Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett was known for his fiery side during his playing days with the Kansas City Royals.
Brett’s explosion of anger during the 1983 “Pine Tar Incident” is Exhibit A of how hot the legendary third baseman ran while on the diamond. During a 1983 game between the Royals and New York Yankees, Brett hit what appeared to be a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning off Goose Gossage. But Yankees manager Billy Martin objected to the amount of pine tar on Brett’s bat. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland inspected the bat. He eventually ruled Brett out and disallowed the home run, which ended the game and caused Brett to race out of the dugout to argue with McClelland. Brett needed to be restrained by his manager and several teammates as he confronted McClelland.
Brett’s competitive fire also burns on the golf course, but he appeared on the latest episode of GOLF’s Subpar podcast and told co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz that he doesn’t get too fired up on the course—except one time.
“We were in Palm Springs playing The Vintage,” Brett recounted. “I was playing so bad and two of my friends were laughing at me. This is back in the day when I was playing because I had a Wilson bag and Wilson clubs because I used a Wilson baseball glove. … They were laughing at me and I got pissed off. I got so mad. We were driving back, and there were some empty lots because The Vintage was being developed, and I remember telling those guys, ‘F–k you guys! F–k you guys! I’m never playing golf again.’ I stopped the cart, grabbed my clubs and threw them in a vacant lot. Just left them.”
Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf. com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it). Josh can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.
