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Pat Burrell's legacy
by David Rocksteady 4/7/09
Let's take a trip back in time with Pat Burrell. After finishing a tremendous 2002 season in which Burrell had 39 home runs and 116 RBI and signed a 6 year, $50 million dollar deal, the following season he hit only .209 with 21 HR and 64 RBI and followed that up in 2004 with a .257 average, 24 HR and only 84 RBI. He struck out like crazy, was super streaky, overpaid, and the Philly fans booed him like it was their job. The fans and the management did their best to send Burrell out of town.
If I had told you in 2004 that Burrell would be a beloved figure in this town, you would have taken me to the insane asylum. It's hard to believe but that is exactly what happened with Burrell. In yesterday's ring ceremony, he received by far the best ovation of anyone.
Why is that? It's simple. We won the World Series.
Let's be honest, if the Phillies didn't win anything last year, do you think Burrell would be remembered as fondly? Not a chance. If we continued this city's streak of no championships, there is no way he would have been one of the most popular Phillies players ever. Instead, they would look at the $50 million dollars and the no-trade clause and remember what a drain he was to the organization. Who cares about that now? We finally won a championship and that is all that matters.
Now people can look at the positives. One thing you cannot say about Pat Burrell is that he is lazy. The guy busted his butt every day for this franchise and at the end of the season he put up some darn good numbers. Yes, he ran like a newborn calf, but he caught everything he could reach and had a cannon for an arm.
However, the real reason that we should cheer for Pat Burrell is that he understood and loved the city of Philadelphia. There were times when he was hated in this town, but instead of looking for the first ticket out of here, he loved Philly so much that he invoked his no-trade clause to stay here. Nobody since Mike Schmidt has been booed as much as Pat Burrell in this city, but he never once said a nasty word about the fans. And when the fans did cheer him, he would jump up and thank them. He understood Philadelphia as much as anyone, and that is how he should and will now be remembered.
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