Show A.J. some love

Some of you might not recognize this guy’s face, but trust us, lots of Rays fans do. It’s A.J. Pierzynski, the White Sox catcher. As many of you remember, in a crucial game late in August in Chicago, the Rays lost when Pierzynski, caught in a rundown between second and third, careened toward Willie Aybar and then fell down, shouting, “Obstruction!” The ump ruled in his favor and the Rays ultimately lost the chance to sweep. So we've created this opportunity for fans to show Pierzynski what they think of his antics. Just glue it on some cardboard, add a stick and you have an instant must-have fan accessory.

Comments

[JR]

AJ is one of the smartest ballplayers I have ever seen in a white sox uniform and I have been a fan since Eddie Stanky was manager back in the sixties.If a guy like that gets in your head its on you not him.Dave was right when he said the worst thing you can do is ignore him.So go ahead boo him mercilessly,you'll only motivate him.

[Ken]

Come on, you know you wish you had him on your team. Is there a country music concert after the game today?

[soxfan2]

Please, please, please taunt AJ. Nobody thrives on it more than AJ, who's been in more big games than the entire Rays' roster.

[number8fan]

Stay classy, Tampa!

[dave]

The mask is a cute idea, but I wonder if it would have a negative or positive impact on AJ himself. Seems like the kind of guy that would actually think it was cool. The worst thing you can do to a punk is ignore him.

[Kevin Youkillis]

yeah, that Pierzynski is a WHINER!

[Jeff]

It is the gullible arrogant stupidity of the umpires that allow players to get away with such antics. Players should not have to learn how to cheat to level the playing field. The Umpire's Union should lead the way in using technology to more accurately call the game instead of being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

[Jeff]

Revenge Time!!!

[Brent]

No one cheated. AJ did what was best for his team. As being Baseball player myself and still playing, you play to win the game. If the umpire made a bad call then that's garbage which it was a garbage call by the umpire. I'm a very big RAYS fan and have been to over 25 games this year.

[Pirate77]

soxfan says: "i get it. he did something smart." Yeah, he cheated. Smart! Typical Chicago.

[Dale]

You want to scare AJ, hold up a picture of Michael Barrett.

[Slappy]

No, soxfan, he's a cry baby because he's a bush league player who whines when he's called out on it.

[Amanda]

Joe-
Not if we're laughing

[joe]

Doesn't holding up a sing like this make us the cry-babies?

[Andrew]

I'd take him on the Rays. He would be a good back up to Navarro.

[WaaWaaaWaaaWaaa]

15-1, final score...rays win...crybaby get thrown out at home and thrown out of game for abuse to ump.

[season ticket holder]

Cry baby? He's more jerk than cry baby.

[Clark]

No, actually he's been a jerk for years. From GQ Magazine's list of the 10 Most Harted Athletes (there are dozens of accounts out there, this one is just the most concise):

9. A. J. Pierzynski

Google the phrase clubhouse cancer and the first two results will be stories about Chicago White Sox catcher A. J. Pierzynski. Teammates and members of the media use those words and others—unprofessional, immature, arrogant, aloof—to describe him. His baseball misdemeanors are legion: chirping at the opposition, bitterly contesting balls and strikes (very stupid for a catcher, who must win goodwill for his pitcher), and venting his frustrations on opposing first basemen. “He doesn’t have a lot of baseball etiquette,” says one ex-teammate. “He’ll deliberately step on your foot at first base, then say, ‘Man, I didn’t mean to do that!’ ”

The most telling of the many, many (seriously, you wouldn’t believe how willing people were to talk about this guy) Pierzynski anecdotes we heard took place during spring training in 2004. Pierzynski, crouched behind the plate, took a pitch to the groin. Rushing to his aid, trainer Stan Conte asked him how he felt. “Like this!” Pierzynski grunted, then savagely kneed Conte in the balls. “You just want to choke him,” says the ex-teammate, who has also played against him. “You want your pitcher to hit him in the head.”

[gogowhitesox]

Can't wait to watch your inexperienced team wet their pants against the Sox. Then we shall see who the real crybabies are.

[beamncoke]

I guess this is what to expect from a bunch of people who discovered baseball 3 months ago.

3 month Rays fan=Bandwagoner
6 month Rays fan=Die Hard

[soxfan]

i get it. he did something smart. he got away with it. he won the game for his team. all the rays fans cried for days about it. thats why he's the crybaby, right?

[Clark]

That's awesome!!

The Twins are the ones who should REALLY be jammed about that call in Chicago, since if the Sox had lost that game, there'd have been no one game playoff and the Twins would be here representing the AL Central.

[Mark]

Brilliant!

The person who thought of this idea and the person who created that image should both be given promotions.

[Richard]

Hopefully he and the rest of the Sox will go home with something that feels like a bowel OBSTRUCTION.