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AJ Burnett Talks Emotions On The Mound, What Next Year May Hold For Him

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - In the final year of his contract, AJ Burnett admits he has thought from time to time about what the future holds for him, and talked with Joe Starkey of Starkey, Miller and Mueller about that and what it has been like being a part of this Pirates team.

Burnett first talked about what he thought when he first got traded to the Pirates.

"When I came here, my vision was to do my part, to help," he said.  "Obviously, I knew I was going to be around a young staff when I first got here, and to lead by example and help.  Hopefully, have some of my tenure rub off on younger players.  It was a fresh start for me."

Burnett is an emotional guy on the mound, and he talks about the interaction between he and home plate umpire Eric Cooper earlier in the Cardinals series and whether or not you're able to channel those emotion.

"I've grown into a one pitch guy at a time and that's just my philosophy.  I tell myself that a thousand times in between innings," he said.  "No matter what happens, I got to make another pitch.  When the crowd got into it the other night, I felt it from the get go."

Another emotional situation involved a dispute between Clint Hurdle and Burnett in the dugout to which Burnett said it wasn't that big of a deal.

"He didn't really get in my face.  He was asking me if I sat the bullpen down," he said.

When asked if he did, Burnett admitted, "I did."

He went on to say, "He explained to me what he was thinking.  I'm thinking the complete opposite, you're not taking me out.  He's making his logical points and we came to an agreement.  It's good to have a manager that can go through that with you."

Things wrapped up with Burnett talking about how much he thinks about next year when he becomes a free agent and if he expects to be back with the Pirates.  Click the link below to get his answer.

AJ Burnett

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