All of which added a poignant note to the customary champagne celebration that followed the Phillies' 6-2 division series-clinching win over the Brewers yesterday afternoon at Miller Park.
Burrell's three-run homer off Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan in the third allowed the Phillies to exhale. His solo shot in the eighth added an exclamation point to the proceedings. Somebody wondered aloud what that would do for his relationship with the fans.
"Hopefully they were watching," he said, laughing before turning serious. "The fans have been great with me. I've had some years where I haven't played very well and some stretches. But overall they've been very supportive."
For the first time since he arrived in the middle of the 2000 season, the Phillies have earned the right to pop their corks in October. "As long as I've been here with the organization and to see where we've come, to get to this point after going through everything we've gone through, it makes it all worthwhile," he said.
And just think. There were those who were clamoring for manager Charlie Manuel to bench Burrell yesterday. It wasn't a reach. He batted .181 in August. He batted .205 in September. He was hitless in eight NLDS at-bats going into yesterday.
"I wasn't sure," Burrell said. "This is the time of year when you go with who's hot, and I understand that. I don't doubt that they know how important this is to me and how much I want to win, but I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Fortunately, he kept me in there."
Manuel insisted that he never, ever considered taking Burrell out of the lineup. And one of the reasons is that, behind the closed doors of the clubhouse, he has earned an admiration that seems to have eluded him in the public arena.
