Burnett still a bit of a wild man
The signs that A.J. Burnett is still a bit of a wild man are there.
The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander wears his hair in a faux Mohawk and his body is covered with tattoos.
Yet things are much different for Burnett since he made his major league debut Aug. 17, 1999, for the then-Florida Marlins against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For one thing, Burnett was 22 then and he蘑菇视频 38 now.
Burnett has also toned done his noted combativeness over the years as he was famous for being difficult with managers, coaches, media members and sometimes even his own teammates.
He also didn鈥檛 handle failure well, becoming upset seemingly every time he gave up a hit or walk and being nearly unapproachable after a loss.
While Burnett will still occasionally yell at an opposing hitter or give a death star to an umpire, he has mellowed considerably.
鈥淲hen I was younger I didn鈥檛 know who A.J. was,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow that I know more, I can handle those things I鈥檝e learned that I can鈥檛 control.鈥�
Burnett has been in control all season. He was 7-3 with a 2.11 ERA in 18 first-half starts, which was good enough to gain his first All-Star Game appearance of his 17-year career last week at Cincinnati.
Even though he wasn鈥檛 at his best Monday night in his first start after the All-Star break 鈥� allowing six runs in six innings 鈥� Burnett was able to put an end to the Pirates鈥� three-game losing streak as they beat the Royals 10-7 at Kansas City.
At 38, Burnett was the oldest player on either teams鈥� roster as well as one of just five All-Stars who were 35 or older, along with Seattle right fielder Nelson Cruz, St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday, Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols and New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira.
Conversely, 20 All-Stars were 25 or younger.
鈥淲hen I came up I would talk to the older guys, but I never thought I鈥檇 be end up being one of those guys,鈥� Burnett said with a smile. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 special to be the guy who蘑菇视频 been there and done that.
鈥淲hen I first came up there was one or two young guys and a lot of older guys. That蘑菇视频 how the game has changed. Now there are one or two older guys and a lot of young guys.鈥�
Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole was part of the younger set at the All-Star Game. However, at 24, he is old enough to know what Burnett means to the Pirates.
鈥淗e蘑菇视频 just a tremendous teammate,鈥� Cole said. 鈥淗e蘑菇视频 got an edge about him. He蘑菇视频 got a competitiveness that he brings to the clubhouse, brings to the team. It蘑菇视频 been fantastic. He蘑菇视频 just a big kid.鈥