ESPN writers: Favorite stories of legend

Baseball history is full of legendary stories like the ones told in “Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Legends.” Some have been embellished over time. Others can never be verified. And still countless more have never been reported, existing mostly in the minds of those who either witnessed them or heard about them from another source. ESPN’s baseball writers have encountered their fair share of legendary stories over the years. So we asked a few of them to share a personal favorite.

TIM KURKJIAN: BRETT’S PUTTER POKE

George Brett had a badly sprained ankle, which put him on the disabled list. He couldn’t play in the Royals’ team golf tournament, but he went and greeted all the players as they came through the 18th green.

As he stood on the 18th, on crutches, with a putter in his hand, some teammates figured they’d have a little fun, and hit into the 18th green while others were still putting. From 150 yards away, a ball came screaming at Brett. He dropped his crutches, readied his putter and hit the moving golf ball 150 yards back down the fairway with his putter.

I refused to believe this ridiculous tale. No one has hand-eye cooordination that precise. But Brett confirmed the story.

“Well,’’ he said, “it was 1990.’’

That was the year he hit .390, and everything he hit, he hit it right on the screws.