Burnett: I Realize What I Need To Do
The Toronto Globe and Mail checks in with A.J. Burnett -
Often uncooperative and standoffish with members of the media during his three seasons in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform, it is a warm and fuzzy [A.J.] Burnett who now presents himself in his first spring-training camp with his new team, the New York Yankees.
“It will feel a lot different when the games start, but it’s different, you know, putting on the pinstripes,” Burnett said when asked how it feels beginning a new segment of his roller-coaster career. “It’s a lot different. There are cameras everywhere.
“It’s like being a rock star or something like that.”
Burnett, 32, admits to feeling guilty that his injury woes hindered his success in Toronto, where he was restricted to 80 starts in his three seasons, compiling a record of 38-26.
He said he matured, both as a person and a pitcher last year, and he gives a lot of the credit to Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg and Roy Halladay, the workaholic Toronto ace whom Burnett refers to as “Anamoid.”
Burnett said it was Halladay who finally drilled it into his head that he didn’t have to rear back and throw as hard as he could every pitch, that he could also nibble the plate to get the outs.
In turn, this helped cut back on wear and tear on Burnett’s arm and kept him off the disabled list.
“That’s how I stayed healthy last year, I pitched,” Burnett said. “I learned how to pitch and I took care of my body in ways I never took care of it before just by watching the Anamoid.
“Roy has that affect, not just on me but so many guys in that clubhouse, just watching him go about his business. Baseball is his life, baseball is his career and that’s what he made me realize what I needed to do.”
Great to hear about how Arnsberg and Halladay helped Burnett turn a corner. Now, let’s just hope that Dave Eiland and CC Sabathia can keep Burnett from banging out a U-ie and returning to his cafone ways like stool off a shovel.
Arnsberg helped him turn a corner? Arnsberg is virtually the only pitching coach that Burnit has ever had, going back to the Marlins days! He spent how many years with this guy and he finally listens to him when a big pay day is up? That is a bunch of BS.
Doc Halladay was a great influence on him, then again Doc would be a great influence on Charlie McCarthy. Burnit spent 2 years prior to last with Halladay, you mean he didn’t pick anything up until he needed to get a new contract?
Last be not least his attitude. That he was uncooperative and standoffish with members of the media is a gross understatement. Toronto is a hockey town and is so low profile when it comes to baseball. This guy seemed to make enemies with the press corps where it was almost impossible to. Burnit acted like they hounded him up there.UNH?!!! Wait until he starts getting cheeky over here, they will rip him good. He’ll probably want a trade to the Toledo Mud Hens………. What irks me is that this guy got fired from the Marlins before the end of the 2005 season. what kind of player gets canned from a team in the last month of a season.Cafone is too kind a bloody word for him, I think of him as more of a Faccia Gaz(neapolitan for a D%*kface).
Good look to Eiland, CC and Girardi in handling this malcontent. All the crap that Torre got from Wells and Brown will seem like nothing compared to this clown’s attitude.
Great to hear about how Arnsberg and Halladay helped Burnett turn a corner. Now, let’s just hope that Dave Eiland and CC Sabathia can keep Burnett from banging out a U-ie and returning to his cafone ways like stool off a shovel.
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Exactly Steve. We know of AJ’s past. He’s had injuries, and occasional problems with the media in Toronto, but the fun thing about it is AJ is coming off some good health and a great year and you hope he can continue it with the Yanks. Seeing what he has done to the Yanks and other teams, his potential on our team is very exciting!
Another point, who cares if he didn’t get along with the media in Toronto? Some players who had their own problems, such as Clemens, Strawberry and Gooden, have come to the Yanks on a clean slate and put together some very successful stints (peds aside). Mussina never got along with Michael Kay and other members of the NY media and he was arguable the best free agent acquisition the Yanks have had in the last 10 years. In other words, like Steve said, let’s hope what he put together by the end of his days in Toronto translates to New York. Until we can see what he puts together in a Yankee uniform, let’s not be so over-critical.
Not to mention that unlike Vasquez, Wright, Pavano and RJ, hes coming off a stellar year mowing down batters in the AL East…not the NL
Great to hear about how Arnsberg and Halladay helped Burnett turn a corner.
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I’ll believe it when I see it, but I expect Burnett to be a 3 value win pitcher.
Mussina never got along with Michael Kay and other members of the NY media and he was arguable the best free agent acquisition the Yanks have had in the last 10 years. Quote from Crank
Mussina is a very consistent pitcher whereas AJerk is not. Mussina wasn’t BOTH cold and nasty, either. Mussina is a so-called intellectual whereas Burnit is a good ole boy. IN addition, Burnit seemed to be injured more than he should be, Mussina never seemed like a quitter or a let me quit type of pitcher.It’s apples and oranges. Did you say that a nasty attitude was OK when Kevin Brown and Lofton came to the Yankees? Their inherent lack of personality was not a plus to the team.
Not to mention that unlike Vasquez, Wright, Pavano and RJ, hes coming off a stellar year mowing down batters in the AL East…not the NL
Quote from Clint
He mowed down the Yanks and the Red Sox, but look at at the games he pitched against the rest of the AL. He ERA is very high for a pitcher that can”mow” down people. In essence, he was dominant against two teams and was mediocre against the rest. Toronto has only faked contention when he was there, so he felt very little pressure to live up to Halladay’s example. It will be interesting to see him pitch in the cauldron that is Yankee Stadium on a regular basis. More power to him if he succeeds, but his past injury record and attitude is a bad sign.
Great to hear about how Arnsberg and Halladay helped Burnett turn a corner.
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I’ll believe it when I see it, but I expect Burnett to be a 3 value win pitcher. Quotes from Raf/Steve
He was with Arnsberg for how many years on both the Fish and the Bluebirds? It took him 6 years to finally listen to Arnsberg? He was with Doc for two years before he woke up. Why? Could it be he was pitching for a contract. He was in a big comfort zone in Toronto, having Arnsberg and Halladay there(and was terrible to a non hostile press to boot) and now he’s hit the big time. He is an extremely talented pitcher who has 10 million dollar talent , a 10 cent brain and a crappy attitude. Outside of his comfort zone and the big pressure of the NY press, he has a lot of adversity against him. It doesn’t look too goo to me. 5 years for this guy? It’s gonna be a long five years,folks………..
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