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Wednesday, Mar 7, 2007 4:03 PM UTC

The George Brett pine tar incident

On the occasion of spring training, revisiting a classic baseball moment.

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Topics: Baseball,

We love baseball spring training. It’s bright and sunny in Florida and Arizona, and the games played now promise the official games of spring and summer are right around the corner. Here is one of our favorite baseball moments of yesteryear, the 1983 George Brett pine tar incident, on demand thanks to YouTube. Cue to around 3:20 if you want to zip ahead to moment of impact. Three weeks until the regular season haul gets underway!

And here’s another gem: Johnny Bench and his “Baseball Bunch” with a dramatic recreation of that pine tar incident. Very nice attention to detail paid here, in particular to the mustaches.

Just as easily, the George Brett pine tar incident, as evidenced in the following commercial, could have been called the 7Up incident. In the 80′s, all the players were juiced on this potentially performance-enhancing potion.

David Puner

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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