Pat rips another hit and the crowd goes nuts. But then, the murmurs and whispers start. “Where did Pat go? Didn’t he just get a hit? What the heck is going on?” Confusion reigns, but at long last a solitary, observant fan stands up, points, and shouts, “There he is! He is on third base! Pat got a triple!”

True Phillies fans have been conditioned to not even look over at third base when Pat is on the bases. A little known fact is that in local Philadelphia markets, cable reruns of “Major League” used the dubbed line of “You may hit like Mays, but you run like Pat Burrell”, even though it reverses the context and generally makes no sense.

So, while it all may not sound very special, it adds yet another dimension to Pat’s incredibly well rounded skill set. In fact, he is now only a stolen base short of having his first 1/1/1/1 (that is 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 SB) season since 2002. This may also sound unimpressive, but it is a feat that two of the last four MVPs could not achieve*, and virtually no Cy Young award winners have ever done it! We congratulate Pat on this triple and eagerly look forward to the now inevitable moment where he is brought in to pinch run for So Taguchi.

* Ryan Howard in 2006 and Alex Rodriguez in 2007, look it up!

How boring has it become to watch Pat come up with game winning RBIs? His heroics are now so utterly mundane, repetitive, ordinary that they aren’t even reported on this website. June 1, eager to get the month started right, Pat delivers a deadly two-out two-run double against the Marlins, aka the “Fish”, for the margin of victory. Not only did this hit vault the Phillies to a victory, but it vaulted them into first place. MVPs step it up for their team in the big games, and true Phillies fans know that Burrell is at his best when the pressure is on. The Marlins know it now, too.

Apparently, the Reds, aka the “Commies”, don’t have scouts. Maybe they can’t afford them. Maybe they have them but they’re a bunch of drunk fools. All I know is that a mere two days later, June 3, Pat “the bat” Burrell took Cincinnati ace, Aaron Harang, deeeeep. This monstrous blast, courtsey of the presumptive MVP, again provided the difference the Phillies needed for victory. As long as these foolish pitchers throw Pat anything near the strike zone, it seems clear that we can continue to expect at least two game winning hits per week.

Continually providing clutch game winning RBIs is great, and a necessary trait for any MVP. But in last night’s game, Pat showed he also has that elusive, undefinable X factor exhibited by only the greatest players. In a tight pitchers battle, the Phillies finally managed to get a pair of two-out baserunners. Pat stepped into the… on deck circle. His mere presence on the field of play unnerves Scott Olsen so much that he immediately uncorked a wild pitch. Unable to take his eyes off the mighty Pat, Olsen then missed the throw covering home and when the dust finally settles the Phillies have scored two game winning runs. Run production by mere presence, that’s Pat’s X factor. And X marks the spot. The spot of the MVP. The Pat Burrell birthmark.

Quick Update!

Burrell has 2 HR’s in the past two games… Look out! He’s on his way back!

Thursday, May 22nd

Let’s face it, Pat Burrell hasn’t been hitting too well through May.  The greatness of Pat Burrell cannot be denied so this “slump” puzzles many fans.  Why question it though?  Pat Burrell works in mysterious ways.

In Philadelphia’s first game of the Astros series, Pat allowed Greg Dobbs to play left field.  “Greg’s a good kid, let him have his fun”, Burrell was quoted by reporters before the game.  And sure, Greg Dobbs is a good kid.  He’s a utility player hitting .350 and a heck of a nice guy.  If Pat Burrell isn’t in left field, who else could you possibly want filling the spot?  Unfortunately, in the 8th inning, Dobbs was 0-3 and the game was tied- too close for the Phils’ best player to be sitting on the bench.

You can take the lion out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the lion.  Well, you can take Pat Burrell out of a game, but you can’t take Pat Burrell out of a game.  Realizing once again that his willingness to support his teammates, his endless charity, was hurting the Phils’, Pat took matters into his own hands.  Pat Burrell grabbed his bat and headed for home plate.  Greg Dobbs knew it was time to sit.  He knew it was time for the Phillies to win the game.

Pat Burrell crushed a Wesley Wright pitch over the fence to give Philadelphia a lead that they would not relenquish.  What more can he do to cement his MVP status?  We’ve still got five more exciting months to watch and see.

It was a pitcher’s night in DC Town
Making each batter look like a clown

Hamels and Bergmann thrown’ the cheese
making those swingers weak in the knees

except for one, who came to bat
it was of course, the mighty Pat

with no fear, and sly like a fox
burrell stood in the batter’s box

he took the pitch one, two, three
and back to the bench, there in DC

four times up, threes time down
but Pat ne’er once showed a frown

“That’s alright” you’d hear him shout
as he’d head back into the dugout

he loudly said, “we’ll win this yet”
as he pointed his bat at Eric Bruntlett

Then in the ninth, Eric ran for Feliz
and Pat said “Dobbs, if you please”

And Dobbs wouldn’t dare let down the mighty Pat
so he walked to the plate, with Burrell’s bat

one swing, one hit, one run, one night
was all that was needed to win the fight

And the Phils end their losing streak at three
While Pat, and his bat, continue to be the MVP

Yes We’ve been slacking on the updates. I apologize to Mr Burrell for that.

