I just wanted to take a brief moment to interject my baseball and Phillies-loving opinion into the Pat Burrell issue. There are two things that I feel are most important here. First, the 30 homeruns and 100 rbi that he provides every year do not grow on trees. Sure, the guy is a speed liability. But with Shane Victorino and his Gold Glove covering centerfield, Burrell does not need to cover a lot of ground out there. He has a sure glove most times, and he has a strong arm. The guy is a power hitting left fielder who can handle the fielding position just fine. Secondly, he is the senior Philly starting position player, and the longest-tenured player overall, but is not an old man. He is a leader in the clubhouse, and this team has one of the best chemistry mixes that I have seen in a long time. His value stretches beyond those on-field statistics all the way back into the locker room, where championships are often won and lost over the course of a long season when diverse individuals have to live and die with one another every single day. Personally, I think that the Philadelphia Phillies would be foolish to not bring back Pat Burrell, assuming that the price does not get ridiculous. What that 'ridiculous' would be is tough to say, but his return would be in the best interests of this team on a baseball level.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Bring Back Pat the Bat
I just wanted to take a brief moment to interject my baseball and Phillies-loving opinion into the Pat Burrell issue. There are two things that I feel are most important here. First, the 30 homeruns and 100 rbi that he provides every year do not grow on trees. Sure, the guy is a speed liability. But with Shane Victorino and his Gold Glove covering centerfield, Burrell does not need to cover a lot of ground out there. He has a sure glove most times, and he has a strong arm. The guy is a power hitting left fielder who can handle the fielding position just fine. Secondly, he is the senior Philly starting position player, and the longest-tenured player overall, but is not an old man. He is a leader in the clubhouse, and this team has one of the best chemistry mixes that I have seen in a long time. His value stretches beyond those on-field statistics all the way back into the locker room, where championships are often won and lost over the course of a long season when diverse individuals have to live and die with one another every single day. Personally, I think that the Philadelphia Phillies would be foolish to not bring back Pat Burrell, assuming that the price does not get ridiculous. What that 'ridiculous' would be is tough to say, but his return would be in the best interests of this team on a baseball level.
