Patrick_S
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2000
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Lots of changes have already happened so it is time to start the Hot Stove thread.
"If you play against him, you hate him,'' his former manager Ozzie Guillen once surmised. "If you play with him, you hate him a little less."
(There is a hilarious clip of former White Sox coach Jeff Cox telling a story in the clubhouse about Guillen and Pierzynski on YouTube. I'm not linking to it because of -- well, because of typical baseball clubhouse language. But a search for "Ozzie Guillen and AJ Story" will get you there.)
Guillen's relationship with Pierzynski was complicated, but it's also clear he has a lot of affinity for him. He's always been quick to credit Pierzynski for his role on the White Sox' 2005 championship team.
And the "bad teammate" narrative? That just isn't true. It does not require a lengthy search to find quotes from former teammates who unequivocally vouch for the guy.
Consider these comments from an August 2012 feature Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter wrote on Pierzynski:
"Playing against him for so long, he was probably one of my least liked guys," said Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz, of his mindset prior to signing with the White Sox for the 2010 season. "Then my locker was right next to his, and after that he became one of my favorite teammates ever. He's not a baby, but just a guy who is so passionate that he doesn't hold anything back. Until you play with him, you have a misperception of what he is."
Chris Sale, who has in his first year as a starter become a Cy Young candidate -- he is 15-4, with a 2.65 ERA -- believes he knows a primary reason for his, and the staff's, success. "I put everything on A.J.," Sale said. "I don't call my own game, I don't ever shake him off. Whatever fingers he puts down, that's what I'm throwing. I've never shaken him off. Never."
And then there is one person whose endorsement matters around here. David Ortiz played with Pierzynski for parts of five seasons with the Twins. They became teammates for the first time way back in 1997, for the Single A Ft. Myers Miracle. Ortiz has always vouched for Pierzynski.
"People like to stamp guys from the beginning," said Ortiz in the SI story.. "One guy says it, and then everyone else follows what that guy says, and then, boom."
There's no doubt Ortiz would advocate for Pierzynski now. It's fair to presume pitching coach Juan Nieves and starter Jake Peavy, who both worked with him in Chicago, are cool with reuniting with him here.
Pierzynski has a reputation as a smart, prepared game-caller whose most obnoxious acts seem to stem from one thing: he's competitive as hell.
"He's a tough guy, a dirt bag,'' one unnamed baseball ops executive told Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press this week when the Twins were in on the bidding on Pierzynski. "Wherever he goes, he wins."
That sure sounds to me like someone who will fit into the culture of this Red Sox clubhouse. Besides, there are strong enough leaders there as it is to endure a cantankerous personality like Pierzynski's without it having a negative effect.