Ten years is longer than it
sounds. In 1998, there were roughly 15 million
Americans surfing the Internet. Today, it's over
70 million. There were around 65 million Americans
using a cell phone. Today, that number is nearly
200 million. There weren't any TiVo or any iPods
10 years ago. A Blu-Ray was something an alien in
a movie might use. And High Definition might have
been used to talk about a dictionary, but was
certainly not a way to watch television.
Ten years ago, Pat Burrell was a 21-year-old kid
playing in the College World Series for the University
of Miami when Phillies scout Miguel Machado approached
him only minutes before what would ultimately become
Miami's elimination game to tell him that the
organization had chosen him with the first overall
selection in the Draft. Today, he is the right-handed
power bat in the middle of the Phillies' high-octane
offense and the longest tenured player on the club,
climbing his way up the all-time franchise home run
list.
The call
It's been an interesting decade for the
West Coast slugger. He played only a little more than
200 Minor League games before being called up to the
big leagues in May 2000 to take over first base for an
injured Rico Brogna. The fateful phone call came not
from his Minor League manager at the time or the farm
director -- the people who usually tell a player he's
going to the Majors -- but directly from then Phillies
general manager Ed Wade.
"I was asleep and Ed called," Burrell said. "He said,
'What are you doing?' I said, 'I'm sleeping.' Then he
said, 'Are you too tired to go to Houston?' I didn't
play the first night, but Scott Rolen got hurt, and the
next day, I'm hitting fifth. Octavio Dotel started for
Houston and he was really, really good. My first
thought was, 'Wow, there aren't guys like this in the
Minor Leagues.'"
Burrell went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in his Major League
debut, including a ninth-inning triple off Astros
closer Billy Wagner. The two would meet later on in
their careers in more meaningful games.
The year 2000 was the final one of a difficult run for
the Phillies. Despite high hopes entering the season,
injuries decimated the roster and the team finished at
65-97, leading to the dismissal of manager Terry
Francona.
"We didn't have a very good team at the time," said
Burrell. "We were light years away from where we are
now, so it was actually a good opportunity for me to
get my feet wet and get comfortable because the
expectations weren't that high. Terry stuck with me,
even after Rico came back."
The mentors
Burrell is more of an old-school type of
player than most would think. He believes in playing
the game one way -- the right way, as he sees it. He
doesn't talk a big game or show up pitchers. He doesn't
talk much about himself because he believes his actions
speak louder than any words could. Much of this was
impressed upon him from some of his major influences.
One of those was an old coach with a rough exterior and
a heart of gold, whose impact has been felt on the last
few generations of Phillies players.
"Even when I was in the Minor Leagues, I always came to
big league camp [in Spring Training], so John Vukovich
was a big influence," Burrell said. "A lot of guys
called him Uncle John, and that's kind of how he was.
He knew when to come over and put his arm around you
and he also knew when to fire on you, too. He was
really good for me. Scott Rolen was probably our best
player at the time here and I think a lot of players
looked up to him for the way he played. He was helpful
in a lot of ways, both in terms of how to go about
things and how to play the game."
There have been others who helped shape Burrell into
the player -- and man -- he is today, but he's quick to
point out one person in particular: Curt Schilling. The
ace of the Phillies' staff in 2000, Schilling was
attempting to come back from his latest in a series of
arm injuries. He was the starting pitcher that night in
Houston when Burrell made his debut and allowed seven
runs in 4 2/3 innings, hardly a line that anyone would
expect from one of the best pitchers of the last 10
years.
Schilling's next three starts weren't much better. But
then he faced the Braves at Veterans Stadium and his
whole season turned around. That night made a lasting
impression on Burrell. The Phillies were clinging to a
one-run lead in the eighth inning when Schilling had
runners at the corners with nobody out and the heart of
Atlanta's potent lineup coming to bat. He then reached
back for something more, something that separates the
men from the boys in the big leagues. He proceeded to
strike out Chipper Jones and Andres Galarraga, walked
Brian Jordan to load the bases and then struck out Javy
Lopez to end the threat. The Phillies held on for a 2-1
win.
"He just absolutely blew these guys away -- and it was
the middle of their order," remembered Burrell. "Schill
was able to take his game to a whole new level and that
was pretty impressive.
"People always talk about Curt and the things he says
and does, but all that stuff doesn't matter. It's what
you do on the field and there's nobody you'd rather
want out there when the game counts than him. He's a
big-time pitcher and I have a tremendous amount of
respect for that. It's one thing to walk around here
and talk a big game, but if you can go out there and
back it up and shove it down somebody's throat, it's
pretty fun to watch."
