Burrell content to keep focus on field

02/25/2006
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jimmy Rollins carried the Phillies in September and ended the season with a 36-game hitting streak. Ryan Howard clubbed his way to the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Chase Utley became one of the league's most productive second basemen. And Bobby Abreu dominated the Home Run Derby en route to another highly productive season.
Obscured by this list of offensive accomplishments was another productive season from Pat Burrell. The left fielder did, after all, smack the most homers on the team, and his season RBI total tied with Albert Pujols for second in the National League. And yet, he hasn't been mentioned much this spring.
That's how he likes it.
"I prefer to lay low," he said. "I've changed a lot as far as what's important to me. I don't care about recognition as long as my teammates know I'm doing all I can. If I can have a decent season and no one notices, that's perfect."
More specifically, Burrell wants to stay out of the way because he has issues with how the Phillies were portrayed in the media. In his opinion, the 2005 season, which saw the Phillies fall a game short of the postseason, was treated as an expected result. The players had a pennant race to deal with, and he said the media's negativity only complicated matters.
Burrell's way of dealing with the issue was to avoid dealing with the issue. It reached the point where Burrell didn't want to speak to anyone with a tape recorder, often refusing to talk before and after games or giving curt answers when he couldn't escape.
"All the stuff with the media and the [negative] stuff that surrounded our team beat me down to the point where I just showed up, played and stayed out of it," Burrell said. "The most important thing is my relationship with the guys and what we do as a group on the field. There are a lot of distractions surrounding this team and this city. Instead of trying to make it all work, I just ducked out of the way and played."
He played well, batting .281 with 32 homers, driving in a career-high 117 RBIs and falling just one walk short of 100. In doing that, he shook off concerns regarding the injury to his left wrist that curtailed his 2004 season.
Not that he ever mentioned much of this to the media. At times, he was contentious or unavailable, but he produced on the field.
"It was nothing personal, just the everyday stuff," Burrell said. "I realize everyone has a job to do, and it's important to give people the opportunity to do their job. I just felt at times [that] it was too much. There was too much negativity in the positive atmosphere we have now. It bothered me a lot over the last couple of years, so I removed myself from the whole deal. I'm here to play. I can't put a whole lot of time and thought into the other stuff."
So, as the debates rage as to whether Tom Gordon can still close at age 38, if David Bell's job is in jeopardy or what Mike Lieberthal has left, there's the story of a left fielder who prefers to fly under the radar.
"If we win and J-Roll [Rollins] hits for the cycle, [the members of the media] all go to his locker, and I can slide on out," Burrell said. "That would be perfect."
This is fine with manager Charlie Manuel, too.
"That was good," Manuel said. "Pat stayed focused on his role. He came to the ballpark, kept the same routine and didn't let bad nights affect him. He quietly had a good year. He relaxed and started enjoying the game more."
Burrell enjoyed a hot start that saw his average climb to a season-high .329 after a 2-for-3 night against the Brewers on June 12; at that point in the season, he had hit 14 homers. Though he hit .254 the rest of the way, he socked 18 more homers.
"Last year was a good year," he said. "A lot of things I'm happy about -- the RBIs; I was one walk short of 100, which is one of the goals I had."
Burrell is happy about what he calls "a new foot." He had bone spurs removed from his right foot over the winter, alleviating pain he said he's been enduring the past 2 1/2 seasons.
"With this new foot, I can run and might be able to score 100 runs," he said.
That would be 22 more than he scored last season, a number that would make the Phillies very happy. This much is certain: As the right-handed power source on a team full of lefties such as Abreu, Howard and Utley, Burrrell is a very important piece to the Phillies' puzzle.
Through the perceived negativity, Burrell said he enjoyed the ride of 2005, and wants to go even further.
"We were so close, and it was a blast," he said. "I wish we could have somehow snuck in, because I think we would have surprised a lot of people. It didn't happen, and now it starts over and we have to get right back into it. That's what fun about it -- a brand new start, and [we try to] find a way to make up that one game."

Source: http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/