BERARDINO: Don't judge Burnett harshly

 

Published September 28, 2005

 

MIAMI GARDENS -- A.J. Burnett had a self-appointed role with the Marlins. He held it for the past few years, and he enjoyed it immensely.

 

Minister of Pies.

 

Whenever a Marlins teammate helped win a game in heroic fashion, it was Burnett who would sneak up during the postgame TV interview and smash a shaving-cream pie into that teammate's face.

 

Then Burnett would hand his startled buddy a towel. You know, to clean up.

 

Too bad there's no Minister of Pies to hand Burnett a towel of his own this week.

 

Instead of wiping away the mess he created with his too-candid, misguided comments after yet another loss Sunday in Atlanta, Burnett has been shown the door. Kicked to the curb.

 

Denied one final start in a Marlins uniform and the $50,000 bonus that would come with it. Refused a chance to set a career high in wins, surpass 200 strikeouts for the second time or even his career record at 50-50.

 

Worse, he is being treated like some sort of clubhouse cancer, like the sole reason this strange season turned sour. He is being lumped in with Dan Miceli, which is just flat-out wrong.

 

I knew Dan Miceli. I was there that afternoon at Shea Stadium when he single-handedly brought down a good man (and manager) in John Boles. I wrote down every word Miceli spat out in frustration and then, painful as it was, put too many of them in the newspaper.

 

A.J. Burnett is no Dan Miceli.

 

"A.J. is a great guy inside," says Marlins veteran Lenny Harris. "He's got a great heart. He was a great teammate. He wants to win. That's what I like about him. He made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Hopefully he'll learn from it."

 

Even Miceli got to spend another full month with the Marlins back in 2001, pitching to raucous boos at Dolphins Stadium, before the former administration cut him loose.

 

Burnett got excised with less than a week to go in a miserable season. Something tells me it wasn't just because of what he said Sunday.

 

Truth to tell, Burnett has waged a cold war against the current Marlins front office since May 2003. That's when his mentor and former pitching coach Brad Arnsberg was fired with manager Jeff Torborg.

 

Burnett had just blown out his elbow and would miss the next year due to reconstructive elbow surgery. But if he didn't hold Arnsberg accountable, he wondered why their bosses did.

 

Over the past 28 months, Burnett has tweaked management at various turns with open references to Arnsberg, who is about as popular as cholera in certain Marlins quarters. The two spoke often during Burnett's long recovery, and they have maintained a long-distance friendship.

 

Just last week, Burnett was quoted in a national magazine saying if he were to take his career to the "next level," it would probably be with Arnsberg as his pitching coach. The Marlins front office had to love that.

 

What's more, it was Burnett's reluctance to sign a contract extension with the Orioles in July that killed a huge deal the Marlins wanted to make very badly. So Mike Lowell and his $18 million obligation remain on the books, while Burnett walks away for draft picks.

 

No one would be the least bit surprised to see Burnett sign this winter with the Blue Jays, where Arnsberg has landed as pitching coach. It might not be for the $40 million-plus Burnett was looking at before his late-season fade, but he should still do just fine on potential alone.

 

The real shame would be if Burnett were somehow treated as damaged goods just because he was sent home. Prospective employers should not pair him with former Orioles wild man Sidney Ponson in any way.

 

The Marlins can do whatever they want with their employees. Or at least whatever Don Fehr and the Players Association lets them do.

 

But in this case, the punishment doesn't fit the crime. And the promise to withhold a multiyear contract offer is laughable.

 

Should Burnett have held his tongue Sunday? Were his comments destructive and misguided? In retrospect, yes.

 

Nor should he have gotten into a shouting match with third-base coach Jeff Cox in a Turner Field break room. But that doesn't make Burnett into Latrell Sprewell.

 

It should be pointed out, too, that Burnett wasn't simply speaking in self-interest. Read between the lines, and he was clearly taking up for his teammates, especially some of the younger ones who have been thrown into the pennant-race fire over the past few weeks.

 

No way was Burnett alone in his complaints about clubhouse negativity. He was just the only one foolish (courageous?) enough to say so publicly.

 

For that he has been exiled, told he will never throw another pitch for the organization he served with class and flair for eight years.

 

Talk about a slice of humble pie.

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-mik...la-sports-front

Apparently Berardino has his lips stuck too far up Burnett's butt to present both sides of the story.

 

Sheesh....

But in this case, the punishment doesn't fit the crime. And the promise to withhold a multiyear contract offer is laughable.

 

I agree with that, but just about everything else in there is a pretty conflicted send off to AJ and yet another middle finger directed at Loria and the front-office, all while reminding the fans how spectacularly the Marlins failed this season.

That was a good laugh...

The punishment seems right to me. The idea that they were ever going to offer him anything near market value is kind of laughable, though.

 

Also, I don't recall anyone around here lumping AJ in with Miceli. Or if anyone did, I'm sure it wasn't a common sentiment. For my part, I remember writing that Miceli was the most hated Marlin of all-time, and that it would take a lot more than what AJ did to challenge that distinction. And I mention all this because we all know when Berardino's talking about people lumping AJ in with Miceli, he's almost certainly talking about the people on this board. Either that or talk radio.

I can't say I disagree with what Berardino said. AJ was a good teammate. He and management just had a volatile relationship.

AJ would have beengone even if he left quietly, so you have to wonder about why he spoke out like this. I would bet that he said what other guys who are under contract are saying.

 

Well, if he goes to Toronto, I'd be happy. He wn't be able to come back and burn us later like if he would sign in the NL East.

 

To think alot of this could've been avoided with the correct move at the All Star Break. An dnow the fish are going to make the necessary move after it has all blown up in their faces. If Jack is in the front office, they need to keep him clear of anything related to the players.

The punishment seems right to me. The idea that they were ever going to offer him anything near market value is kind of laughable, though.

 

Also, I don't recall anyone around here lumping AJ in with Miceli. Or if anyone did, I'm sure it wasn't a common sentiment. For my part, I remember writing that Miceli was the most hated Marlin of all-time, and that it would take a lot more than what AJ did to challenge that distinction. And I mention all this because we all know when Berardino's talking about people lumping AJ in with Miceli, he's almost certainly talking about the people on this board. Either that or talk radio.

 

 

I just asked if some here thought that AJ was bordering on becoming the next Dan Miceli when it was posted that a lot of players agreed with AJ. Never said the two were in the same boat though...

While I agree that AJ isnt as bad as some have made him out to be, Ive really been disappointed with his actions down the stretch. Plus Berardino has absolutley no objective viewpoint. He would defend the Ebola virus if Loria contracted it.

A.J. Burnett had a self-appointed role with the Marlins. He held it for the past few years, and he enjoyed it immensely.

 

Minister of Pies.

 

Whenever a Marlins teammate helped win a game in heroic fashion, it was Burnett who would sneak up during the postgame TV interview and smash a shaving-cream pie into that teammate's face.

 

Then Burnett would hand his startled buddy a towel. You know, to clean up.

 

Too bad there's no Minister of Pies to hand Burnett a towel of his own this week.

 

Awesome.

my favorite line was "who is about as popular as cholera in certain Marlins quarters"

Apparently Berardino has his lips stuck too far up Burnett's butt to present both sides of the story.

 

Sheesh....

 

I agree, although I wouldn't have said it so colorfully as you did.

While I agree that AJ isnt as bad as some have made him out to be, Ive really been disappointed with his actions down the stretch. Plus Berardino has absolutley no objective viewpoint. He would defend the Ebola virus if Loria contracted it.

 

 

 

lololol...truer words never spoken :thumbup