Pat the Bat has had a slow month of may. Not horrendous, his average sits at .298, but much quieter then then the month of April.

I have a theory… the Rain… There has been alot of rain this month and I think that has helped to cool the hot Burrell down a bit. Luckily for the Phils Howard has found his bat again… And his hot hitting may also be a factor in Burrell getting less pitches to hit…

Either way I’m expecting Burrell to break out any time now… And So Should YOU!

For any given baseball season there are good players and there are great players. The good players have either mediocre seasons, or a great month or two of their season and then fade for the rest of the year.

Great players on the other hand are able to rise above slumps.. Transcend weak batting months, and overcome a rough week or two. Pat is currently in a slump.. and as such the phillies are in a slump as well.

Is Pat not the definition of a Most Valuable Player to his team? For the past 2 months, as Pat performed, so has performed the Phillies. He has carried this team to wins, hit game winning Home Runs, had clutch at bats whic tied up the game to put his team in a position to win. And with Pat struggling this past week, the rest of the team has subsequently slumped.. but I think a Burrell resurgence is on the horizon.

Chase Utley has been phenomenal this season as well.. With both Burrell and Utley showing stellar performances thus far this year the race for the MVP will be even more exciting. It will help to propel Burrell into orbit as he strives to outperform Utley. And what do you say about Larry Jones and his .400+ batting average? Dont worry.. he’s Chipper.. he’ll get injured, he always does.

I’d say all three.  The 2008 NL MVP Pat Burrell demonstrates his ability to manipulate the physical world with his mind.  Pat doesn’t simply “pick up” a bat, he attracts it to his hands through sheer willpower and determination.  The home runs, RBIs, and perfect fielding percentage certainly fuel the man or machine discussion. However, this picture offers more insight into Pat’s uncanny baseball prowess and perhaps helps to explain how he can carry the Phils on his burly (ha!) shoulders.

Sunday, May 4^th, 2008, 1:35pm EDT…  The crowd fills Citizens Bank Park to sell-out capacity on a beautiful afternoon.  Why did they go to the park that day?  To watch Pat Burrell teach another session in “how to hit a baseball” would be my guess.  It appears that Burrell’s abuse of opposing pitching is not going to end any time soon, as he put in yet another superb performance at the plate on Sunday.  Pat started the day by crushing a leadoff double to the wall in the second; a double that was hit so well that Pat actually walked from home to second without a throw.  He continued to showcase his skills by hitting another double in the third, this time scoring 2 RBIs to put the Phillies in the lead 2-0.  In the fifth, Pat stepped up to the plate again, but this time he got the respect he deserves by receiving an intentional walk.  It looks like the Giants have come to understand the greatness that is Pat Burrell.  Not only is Pat receiving respect from the Giants, but he is also starting to turn around the Philadelphia fans.  No more boos for Burrell in the City of Brotherly Love.  The same people that ridiculed Pat for his performance the past few seasons are now starting to get on the Burrell band wagon.  Fans have decided to redirect their scorn at the struggling Ryan Howard and are now cheering for Burrell when he steps up to the plate each at bat.  I even caught a fan saying “You know, we should trade [first baseman Ryan] Howard while we can still get something for him and then move [the Amazing Pat “the Bat”] Burrell to first base and have him bat cleanup.”  With that kind of fan support, Burrell is a shoe in for the mid-summer classic.

Good weekend for the phils, taking 2 of 3 games against the giants.

A good weekend for Burrell as well as he put up 4 RBI’s, 1 Home Run and 2 Doubles. Burrell has continued his hot start of the season into May. With the type of numbers he’s putting up he’s a shoe in for the All-Star game, the first step on his road to his MVP trophy. Make sure you click the link at the top of the page, to vote for Burrell for this years All-Star game.

Phils Vs. Diamondbacks Burrell Preview:

This week Pat and the Phils take on the Arizona D-Backs with some of the hottest arms in the majors. Pat has a .185 average against the DBacks lifetime. He has not faced Monday’s starting pitcher Max Scherzer, but he has faced Randy Johnson, tuesday’s starter, 26 times with a HR and 3 RBI’s. Pat has struck out 12 times to Johnson with a career batting avg of .211 against him. He has not fared much better against Wednesday’s starter, Micah Owings, with only 1 walk and 0 hits in 6 plate appearances against him.

Hopefully Pat’s rebirth at the plate over the past year or so will change his fate against the D-Backs this week.