Had an interesting conversation today with Pat Burrell, and you can read all about the most reviled member of the Phillies in Sunday's News Journal (and at www.delawareonline.com). But here's something that didn't make the cut for the newspaper.I asked Burrell about the issue of protecting Ryan Howard, the reigning NL MVP who was walked routinely during the final month of last season. Burrell, who is the Phillies' first option to bat behind Howard in 2007, batted only .222 with runners in scoring position last year, and he knows he'll have to be more clutch than that if Howard is going to get anything good to hit.
But manager Charlie Manuel believes the protection-for-Howard issue is overblown and often recalls how, when he managed the Cleveland Indians in 2002, Jim Thome belted 52 home runs even though a young Milton Bradley batted behind him for most of the year.
So, how does Burrell feel about undertaking the responsibility of protecting Howard?
"For the situation that we're in, I think it's not that big a deal," Burrell said. "If it is, I'm glad I was hitting behind him because he had a pretty good year [in 2006]. We'll see. Somebody asked me the other day, 'Are you the biggest key to Ryan Howard's success?' I said, 'No, he is.' That's just the way the game is."
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