‘That George Brett, now there was a classy guy’

What the Kansas City Royals will reap from George Brett coaching their hitters, no one can say yet. They're 1-0 with Dennis the Menace back in the dugout so far. But with Brett again with the team every day, including its travels to places such as, oh, Cleveland, the manliness quotient of the Royals just shot straight up to "11."

We're reminded of this because of a post in Cleveland's Scene magazine, which recently profiled George Deutsch, a bathroom attendant and the "ringmaster of Cleveland's adult entertainment" subculture. "Door George," as he's known, told many stories, one of which was the time George Brett and Bill Buckner (teammates in 1988-89) came to the legendary Circus club in the notorious Cleveland Flats district:

"This was the year after Buckner let that ball go through his legs in the World Series. And, well, I didn't recognize Buckner, but I recognized Brett. And somebody was giving Buckner a hard time on account of that ball going through his legs.

"And I took care of them, moved them to a more private table and got them drinks. And Brett, he appreciated it. He asks me 'Can you come to the ballgame tomorrow night?' And I say, sure.

"Next day, here comes a limousine and an envelope with $100 and two tickets to the game with a note thanking me for looking out for them." George raises an index finger, the story's not over.

"From that day on—I never saw him again in my life—but every time the Royals were in town, sure enough, I got an envelope with $100 and two tickets, up 'til the day he retired. That George Brett, now there was a classy guy."

As Matt Snyder of CBS Eye on Baseball put it: "Take care of George Brett [and] he'll take care of you." These are the lessons that young Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas need to be learning as they make their way in the big leagues. Hopefully, Brett can help them with hitting too, if there's enough time for that.

One final thing: Is it too late for a 41-year-old man to still want to be George Brett when he grows up?

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