New low: SF media trolls A.J. Pierzynski with whisper campaign

[blesto-v]

One of those now-it-can-be-told stories the White Sox, A.J. Pierzynski's new employer, surely haven't heard: During a Giants exhibition game last spring, Pierzynski took a shot to his, shall we say, private parts. Trainer Stan Conte rushed to the scene, placed his hands on Pierzynski's shoulders in a reassuring way, and asked how it felt. "Like this," said Pierzynski, viciously delivering a knee to Conte's groin. It was a real test of professionalism for the enraged Conte, who vowed to ignore Pierzynski for the rest of the season until Conte realized how that would look. The incident went unreported because all of the beat writers happened to be doing in-game interviews in the clubhouse, but it was corroborated by a half-dozen eyewitnesses who could hardly believe their eyes. Said one source, as reliable as they come: "There is absolutely no doubt that it happened."

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

[Fredsox]

Ahhh. The infamous un-named yet un-umpeachable source. If there were so many of them, why can't this guy get one of them of go On the record? What about the trainer himself? Is he one of the sources? At least 6 people saw this and not one of them went into the clubhouse to tell the beat reporters? I gotta belive that something like this would be ALL over the papers the moment it happened.

I'm not saying it didn't happen, I don't know. I also don't know if the trainer peed in AJ's gatorade the day before, and I don't know if the sportswriter has an ax to grind. Does anyone really think that a trainer would ignore the opportunity to sue a millionaire baseball player if he kicked him in the nuts for no reason at all?

This is crappy journalism. I'm not under any illusions about AJ being the nicest guy in the world, but I need a lot more than what this reporter is saying before I'll believe it.

[jabrch]

I think that's FUNNY.

How many times have some of us had anything like this happen - a shot to the groin, or even a charlie horse or a pulled something....and some idiot asks "how does it feel?" That's a stupid question - and it warrants often a stupid response. Now giving it back to Conte in the groin may have been over the top if it happened, but I think its very funny.

[johnny_mostil]

Originally Posted by blesto-v

One of those now-it-can-be-told stories the White Sox, A.J. Pierzynski's new employer, surely haven't heard: During a Giants exhibition game last spring, Pierzynski took a shot to his, shall we say, private parts. Trainer Stan Conte rushed to the scene, placed his hands on Pierzynski's shoulders in a reassuring way, and asked how it felt. "Like this," said Pierzynski, viciously delivering a knee to Conte's groin. It was a real test of professionalism for the enraged Conte, who vowed to ignore Pierzynski for the rest of the season until Conte realized how that would look. The incident went unreported because all of the beat writers happened to be doing in-game interviews in the clubhouse, but it was corroborated by a half-dozen eyewitnesses who could hardly believe their eyes. Said one source, as reliable as they come: "There is absolutely no doubt that it happened."

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

Baloney. What exhibition game? A half-dozen eyewitnesses? There are hundreds if not thousands of people watching spring training exhibition games. All of them but a half-dozen were too drunk to talk about it? The beat writers were too busy to check it out? No way. This is libel.

[johnny_mostil]

Originally Posted by Fredsox

Ahhh. The infamous un-named yet un-umpeachable source. If there were so many of them, why can't this guy get one of them of go On the record? What about the trainer himself? Is he one of the sources? At least 6 people saw this and not one of them went into the clubhouse to tell the beat reporters? I gotta belive that something like this would be ALL over the papers the moment it happened.

If anything this is confirmation that some weenie in the Giants front office is trying to build a cover story in case Matheny can't hit .220 and Pierzynski looks good in Chicago. So far this offseason Sabean has saved us from Omar Vizquel's over-the-hillness and gift-wrapped us a starting catcher. He's going to look awfully stupid.

