"Punch A.J."

It's the Giants trainer...

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/baseball/oak_athletics/story/14263793p-15076634c.html

As if Pierzynski going on to win a World Series with the Chicago White Sox after just one year in San Francisco weren't enough. It all must feel to the Giants' fan base like a knee to the groin, much like the one Pierzynski reportedly gave trainer Stan Conte in spring training.

Also, on this site:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/15/SPG6IAQNH81.DTL


If true, why wasn't he suspended by the team for it?

 

I have my doubts about that story too.  Do we really believe that this happened in a spring training game in full view of two teams, thousands of fans, and the media and no one reported or "leaked' it until the Giants released Pierzynski 10 months later? Supposingly, Pierzynski is hated by the opposition.  Why didn't any player on the opposing team leak this story if it really happened? Giants pitcher Brett Tomko had no problems leaking his card playing "incident" with Pierzynski during the season.  Why didn't he leak this alleged incident too?

Did it really happen or was it planted by the Giants organization to deflect some of the heat off of Brian Sabean for his horrible trading of Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser for a player he released 13 months later?

BTW, Stan Conte, the Giants trainer has refused to confirm this story.  However he is leaving Pierzynski out to dry by not refuting it either.

 

Look, San Fran traded Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for the guy and then released him in the offseason.

Even if he didn't have a great year, he's still a big league ballplayer with tham much invested in him. You think he just gets outrighted like that if he's not a total fucking prick?

 

In my search to see what this whole Conte story was about, I came across this:

http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_4103&pageNum=6

Interesting to see that the Schilling bloody sock is believed to be a myth.
And their explanation makes sense.

 

MLB GMs have done stranger things than releasing a ballplayer that's valuable.

After he was traded, Pierzynski and the Giants couldn't agree on a contract for the 2004 season. Pierzynski took them to arbitration.  According to Pierzynski, Sabean was pissed and told Pierzynski that if he won, A.J. wouldn't be a Giant in 2005.   Pierzynski won his arbitration case.

Pierzynski was a bad fit in a Felipe Alou lead clubhouse.  He fit in well in his time with the Twins and now with the White Sox.  Aaron Rowand, Joe Crede, and Paul Konerko are some of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.  They all loved having Pierzynski on their team.  Hell, Rowand still text messages Pierzynski every day.

If you want to go with the "group think" and call him a prick, go ahead.  I prefer to call him a 'gamer', a 'winner'.  I like smart players that know the rules and use them to their advantage. Maybe he needs to become a Red Sox or a Yankee before he gets some love from the national media.

 

I know it can be fun to call overwhelming opinion on one side "groupthink" but that's not what the term means, and your argument is specious at best.

He didn't fit in that well with the Twins, especially considering how well the team played -- and he played -- when he was there. Several Twins bad mouthed the hell out of him before and after he left.

That said, the two parts of your argument have nothing to do with one another. I think he's a very good catcher and player. Which has nothing to do with being a gigantic prick. I think he is most assuredly that as well.


As far as "getting some love from the national media"? Ugghhh. Save it for a Rome call in, wouldja?

 

Awful testy when your Twinkies lose aren't you?

 

Here we go ...

 

My catcher's better than your catcher.

Sorry Doc, that's all I got for this guy.

 

Meh. I don't care either way. Everyone who actually follows baseball knows Mauer is better than Pierzynski. I'm just waiting for you to change your sig to the spnited reference you made the other day.

 

Good on ya for reminding me...
Almost forgot.