Brett Is Name of the Game : El Segundo’s Brett Newell Is Named After Another Former Standout at the School, George Brett

George Brett is a three-time American League batting champ and a lock for the Hall of Fame. At El Segundo High, Brett’s alma mater, a three-year starter named Brett Newell is doing a wonderful job emulating the man he was named after.

Thirteen games into his senior season, Newell is batting .575 while playing shortstop for his godfather, who happens to be George’s high school coach.

Sometimes, it is amazing how things work out.

The story starts in 1971 at El Segundo High. Steve Newell, who played one season as a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers, had just started as assistant varsity football coach. Of all the kids he coaches, one named George Brett, a football and baseball standout, carries himself with distinction. The two become friends.

“In terms of athletics, you could just see it was all there around him,” Newell said. “You were just in awe. He had the uncanny ability to stay cool under pressure. He was very much a clutch player. Those are really the two things that come to mind.

“I was just impressed with everything he stood for. We became great friends during the years he was in high school. Then when our son was born after George was in high school . . . It was just natural to name him after George Brett.”

Steve and Barbara Newell’s first son was born on Oct. 25, 1972. Brett was playing his first year of minor league ball with a Kansas City Royal farm team in Billings, Mont.

“We’ve never really discussed it (with George),” Steve Newell said. “I’m sure George probably figured it out after Brett was born. We’ve never said anything about it. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s very personal. I just always knew that George was on his way to making it big.”

The Newells also asked John Stevenson, a close family friend and the El Segundo baseball coach, to be the child’s godfather.

“We have a picture of George with my mom when she was pregnant with me,” said Brett, who has made an unwritten commitment to attend the University of Washington in the fall on a partial baseball scholarship. “He’s a great guy. Every year we have an alumni game, where it’s the odd-numbered years against the even years. He shows up and always signs autographs and talks with the team.”

Although they see each other every year, the major league star and his namesake have never played a round of catch or talked baseball.

Which is too bad. The 6-foot, 170-pound Brett may be the best athlete at El Segundo High. Brett Newell played quarterback, kicker and defensive back on the football team. He was named Camino Real League back of the year and was a second-team selection on The Times All-South Bay team as a kicker. All this while playing for his father, the El Segundo football coach.

He also holds the El Segundo record for longest field goal (52 yards).

Last weekend, Brett batted eight for 10, stole three bases and was named the most valuable player as El Segundo (12-1) won the championship of the eight-team San Luis Obispo Tournament.

“I saw Brett’s athletic ability when he was younger,” Stevenson said. “I used to kid his father, who is a hard-core football guy, that Brett would play baseball. I’d tell him, ‘You wait and see, Brett will be playing baseball after he’s done with football.’

“He has got great skills. Running, fielding and a great arm. From the time he was a boy, he’s had all these skills.”

Stevenson should know. His family has been close friends of the Newells for almost 20 years. Stevenson was at Brett’s baptism. Brett and Stevenson’s son Eric, now in his freshman year at Hancock College where he is a utility infielder, grew up together as best friends. The two families also spend their Christmas and Easter holidays together.

“What was nice, is that in the last two years, when we’ve won CIF and got to the finals, it was with my son and godson on the team,” Stevenson said.

Said Brett: “I’ve known Coach Stevenson my whole life. When Eric and I were little, we used to wrestle in his living room all the time. Coach has been helping me since I was in Little League and Babe Ruth baseball.”

Considering he was named after a baseball player and his father and godfather are coaches, it was natural for Brett to compete in sports.

“I’ve always loved to play,” Brett said. “It’s always a challenge. The failure is always there and you always want to connect. When you make mistakes, you need to concentrate and not make them again and that’s what I do. After all, baseball is a game of failure and how you deal with that failure determines how successful you will be next time.”

When Brett was a child, he and his dad would play catch in the street, sometimes with a baseball, other times with a football.

“Dad was a pro receiver and he used to run different patterns for me while I would take my drops,” Brett said. “He still goes to all my games and is still active in helping me.”

Brett batted .404 in both his sophomore and junior seasons. Although shortstop is his most natural position, this is his first year playing it at the varsity level. He switched each of the past two years; playing first base and pitching in his sophomore year, when El Segundo won the CIF-Southern Section 2-A Division title, and playing third base last season, when the Eagles were 2-A runners-up.

This year, El Segundo, ranked fourth in the 3-A Division, has only four players with varsity experience. Brett, a co-captain, has moved from the team’s lead-off position to the third spot. Through 13 games, he has 10 extra-base hits, nine runs batted in and has 13 stolen bases. He leads the South Bay in hits (23), runs (19) and doubles (seven).

“He’s like all El Segundo guys are,” Stevenson said. “He leads by example. He’s not a kid who’s really mouthy or has a lot to say. . . . He’s a very determined young man, who knows exactly what he wants to do and how to do it. He has standards. He is very much an individual and I mean that in a positive way. He has a very strong work ethic.”

Said Brett: “I’m not the type who says a lot. If I do anything, maybe my actions make me a leader or something.”

Brett’s comments are understated. He does not make any effort to impress anyone. At the same time, he is aware of an image that accompanies a multisport athlete, especially one named after a potential Hall of Fame baseball player.

“People around school sometimes kid me about being the All-American type,” Brett said. “They know I’ve been around sports my whole life, and had great success. So maybe they say things, but I don’t really pay attention.”

Brett has a 3.27 grade-point average and is in the top 20% of his graduating class. He wants to study architecture at Washington. Although he plans to concentrate on baseball, Brett said that he might try out as a kicker for the football team during his sophomore year.