Could you blame Brett? That was a rediculous call. He can thank opposing manager Billy Martin for that one.

Pretty much a bug on the windshield of baseball history. Made much of at the time due to the participants, (Brett and Martin). In some small ways this incident has echoes of the Merkle baserunning blunder, in that the rule about the amount of pinetar on the bat was always there but never enforced. I feel about both situations that it is very risky to have rules on the books that are not enforced or enforced at random. This is true of both baseball and life.

Overrated and overblown. . .when compared to Ty Cobb's fan attack or the Black Sox scandal this one ranks real low on the list. . .besides, Brett isn't the first player to act like a jackass when he's caught. . .

I believe that George Brett didn't think he did anything wrong. But i think he completely overreacted to the umpire's decision. I am a Royals fan, but i don't think the league should have given him back his home run a week later.

Brett should've been fined for hitting a homer with a tarred bat AND for going ballistic at the ump after the umpire negated the homer. Forget the result of that game. Manager Martin did the right thing by calling the umpire and of course the league president counted it as a homer and gave the game to KC.

Actually, according to the rule book at the time (since amended) the umps made the right call. In fact, they had no choice but to rule as they had. Brett, previously one of the classier players in the game and on his way to a Hall of Fame career, disgraced himself with his reaction. If ever someone appeared determined to do bodily harm to an umpire, it was him charging out of the dugout. I believe Brett hit the home run off Goose Gossage. Gossage had owned KC and Brett up until this at-bat, and Brett had studied (in his video film room, in his basement) Gossage's pitch selection, location and speed to prep to face him. It paid off, but when Billy Martin, looking very innocent and curious, picked up Brett's bat and called the ump over, Brett was confident, being one of the premier hitters (and gentlemen) of the game, that nothing would come of it. When McLelland closed his fist in the air, he went ballistic. Billy Martin had a great laugh over it, even after the league upheld Brett's protest and gave him back his home run a week or so later.

I still don't believe they should have overturned it.