12
University Daily Kansan
Sports
Tuesday, April 29, 1986
Foes are pitching around Brett
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Show me any red-blooded young American male who wouldn't win in his gold credit card in a minute, give up just about anything, if he could only change places with George Brett.
Maybe you can think of somebody who wouldn't jump at the chance to switch places with Kansas City's winning third baseman, but I can't.
You name it, Brett's got it, and I'm not talking about only the money he makes from the Rovals.
The annual $1,471,429 he'd paid by them doesn't include some other provisions of his contract, which along
Milton Richman UPI Senior Sports Editor
with his endorsements and investments boost that figure to well over $2 million a year.
Being a healthy, good-looking bachelor who is able to cook his own dinner and do his own laundry, Brett has about as much trouble getting girls as he does getting base hits. And if you remember how close he came to hitting, 400 a few years back then he was much of a problem that is for him.
The future is just as bright for Brett. He's already the Royals' No. 1 monument.
'Need that explained?' Babe Ruth is of the Yankees' greatest monument, Ted Williams the Red Sox's, Wille Mays the Giants', Stan Musial the Cardinals'. 'Every one of them is in the game.' Willie Mays willby will join them when he's through.
He isn't even 33 yet, but he sees no reason why he can't play another five or six years, maybe even more. However, he doesn't ever have to play another single inning if he lives in a city because he's financially set for life.
He can sit in that comfortably spacious house of his in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the rest of his days and never move a muscle. He can lie back if he likes, close his eyes and just listen to his beard grow.
So, essentially, what he's playing for mostly now is the simple pleasure of it and, unhappily for him as well as for Kansas City fans, much of that pleasure has been missing lately with their bases on balls. Brett has been given
His 20 walks lead the majors. Five of them have been intentional, and he also has been hit by pitches twice. Frequently, even when he isn't purposefully walked, he doesn't get good pitches to hit. Opposing hurriers pitch around him and walk him semi-intentionally. Last week was the first time this season he went two consecutive games without a walk.
Bobby Cox didn't make any secret of what he intended he had Blue Jay pitchers do before last fall playoff with the Royals in Toronto. Managing the Blue Jays then, he instructed his pitchers never to let themselves get beaten by Brett's bat. In other words, pitch around him whenever he came up with runners in scoring position and first base open.
Jimy Williams, the blue Jays' new manager, obviously feels the same way Cox does. In the Royals' last series in Toronto Brett drew no less than seven walks and was hit by pitches twice.
He had doubled his first two times up in KC's home owner against the Blau Jays earlier in the month. Brett drew a pass later in that contest, as well as in the two subsequent games in that series with Toronto.
Other clubs haven't gone to quite the extreme the Blue Jays have with Brett, but they've also been pitching around him as much as they can. Naturally, Brett is less than thrilled over the circumstance.
"It takes a lota fun out of the game," he says. "The most enjoyment I've had in my 12 years in baseball is hitting, and when you go up there, they don't give you a hit, it get frustrating after awhile."
What the other clubs are trying to do is force Brett to lose his patience.
do that, they win."
At the rate he'd drawing walks, if it's continued over the entire season, Brett would wind up with nearly 180 set by Babe Ruth in 1923.
"That's the one thing I don't wanna because as soon as I do, it means I'll start swinging at bad balls out of the strike zone," Brett says. "That's what they want me to do. As soon as
"That's not a record I'd like to break," he says. "I'd much rather break the record for most hits in a season."
The late George Sisker set that one with 257 playing for the St. Louis Browns in 1920.
To what extent the pitchers will keep walking Brett, who is batting third and has four home runs, will depend largely on how well Frank White does hitting him in the clearmap spot. Right now, White is doing well, hitting 296 and leading the club with 10 RBI. Brett, on the other hand, is far below his normal pace at 240. However, his 466 on-base percentage has him close to the top in the league and he has eight RBI.
"They're not pitching to George and they're real obvious about it, but I don't take it personally when they walk him to get at me." White says.
"I think they're saying George is the best hitter on the team, the best hitter in the league, and they'd rather go for a run OK. It gets my adrenaline flowing."
Royals manager Dick Howser thinks it would be useless to try moving Brett around in the batting order.
"Where can I put him?" he asks.
"They're gonna find him no matter where he is. I can't hide him."
No matter what, Brett can't say he's completely shocked by what's happening to him. He got ample forewarning when Jim Layland, the coach of the team, him intentionally walked last month — in an exhibition game in Florida —
Hank Bauer, the old Yankee outfielder who once managed Kansas City and Baltimore, was astounded by the move.
"I've been around baseball a long time and I never saw anyone intentionally walked in a spring exhibition game before." Bauer said.
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