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Burnett relishing long-awaited first All-Star nod

"But we're really going, so it's cool," the veteran right-hander said.

Burnett's selection to his first All-Star Game as a 38-year-old in his 17th season was loudly applauded by teammates -- literally, when Hurdle made the announcement. As happy as anyone for "Batman" was his so-called "Robin," although Jeff Locke did have one regret.

"I finally don't have anything over him any more," said Locke, an All-Star in 2013. "That was the only thing I'd ever done that he hadn't."

Pirates land four NL All-Stars
Pirates land four NL All-Stars

Burnett, of course, is doing a lot of things he hadn't done before, the most prominent of which could be his refusal to give up home runs.