MUST BE DREAMING: TEMPLE IS 9-2?
Pat Burrell can be a free agent as soon as the lights blink out over the final game of the World Series. In his nearly 9 years with the team his image with the fan base has gyrated wildly, from bright hope to matinee idol superstar to maddeningly inconsistent target for abuse.
All of which added a poignant note to the customary champagne celebration that followed the Phillies' 6-2 division series-clinching win over the Brewers yesterday afternoon at Miller Park.
Burrell's three-run homer off Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan in the third allowed the Phillies to exhale. His solo shot in the eighth added an exclamation point to the proceedings. Somebody wondered aloud what that would do for his relationship with the fans.
"Hopefully they were watching," he said, laughing before turning serious. "The fans have been great with me. I've had some years where I haven't played very well and some stretches. But overall they've been very supportive."
For the first time since he arrived in the middle of the 2000 season, the Phillies have earned the right to pop their corks in October. "As long as I've been here with the organization and to see where we've come, to get to this point after going through everything we've gone through, it makes it all worthwhile," he said.
And just think. There were those who were clamoring for manager Charlie Manuel to bench Burrell yesterday. It wasn't a reach. He batted .181 in August. He batted .205 in September. He was hitless in eight NLDS at-bats going into yesterday.
"I wasn't sure," Burrell said. "This is the time of year when you go with who's hot, and I understand that. I don't doubt that they know how important this is to me and how much I want to win, but I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Fortunately, he kept me in there."
Manuel insisted that he never, ever considered taking Burrell out of the lineup. And one of the reasons is that, behind the closed doors of the clubhouse, he has earned an admiration that seems to have eluded him in the public arena.
"I have a lot of respect for him," Manuel said. "Yeah, I've stuck with him. Pat and I have a good relationship. We communicate real good. There's been times when Pat walks right in and asks me what the hell I'm doing to him. And I'll flat out tell him.
"Believe me, I had people asking me how I could play him today. I say, 'I've played him 4 years and I'm playing him today.' I'm a stubborn guy and I like to be right and I'll go all the way to prove I'm right. I'll definitely stick with my players, the ones that I think can put it on the board."
That stubbornness or hunch or gut instinct was backed by an interesting stat yesterday. Burrell came into the game a lifetime .429 hitter off Suppan with three homers and eight RBI in 21 at-bats.
He added to that total when he singled to right to lead off the second. Which created an interesting dilemma for Brewers manager Dale Sveum the following inning when the Phillies had Shane Victorino on third with two outs, Ryan Howard at the plate and Burrell on deck.
Sveum elected to walk Howard intentionally and pitch to Burrell, who turned around a fastball and drove it over the fence in left. That increased the Phillies' lead to 4-0 and they cruised from there.
"The goal coming into this series is not to let Howard hit two-pointers against you," Sveum explained. "It's not that difficult of a decision. Burrell came into the series hitting .170 off righties the last 30 days. Unfortunately, it didn't work out."
Even Burrell said pitching to him was the proper move. "I think when you have those meetings before a game about the guy you can't let beat you, Ryan is at the top of that list," he said. "Plus, I haven't been swinging the bat well lately. I probably would have done the same thing."
Now he has been assured he will play at least a few more games in a Phillies uniform. What happens after that remains uncertain.
While Burrell's ups-and-downs may seem extreme, Manuel prefers to look at the bottom line at the end of a season. "And you look at the National League and you look at run production and on-base percentage and things like that, and Pat will be right there," he said.
It's not that simple, of course. Burrell is making $14 million this year. He doesn't run that well. "When he hit that ball down the first-base line [in the second] I thought, 'Vincent Price! Why can't he get a double?' if you want to know the truth," Manuel said.
He routinely comes out of games for a defensive replacement. The market likely will dictate what uniform he wears next season.
Maybe that's why Burrell kept wandering around the clubhouse after the game, soaking in beer and soaking up the atmosphere. The moment had been a long time coming. And he doesn't know how long it will last. *
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