Pittsburg Pirates: A.J. Burnett Gets a Fresh Start

Years of speculation, rumors, and uncertainty finally ended for right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett (North Little Rock, Ark.) on Saturday when the New York Yankees traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor league prospects.

Once the trade is made official pending a physical and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig agreeing to the financial terms of the deal, Burnett will escape the scrutiny of the New York media returning to the National League East where he began his promising career with the Florida Marlins.

Burnett debuted in the Show with the Marlins during the 1999 season after being drafted in the eighth round of the 1995 amateur draft by the New York Mets. In 1998 Burnett was involved in a trade that brought Al Leiter to New York sending him to Miami.

A.J. spent seven seasons in Miami on a pitching staff that included the great young arms of Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, Carl Povano, and Brad Penny. Of the talented group scouts thought that Burnett had the best stuff on the staff when he was pitching well as evident by his no-hitter thrown in 2001 against the San Diego Padres.

Burnett recorded career best numbers during his three years with the Toronto Blue Jays before joining the Yankees in 2009. As a Blue Jay he won 38 games while only losing 26 notching a season best 18 wins in 2008. In 2008 he also led the majors with 231 strikeouts. 

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Sports Quick Hits

The week that was… sort of.

The Florida Marlins hired the first player signed by the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869 to coach their team for the rest of the year. How naps will Jack McKeon take during the game? I see him handing over the starting lineups, sticking around until top of the third, then a nap. Then come back to see what’s going on in the seventh; if they’re losing… nap. If they are winning maybe he will stick around to see the end of the game.

Rory McIlroy ditches the PGA and European Tour and goes NHL?

Fill it full of Guniess and see what happens.

Ross Perot is still alive and his son is just as crazy

Dallas Mavericks minority owner (5%) Ross Perot Jr. with Hillwood Investment Properties is suing Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban for being “careless and reckless” with the Dallas Mavericks. In a poorly thought out strategy to have Mark Cuban ousted as majority owner, Perot Jr. claims Cuban has caused Hillwood to “lose substantial investment value”.

Did anyone tell Junior that the Dallas Mavericks just won the NBA Championship? I have an idea. Let’s let Perot Jr. swap minority ownership with a Los Angeles Clippers minority owner. Donald Sterling seems like Junior’s kind of majority owner.

Historical note: In 1982 Junior wanted to be the first person to fly a helicopter around the world. Congratulations. It took 29 days and change to fly a helicopter around the world. Does that get one a free beer and their local pub? If that got him laid I would really be surprised.

Auburn got their 2010-2011 BCS Championship rings.

Wonder how long before a War Eagle gets 100k for that bling and claim he didn’t know he couldn’t sell it. The “it’s mine I earned it so I can sell it” defense is getting really old. These are college educated kids right?

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