Jose Bautista had circled the bases, his two-out, two-run home run Aug. 15 having put the Pirates ahead of Milwaukee by a run in the seventh inning at PNC Park.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Right fielder Jeromy Burnitz will probably finish the season with his lowest at-bat total since 1996 (200). Click photo for larger image. Related coverage Scouting Report: St. Louis Cardinals

As Bautista, 25, joyfully stepped into the Pirates' dugout, jubilant high-fives surrounded him. Then the camera caught Jeromy Burnitz, 37, in the background.

Burnitz, whose playing time over the past couple months has been gobbled up by Bautista and others, sat near the bat rack. He looked at Bautista's welcome with a smile. Could Burnitz have been thinking about the changing of the guard? Thinking Bautista's time is coming? Thinking his own career is nearing the end?

"Not really," Burnitz said. "I don't really look at the whole deal from [the standpoint of] age and experience that much. I just enjoy watching anybody hit the ball hard. That's my favorite part of it.

"As far as what you saw in the [camera] shot? God only knows. Somebody could have been behind me saying something funny."

Maybe. Maybe not.

For sure, though, Burnitz is coming to the end of a 12-year career that has taken him to New York, Cleveland, Milwaukee, back to New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and Pittsburgh. Perhaps, that career will end Oct. 1, when the Pirates' season does. Perhaps, it will last another year.

The contract Burnitz signed Jan. 4 with the Pirates pays him $6 million this season. There's a mutual option that, if agreed upon, guarantees Burnitz another $6 million next season. That isn't likely. It's more likely the Pirates won't exercise that option and will give Burnitz a guaranteed $700,000 buyout and that he'll be on his way again.

"Which is fine," Burnitz said. "I've always been very, very attuned to the whole big picture-type of thinking. I've just naturally done it for years now. Of course, it's coming to the end. In my mind, it's not really a big deal. It's just part of the process, part of the cycle, part of the baseball life for every player."

And Burnitz has thought a lot about that this season, so much so that he has categorized how major-league careers end. To his way of thinking, players can crash out, burn out or wear out.

"The best of those three is to wear out," Burnitz said. "Crash out [means] you get injured and you're toast."

Think Mark Fidrych.

"If you burn out, you flame [out]," Burnitz said. "You do it as long as you have it and then you don't."

		MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT Thursday?s results INDIANAPOLIS (74-64) had a doubleheader at Norfolk rained out. ALTOONA (75-61) lost to Akron, 5-2. RHP Jason Roach (6-7, 3.65) allowed five runs in six innings. LHP Dave Davidson (2.53) pitched two scoreless innings, struck out three and walked one. SS Brian Bixler (.303) went 2 for 4 with an RBI double. CF Andrew McCutchen (.309) went 1 for 4 with a double. C Neil Walker (.143) went 0 for 4. LYNCHBURG (61-75) won at Frederick, 4-1. RHP Yoann Torrealba (6-6, 4.01) allowed one run and three hits in six innings. 1B Steve Pearce (.266) went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. HICKORY (65-69) and Lexington were rained out. WILLIAMSPORT (26-42) lost at Mahoning Valley, 5-1. RHP Kyle Pearson (3-4, 4.13) allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings. RF Albert Laboy (.238) went 1 for 3 with a triple and threw out runners at home and second base.

Think Joe Charboneau.

"To wear out? It's a good thing because you just aged," Burnitz said. "It's the way to do it. It's the longest way to do it, right? The guys that wear out are the guys that lasted the longest. That's the point.

"I think all guys that get past a certain age, it just happens -- some a year or two after the others. I consider myself a lucky one. I'm still plenty capable of playing the game, though, for the most part."

But Burnitz has not played much this season. He almost certainly will finish this season with his lowest at-bat total since 1996 (200). Heading into the final month, he has 305 at-bats. He has 16 home runs. In 2002, he hit 19 for the New York Mets. That's his lowest season total since he became a regular with Milwaukee in 1997.

His 49 RBIs? He had 54 for the Mets in that horrible 2002 season. And he won't have much opportunity to raise his .236 batting average.

Burnitz, who had 605 at-bats with the Chicago Cubs last season and 540 with the Colorado Rockies the season before, admitted that this season has been different.

"But there's [been] no adjustment involved," he said. "I've always had this philosophy that this game is work. I pretty much take the do-what-I'm-told approach to it. It makes it easier."

He understands and accepts the daily lessons and refuses to focus on the negatives.

"Whatever emotions are involved that take away from your focus on the simplest things -- like hitting or your defense or whatever your personal job entails -- then it's not productive. It's no good. As you get older, it seems sillier and sillier. I did my share [when he was younger], but how's it ever going to help me in my next at-bat when I fire my helmet?

"What I liked about [the game] is the pounding of the lessons because I consider myself a slow learner and I needed the repetitiveness. It's helped me, and it's going to help me in life."

Infielder Joe Randa, 36, could be heading down the same path.

Randa, signed for $4 million to play third base, went down with an early foot injury and then watched Freddy Sanchez take over and move into the National League lead in hitting.

"We hang out," Randa said of Burnitz. "We have a lot of the same mind-sets. The more I spend time with him, I realize he and I are very similar. We're kind of under-the-radar type guys.

"Jeromy's a guy who has gone through a lot of trials in his career -- a lot of ups and downs -- and he's persevered.

"He's had to grind out his career. Nothing has come easy for him. I think that's made him the player he is. He knows he has to stay on top of his game all the time. And he has."

Burnitz has played in 1,687 major-league games. His 1,447 hits include 298 doubles and 315 home runs. With a .254 batting average, he has driven in 981 runs.

"He's beat his body up," Randa said. "I've seen him run into walls a lot. When he's out there, he might not look like he's giving 100 percent just because of his body actions, but he gives it 100 percent every day. It's been a joy being around him."

Burnitz is nearing the end of the line with a positive outlook.

"I have three kids [Chloe, 7; Grace, 4; Jake, 2]. I want to be part of their lives," he said.

"I just want simple things -- staying in good shape and raising my family and being a full-time dad and husband. That's what I'm going to do. There's no question about it."