BUCN Perfect : Burnett and Grilli: Fan Favorites

What’s the appeal of AJ Burnett and Jason Grilli? Is it AJB’s league leading 72 SOs? Grilli’s league leading 16 saves in his first season as a closer?

NO.
However, that isn’t to say those two things don’t make them more appealing to the crowd.

AJB is the veteran leader of the Pirates pitching staff. His twitter default picture? The Bat Signal with his number in the middle. His background? One of his STFD t-shirts. His appearance? Total bad a**. In the clubhouse, he’s known as a man of few words, but when he does talk, everyone listens. He started out as a loose cannon at the beginning of his pitching career, and I don’t think that comes as a surprise to anyone. Now that he’s a veteran ball player, his attitude is expressed in his style on and off the field.

Rumor has it he pierced one of his nipples himself. Brutal. His tattoos are a wide array of things, from wife Karen’s initials between his shoulder blades to Bruce Lee on his arm. But its these fearless qualities that make him a fan favorite. Guys love him because he’s everything they want to be. Girls love him because he’s that bada** they all want to date. Fans love him because he isn’t afraid to tell batters to STFD or come out of the dugout to backup a teammate being threatened by an opposing player.

AJB reminds me of my dad and Bill Cowher. They all know how to give you that stare down that says you better cut that bullsh*t out RIGHT NOW or else. That look literally made me and my siblings become absolutely silent and quit whatever we were doing. He didn’t even need to say a word. We would just scatter. Cowher had that same effect on the Steelers. AJB has that menacing, death stare down to a science.

Grilli doesn’t have that bada** quality about him like AJ, but he does have the leadership quality. If there’s one other thing we love in Pittsburgh besides bada**, its people who get the job done the right way the first time. We love hardworking people who go out there and show ‘em how it’s done. We also have a firm belief that it should be done in a humble manner. Showboats need not apply in any sport here in the Burgh. Grilli fits that idea perfectly.

As the leader of the bullpen, Grilli has adopted Melancon’s nickname for it, the “shark tank.” He posted a picture to his twitter today that says “get bit” with a shark biting a baseball bat underneath. The nickname has quickly become a sensation because it fits so well. He gets on the mound, rips into the batters, and ends the game. The fan excitement surrounding the “shark tank” can be seen during every game all over twitter. Pirate fans use that hash tag to show support for the Bucco bullpen.

They both bring a very different set of qualities to the table as players, but it the end, it’s those qualities that make them great leaders as well as fan favorites.