'I had tears, man': Brett's career on full display in MLB Network documentary

KANSAS CITY -- George Brett could feel the moisture in his eyes as he watched his life story play out on the big screen Monday evening.

Surrounded by family, friends and fans of a Kansas City Royals organization he has been affiliated with for over 50 years, the Hall of Fame third baseman got an advance showing of MLB Network Presents "Brett." The documentary will air for the broader audience on Thursday.

"I had tears, man," Brett said after seeing the show. "It was very emotional."

The Brett documentary tells the story of a California kid who joined the Royals' Major League club in 1973 and went on to become a Kansas City icon through stellar play on the field and the manner in which he embraced the Kansas City community over a five-decade span.

The Brett project marks the 10th documentary for producer James Potocki in the MLB Network series, which has been around since 2015.

"I couldn't be more proud of any of them than this one," Potocki said. "Though I was from New York, George was one of my favorite players growing up. His greatness, his style of play and his attitude transcended to him being a national star. I felt that growing up in New York.

"He's such a great guy and so welcoming and open and honest. You just want to tell a good story for him and I think it was here. It's certainly his story. You just put it together and present it on screen."

The film mixes in both serious and light-hearted moments of Brett's life for the viewers to contemplate. Included in the piece is some insight into Brett's complex and difficult relationship with his late father, a topic he has rarely spoken about publicly.

Brett's personal reflections are augmented by interviews with Hall of Famers and playing contemporaries Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt and Robin Yount; teammates Frank White, Willie Wilson, Jeff Montgomery and Jamie Quirk; Royals Hall of Fame broadcaster Denny Matthews; author and longtime Kansas City sportswriter Joe Posnanski and Brett's wife, Leslie, and oldest son Jackson.

In a panel discussion with Matthews and Royals broadcaster Ryan Lefebvre after the advance screening, Brett talked about how he always was nervous before any game, regardless of his immense accomplishments.

"Even in Spring Training games," Brett said. "I've always thought that if what you were doing was important, you should be nervous."

The film dives into Brett's pursuit of a .400 batting average during his American League MVP-winning season in 1980. While Brett steadily evolved into one of the game's great hitters, the pinnacle of team success came in 1985 when Brett and the Royals won the World Series, taking down the Cardinals in seven games.

That World Series featured a controversial safe call by umpire Don Denkinger on Jorge Orta's infield roller to start the bottom of the ninth with the Cards up by a run and leading 3-2 in the series. In the documentary, Brett added some spice to the 38-year debate about whether St. Louis would have prevailed in the series if Orta had been called out. The Royals wound up scoring twice in the ninth to claim Game 6.

"The people in St. Louis to this day still think it was Game 7, because they think they lost the World Series on that call," Brett said in the documentary. "They still drop the popup that inning. They still have a passed ball. And they still blame that on Denkinger."

Brett was referring to a foul popup that Jack Clark didn't handle and a passed ball that got past Darrell Porter.

"Don Denkinger, he made a bad call," Brett said. "If they call him out, we still might have won the game. You don't know. That was Game 6. Come out and play Game 7. That's all you had to do is play Game 7."

For Brett, every July 24 means a trip down Memory Lane to the infamous Pine Tar game of 1983. The documentary gives fans insight into that bizarre episode in baseball history when a Brett homer was temporarily nullified because of what was ruled a pine tar violation. Brett's wild protest that day has become a legendary baseball story.

"I think it shows George's intensity," said Reggie Jackson in the film.

Brett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Cooperstown trip is well-documented with behind-the-scenes footage of Brett and his family mingling with the best of the best in baseball.

"I think the people who voted on the Hall of Fame appreciated the way I played," Brett said. "They appreciated that I never gave in and that I gave 110 percent on every play."

For Brett, there were 3,154 hits and zero regrets.

"If I had it to do over again, I would do it exactly the same way," Brett said.