George Brett was once a scrawny, 110-pound high school freshman. He was a slap hitter who, because of his size, was forced to use a bat Whiffle would have been proud of. And in 1968, Brett's freshman year at El Segundo High in El Segundo, Calif., he was nearly cut from the school's junior varsity team.

	Brett led his high school team to a state title during his senior season.

But note the word "nearly." Baseball fans worldwide have John Stevenson to thank for that.

"I knew the family history," says Stevenson about Brett's three older brothers, John, Ken and Bobby, who were once star athletes at El Segundo. "I told the (JV) coach each one of the boys has a tremendous growth spurt between the freshman and the sophomore year. I also told him he was keeping George on the team and he was going to start."

Stevenson's hunch proved to be right. Brett burst out of his 110-pound frame and became a 170-pound stud by his sophomore season, when he earned a spot on the varsity roster. He hit .351 that year, followed by a .345 junior campaign. By his senior season, a year in which El Segundo had seven of nine starters move on to play for a Division I college or professional baseball team, Brett compiled a .339 average while drilling seven home runs. El Segundo won the state title with a 33-2 record, and yet it was pitcher Scott McGregor who was getting the most attention.

"Scott was getting more ink, but pitchers always get more ink," says Stevenson of McGregor, who went on to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles from 1976-1988. "George was attracting his fair share of scouts. No one questioned that he was going to play professionally."

However, no one could have guessed Brett would be immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame, into which he was officially inducted last year. During his 20 seasons with the Kansas City Royals, he slapped 3,154 hits (11th best in Major League history) while posting a .305 batting average. He hit 317 home runs and drove in 1,595. A 13-time All-Star, three-time American League batting champion and Gold Glove award recipient in 1985, Brett also helped guide the Royals to a World Series title in '85. Individually, his greatest season took place in 1980. Earning American League MVP honors, Brett became the first player to make a "serious" run at .400 since Ted Williams batted .406 in 1941. He reached .400 on Aug. 17, but finished the season with a .390 batting average.

"That's the unique thing about George. With every level he played at, he did better," says Stevenson, who has coached the El Segundo baseball team since 1960 and is now also the school's athletic director. "Usually, it's the other way around, but he continued to improve."

Today, Brett works in the Royals' front office and spends quite a bit of his time raising money and awareness in the battle against Lou Gehrig's Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). After losing a close friend named Keith Worthington to the disease, Brett began The George Brett Research Fund in 1991. His organization has raised more than $750,000 as of last year.

In addition to his duties with the Royals and his Research Fund, Brett often finds time to give back to the El Segundo community.

"The entire Brett family has been loyal to this area," says Stevenson, who was in attendance at 'George Brett Day' last spring, when El Segundo dedicated its baseball field in honor of the Hall of Famer. "They've remembered the people who helped them get where they are today."