The understated leader
Since Darren Daulton was traded to the
Marlins in 1997, it seems the Phillies have looked far
and wide for a "team leader," the guy who would take
care of business both on the field and behind closed
doors. Over the years, the media and the franchise have
anointed many players that title, whether it was Rolen,
Jim Thome, Chase Utley, Aaron Rowand or Jimmy Rollins.
Except for a brief time early on in his career, the guy
mostly left out of the equation was Burrell.
What most people haven't seen, however, is how he's
gone about his business with younger players. While
Burrell won't get into specifics, his teammates know
the lasting impression he leaves, especially on younger
players who the Phillies call up to the big leagues for
the first time. He's seen the first Major League game
of players like Jason Michaels, Nick Punto, Johnny
Estrada, Rollins, Ryan Howard, Utley, Brett Myers and
Cole Hamels -- all products of the Phillies' scouting
and player development system.
"It's important [to help the younger guys] because you
never forget about the way things happen when you first
come up," he said. "And the people that are here never
forget how you act when you get here. So, it's
important to have people to bounce things off of so you
do the right thing. If you plan on being here a long
time, you don't want to [tick] anyone off."
The first player to arrive at the ballpark every day,
Burrell believes in leadership by example, but won't
hesitate to let someone know what's on his mind if he
feels it's appropriate. However, he'll never divulge
when those things happen.
"One of the things that people don't understand is that
you don't have to talk about it," said Burrell. "The
media can think what they want, but I know that the
other 24 [players] are pulling for me every day.
There's a right way to do things and that's the only
way. What we have here is special. You spend 180 days
with these people and it's important to make sure that
there's no [nonsense]. If that's not important to you
then eventually it breaks up the most important part of
this, which is the relationship you have with your
team. Without that, you don't win."
2003
In 2002, Burrell hit .282 with 37 home runs and 116
RBIs. Four months after the season ended, the Phillies
locked him up to a six-year, $50 million contract
extension, which concludes at the end of this season.
In the first year of the deal, though, he had the
roughest year of his life, hitting .209 with 21 home
runs and 64 RBIs.
"The problem I had is that I just couldn't believe what
was happening," he said. "I had never really been
through any period of time where I wasn't playing well
and so when things started going bad I just assumed
they'd turn around. But I didn't know how to make that
happen. I wish I wouldn't have gone through it and I
know the fans feel the same way [laughing]. I think in
the long run it made me a better player. You see guys
going through bad times and unless you've been in that
situation, you have no idea what it's like. We're still
playing a game here, though, and there are tougher
things in life."
Everyone, it seemed, had the answer for how to fix his
season. He was getting phone calls while the Phillies'
PR department was getting e-mails from former players,
former hitting coaches, college coaches and even golf
pros. He did his best to block it all out and just work
one-on-one with Greg Gross, the Phillies' hitting coach
at the time.
"The one thing I kept hearing around the clubhouse was,
'Stay with it and keep working,' but sometimes you have
to change things and be proactive. As bad as it was,
though, I really think it helped me out down the road
because I don't think it could get any worse. It's just
a constant reminder that this game is very difficult to
play."
Breaking through
While the city of Philadelphia
celebrated the Phillies' first National League East
title in 14 years last September, perhaps no one felt
more vindicated than Burrell. He and Rollins had been
part of more "near misses" than anyone else on the
club. In 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, the Phillies
went into the final week of the season with a chance to
make the playoffs and each time fell just short.
"I always try to be realistic about things," said
Burrell. "We had a lot of help [last year]. A lot of
people would say that the Mets just gave it to us, but
we beat them. However you want to look at it, it worked
out and, in the end, it was a great feeling. All the
years of being here and seeing how close we had gotten
and finally seeing us push it over the edge was a great
experience."
Coming full circle
When the Phillies drafted Burrell in
June 1998, he had the confidence to know that he would
be a Major League player some day. It's that same
confidence that helps him propel a baseball into the
stratosphere of Citizens Bank Park, treating Harry the
K's Restaurant in left field like a shooting range.
"I've got to be honest, 10 years ago when I got drafted
I had a pretty good idea that I'd be in the big leagues
and then after that I had absolutely no expectations,"
he said. "Once you get up here and play a couple years,
then you start thinking that you found your niche and
now you have to build on it and keep going and keep
grinding. However, I don't think I envisioned being on
a team this good from what it was when I got here."
When he talks about the future, Burrell doesn't claim
to be Nostradamus. But, where does he see himself 10
years from now, at age 41?
"I think it's pretty far-fetched to think I'll still be
playing, but I'd like to think that in some way I will
still be around the game. A lot can happen in 10 years.
Starting a family is important, but I'd like to stay a
part of this somehow. It's all I know."
(mlb.com)