Burnett confident he will succeed in '07

A.J. Burnett strolled onto the Blue Jays' Spring Training grounds earlier this weekend, walking alone with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

When Burnett arrived, he wasn't immediately swarmed by a horde of reporters. As he walked, all eyes at the Bobby Mattick Training Center weren't trained on him. It was a stark contrast to last spring, when Burnett provided the buzz after signing a five-year, $55 million deal to pitch for the Blue Jays.

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Jays' A.J. says he's A-OK

He came striding out of the parking lot, duffle bag slung over a shoulder, his long, reddish mop of hair ruffled by a cold north wind.

"It's my Canadian hockey player look," A.J. Burnett said. "But I don't know how long it's going to last. Could be gone first time I get roughed up."

Funny how much difference a year can make. A year ago, Burnett arrived at the Blue Jays camp burdened by the expectations that came with what was then a monster free-agent deal. The $55-million US contract that had Major League Baseball owners grumbling last winter wouldn't even have raised an eyebrow this year.

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