By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

There is an occupation that involves lots of travel and an intensive amount of baseball viewing, research and discussion.

Sounds like one of the best jobs in the world, doesn't it? Sharpsburg's Kevin Burrell thinks so. He's been scouting for the Boston Red Sox since 1995.

His history with the Red Sox goes back to 1981 when he was drafted out of high school by them. Burrell was a catcher who played professionally for 11 years, including six years in AAA. He suffered an elbow injury in 1990 and tried to return to the game in 1991, but he could not play at the same level and knew it was time to move on. He then went into scouting, using the knowledge he had acquired about the game and players after playing the sport nearly all of his life.

From Feb. 1 until the end of May, Burrell is on the road for two weeks and home for two days. Working closely under Wayne Britton, the scouting director for the Red Sox, Burrell sees the top players in the country at the high school, college and amateur levels, as his team prepares for the next draft.

“The team's area scouts are very important,” Burrell explains. “For example, an area scout in Florida will have a guy in mind and we'll go out and take a look and evaluate the player. The team will spend the most money on the top players and we want the team to get the best value for their money.

“The success of teams comes down to scouting and player development,” Burrell says. “Look at what the Braves have done with their farm system: Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Kevin Millwood. The teams that pay crazy salaries aren't necessarily sure things anymore.” That is for certain. Notice the Braves won't have to face Kevin Brown this fall.

Burrell also notes that the game has become more offense-oriented and the players are bigger and stronger.

Shortstops are expected to play great defense and cover a lot of area, but because of the success of Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, they are also expected to swing a big bat from time to time.

Just when major league baseball hits its peak in the summer, Burrell's job slows down for awhile. After the season, he will check out the Arizona Fall League and the Latin League, but if his team makes the playoffs, like they did this year, Burrell gets to go out and advance scout.

“Advance scouting is great,” says Burrell. “You're just looking for how to get players out, how the team plays their game. It's in-depth with a lot of strategy.” He is currently watching the Arizona Diamondbacks taking on the New York Mets. If Boston and Arizona meet in the World Series, Burrell's advance scouting becomes very important and he then meets with all of the team bigwigs, General Manager Dan Duquette and Manager Jimy Wiliams, when they go over how to play and beat the team.

As for Arizona, Burrell says not to count them out. In a short series, you have to face Randy Johnson twice and the Diamondbacks have played consistently throughout the year. Asked who he predicts to win a Braves-Diamondbacks matchup, Burrell conceded that his gut went with the Braves, which must please his wife who is originally from the area and is the reason he made his home here.

Overall, Burrell has had an exciting career both on and off the field. He caught one of Roger Clemens' first starts in the minor leagues, knowing that there was something special about the hurler. He was also instrumental in the Red Sox picking up Brian Daubach.

Part of Burrell's job is to recommend free agents and Daubach had been released by the Florida Marlins. Daubach got invited to camp, had a great spring and has been a key player in the Red Sox's journey to the post-season.

Burrell sums it up best: “You have to be passionate about scouting. If you don't love what you do, why do it?” It is obvious that Burrell loves the game of baseball and that the feeling is contagious.

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