"Normal people practice things until they get them right. Great people practice things until they can't get them wrong."
That was Chris Burke's senior yearbook quote. Postseason hero Chris Burke. Toast of Houston Chris Burke. And while high school yearbook quotes don't often define people, this one comes pretty close.
We went to the same grade school and high school, Chris Burke and I. St. Albert the Great and St. Xavier High School in Louisville, KY. He was three years ahead of me. I didn't really know him, but I knew he was a baseball player. I think most people did.
And I came to know something else, too. He lived that yearbook quote. On the basketball court in high school, where he played point guard just to get in shape for baseball season and ended up becoming a star. At Tennessee, where he became an All-American and led the Vols to a College World Series berth. And with the Houston Astros, the team that made him the tenth overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft.
I didn't see all the sweat and practice, of course. But I knew, looking back at that quote, that Chris Burke had his eye on that second category. The great category.
And that's why it was no surprise that last Sunday, in the longest game in post-season history, in the kind of situation he'd been preparing for his whole career, Chris Burke didn't get it wrong.
He had come off the bench earlier in the game as a pinch-runner. And now, in the bottom of the 18th inning, with the score still tied, Burke stepped to the plate. He said he thought about bunting. But once the count went to 2-0, he looked fastball. He got it, he turned on it, and he sent a rocket into the left field seats. He rounded the bases amid pandemonium. He jumped to home plate from five feet away. I'm surprised he landed.
And maybe he didn't. Burke has stayed hot. He belted a pinch-hit homerun in Game 1 of the NLCS, then delivered a triple, an RBI single, and three runs in Game 2. He's been the Astros hottest hitter, and even though he was part of a platoon in left field, he's making a pretty strong case to crack the lineup every day from here on out.
That's what was always supposed to happen. Burke put up big numbers in the minor leagues. Baseball America named him the Astros' top prospect before this season. Many a pundit tabbed him as a safe pick for Rookie of the Year. But Burke, who had played mostly second base in the minors, faced an uphill battle once Craig Biggio moved from the outfield back to second base. Burke switched to the outfield, even though he'd rarely played there in the past. He struggled early on and even headed back to Triple A in June.
But he found his way back and stuck around because he's a solid defender and because he has good speed. People didn't know the other reason until the limelight cast its glow — the kid works hard. Just like the quote says. Houston veterans raved about him in post-game interviews Sunday, saying you always hope a guy like Chris Burke could get that hit.
Some are calling Burke an unlikely hero. I guess that's true, considering the limited action he saw and the ordinary numbers he put up.
But he's not an unlikely hero for me. I'd seen him drill clutch free throws on the basketball court. Seen the focus in his eyes on the baseball field. Heard about the strict diet he created for himself to stay in optimum shape. Watched him bide his time, just waiting for a chance. A chance he finally got Sunday.
Maybe most of all, I read that quote. And knew that Chris Burke believed it.
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