial and Hank Greenberg, who both did it at first base and left field. . . . Hit two homers on final day of 1982 regular season at Baltimore as Brewers beat Orioles for AL East title. Teamed with Paul Molitor to lead club to only World Series appearance that year. Had four hits in Game 1 vs. St. Louis. . . . Brewers retired his No. 19. . . . Led all major leaguers in hits during the 1980s. . . . Got 3,000th hit three weeks before Brett in 1992. . . . Became Brewers starting shortstop at age 18 in 1974. . . . Holds AL career record with 123 sacrifice flies. . . . Three-time All-Star. . . . Won Gold Glove in 1982. . . . Hit for cycle in 1988. . . . Was on disabled list only three times.

* ORLANDO CEPEDA: Born Orlando Manuel Cepeda on Sept. 17, 1937, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. . . . Hit 379 home runs--same total as Tony Perez--with 1,365 RBIs. Batted .297 in 17-year career. Hit over .300 nine times. . . . Played in nine All-Star games, often batting cleanup. . . . NL MVP for World Series champion Cardinals in 1967, first to unanimously win award since Carl Hubbell in 1936. . . . Unanimous NL rookie of the year in 1958 with San Francisco. . . . Joined fellow Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Willie McCovey in middle of Giants’ mighty lineup. Eventually moved to outfield to make room at first for McCovey. . . . Later played with Hank Aaron for 1969 NL West champion Braves, and became Boston’s first DH in 1973. . . . Honorary captain for NL in this month’s All-Star game at Fenway Park. . . . Now a community relations representative for Giants, had his No. 30 jersey retired this season. . . . Joins Roberto Clemente as only Hall members born in Puerto Rico.

* NESTOR CHYLAK: Born Nestor Chylak on May 11, 1922, in Olyphant, Pa. Died Feb. 17, 1982, in Dunmore, Pa. . . . One of eight umpires in the Hall. . . . Worked in AL from 1954-78, serving as longtime crew chief. . . . Called five World Series, three league championship series and six All-Star games. . . . After retirement, served as assistant supervisor of AL umpires until his death.

* FRANK SELEE: Born Frank Gibson Selee on Oct. 26, 1859, in Amherst, N.H. Died: July 5, 1909, in Denver. . . . One of most successful managers in NL history. . . . His teams went 1,284-862 for a .598 winning percentage, fourth-highest in history. . . . One of 15 managers in Hall. . . . Guided Boston Beaneaters from 1890-1901, winning five division titles. . . . Put together Cubs’ famed Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance infield. . . . Forced to retire in middle of 1905 season because of tuberculosis.

* JOE WILLIAMS: Born Joe Williams on April 6, 1885, in Seguin, Texas. Died March 12, 1946, in New York. . . . Nicknamed “Smokey” and “Cyclone.” . . . At 6 feet 4, known for lively fastball and sharp control. . . . Was 16th player elected for his accomplishments in the Negro leagues. . . . Began career with Chicago Leland Giants in 1910, later starred for Homestead Grays and several other teams before retiring in 1932. . . . Credited with winning percentage of .624. . . . Compiled a 22-7 record with 12 shutouts against white teams from 1912-32, often opposing the likes of Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander and Chief Bender.

GEORGE BRETT TIMELINE

Professional career highlights