Burkett on a roll with Braves

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 2, 2000

NEW YORK -- The cop tries to stop John Burkett in the corridor, wanting to know who he is and what right he has being here. Sometimes Burkett wonders about that himself.

In this case, it is simply an overzealous police officer on John Rocker detail at Shea Stadium and Burkett must explain he is actually that night's starting pitcher for the Braves.

But the moment is somehow relevant. Three months ago, Burkett was looking like a washed-up pitcher who was not good enough to crack the starting rotation for the Devil Rays. Today, he is 6-3 for the Braves and seemingly heading for the playoffs.

"You didn't think I had anything left, did you," Burkett says, grinning.

It certainly appeared that way a few months ago when Burkett was having a rough spring, and the Rays decided to keep Esteban Yan and Dan Wheeler in the rotation.

It did not take long for the second-guessing to begin. By July, starters Juan Guzman and Wilson Alvarez had season-ending shoulder operations, Wheeler and Ryan Rupe were sent to the minors and Yan may soon go to the bullpen.

"I would have done the same thing they did. I really thought Dan Wheeler was ready, he was one of the most impressive young pitchers I had seen in a while," Burkett said. "The only thing that surprised me was that they did it after Guzman and Alvarez went out. That was the only time I felt I might make the team.

"Before that, I thought I had no chance. I was pitching to hopefully get picked up by another team."

Which is exactly what happened. Burkett caught Atlanta's attention when the teams played an exhibition series in Venezuela. Within hours of being released, Burkett signed with the Braves, who were looking for help after John Smoltz had season-ending surgery.

Burkett, 35, had a rough first month while bouncing from the rotation to the bullpen, but he said he has incorporated some minor changes suggested by pitching coach Leo Mazzone and is throwing as well as he has in years.

His contract with Atlanta is worth about half what he could have made in Tampa Bay -- he would have cleared $3-million in incentives if he made 25 starts -- but being at the top of the standings has its benefits, too.

"I wanted to stay there. I wanted to be on that team. I think I could have helped them a lot. But they've struggled so much, I'm not sure John Burkett would have helped. I'm not Randy Johnson," Burkett said. "I'm sorry they're going through that. I met a lot of good people there, and I was hoping it would work out."

NEARING THE END?: Everyone has been close-mouthed in Baltimore, but there are concerns that Cal Ripken's latest back injury could be the beginning of the end of his career.

He is a free agent at the end of the season and the Orioles probably will have to make alternative plans at third base because they cannot count on Ripken.

THE GOOD AND BAD: Curt Schilling is finally beginning to pitch like his old self (2-0, 1.57 ERA in his last three starts), but it is too late for Philadelphia in 2000.

"We've still got a long way to go to get where we want to be," manager Terry Francona said. "And that's the understatement of the year."

STANDING ROOM ONLY: Most contenders are looking for starting pitching. Seattle is trying to figure out what to do with all of its starters.

Jamie Moyer, Aaron Sele and Gil Meche are entrenched at the top of the rotation and John Halama and Paul Abbott have pitched extremely well in June. So the Mariners had Freddie Garcia make another minor-league rehab start to give them time to make a decision.

"I don't want to face the decision," manager Lou Piniella said.

"Usually, it's clear-cut. Someone's struggling, or someone's hurt. This situation here, there's no such development."

MUTUAL DISLIKE: Watch out for more nastiness when the Rockies and Giants get together this week. The teams have had brawls in the past and matters got ugly last week when the Giants took exception to Tom Goodwin stealing a base late in a blowout. Shawn Estes later retaliated with a pitch behind Goodwin's head. "You don't throw at somebody's head," Rockies manager Buddy Bell said. "As mad as I am right now, there's no way I would throw at one of the San Francisco Giants' heads. They got a guy over there, (coach) Robby Thompson, who almost got killed (when a Trevor Hoffman pitch broke his left cheekbone in 1993). It should've taught them a lesson. I guess it didn't."

BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE AN ARM?: Not that the Indians are desperately seeking pitching, but six times they have called up a pitcher from the minor leagues, then released or sent him back within a day.

CALL RYDER: Best indication that owner Jeffrey Loria is ready to move the Expos out of Montreal? He needs bodyguards when he takes his seat at Olympic Stadium.

FINAL WORD: Mets fan Joseph Iovelli upon hearing that Rocker's appearance at Shea Stadium meant fans could buy only two beers at a time instead of four and that sales would be cut off in the sixth instead of the seventh inning: "Okay, now I'm mad. You can come here and say New York is a cess pool, but don't come in here and affect how many beers I can buy. That's when I really start to hate John Rocker."

- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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