So, let's recap the holes in this story:

1. Less than 1% of the attendees at a spring training game allegedly witnessed the alleged action. People don't ignore injured players, they focus on them. No date is given because that can be checked out.
2. No reporter can vouch for it because they were elsewhere. It wasn't reported at the time.
3. Presumably he was wearing shin guards. If you kneed someone wearing shin guards, they'd drop like a stone and roll around. But nobody except the Unimpeachable Source and the Seven Dwarves noticed.

Let's consider the other factors:

1. The Giants never accepted being whipped in an arbitration hearing before the 2004 season.
2. AJ's not exactly Mr. Congeniality.
3. The Giants signed a non-hitting catcher to supplement their non-hitting catcher they already had to face a PR firestorm when their catchers don't hit.

There's no way it happened as described. It's an inoculation of the SF fan base against the possibility AJP hits .320 for a division winner.

[SSN721]

I dont buy it, and even if it is true, although a little harsh I have to admit it is kinda funny.

[Fredsox]

Originally Posted by johnny_mostil

There's no way it happened as described. It's an inoculation of the SF fan base against the possibility AJP hits .320 for a division winner.

Agree completely. And the putz from the SF Chronicle should be fired for publishing this crap. You can't say that stuff about people unless you're gonna back up the story with real evidence, not "a half-dozen eyewitnesses who could hardly believe their eyes".

[idseer]

and this belongs you-know-where.

[scottmt]

It may or may not have happened, though I tend to believe a reputable newspaper wouldn't print an entirely apocryphal story. What I want to know is why anyone is willing to give Pierzynski a free pass on being a miserable jerk now that he's a Sox? If he were with the Twins when this happened, there would have been no limit to the number of people enraged by it. What if it had been Herm Schneider on the receiving end? Would it have been funny then? Take off the rose-colored glasses. Pierzynski is Ty Cobb without the racism and ability.

[idseer]

Originally Posted by scottmt

It may or may not have happened, though I tend to believe a reputable newspaper wouldn't print an entirely apocryphal story. What I want to know is why anyone is willing to give Pierzynski a free pass on being a miserable jerk now that he's a Sox? If he were with the Twins when this happened, there would have been no limit to the number of people enraged by it.

exactly .... which only goes to prove there are as many jerk white sox fans as anywhere else.

[Fredsox]

Originally Posted by scottmt

It may or may not have happened, though I tend to believe a reputable newspaper wouldn't print an entirely apocryphal story. What I want to know is why anyone is willing to give Pierzynski a free pass on being a miserable jerk now that he's a Sox? If he were with the Twins when this happened, there would have been no limit to the number of people enraged by it. What if it had been Herm Schneider on the receiving end? Would it have been funny then? Take off the rose-colored glasses. Pierzynski is Ty Cobb without the racism and ability.

You're making the assumption that it happened and I don't think that's been established. You can choose to believe a "reputable newspaper" but please concede that many news organizations who fall into that category have recently come under a huge amount of criticism for either moving to quickly on stories that later proved to be untrue, or in some cases (NY Times) actually making things up.

Just because a SF Chronicle columnist prints it doesn't make it so. He cites no sources and there is no plausible explanation as to why no one else reported it in almost a year.

[voodoochile]

I moved this not because I disbelieve it, though the holes blown in the reporter's story certainly have merit, but because of the volatile nature of the responses so far.

Have at it folks...

For my money, it's always been thusly. People hate players until they play for their team. Pierzynski may not be a saint, but he is far from the worst person to ever don a uniform for a team I root for.

Can we at least wait until he does something morbid or crazily dangerous here in Chicago before stringing the guy up by a rope. Sometimes people change. Sometimes that change is motivated by the promise of an upcoming payday or by finally getting a message that their behavior is unacceptable. Sometimes they just stay jerks. AJ is our jerk now, so root for the uniform - you don't have to love every player that wears it.

At least he's not that selfish overhyped stat geek lazy fatass, Frank Thomas... (look down before getting freaked out and thanks WU!)

[idseer]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

At least he's not that selfish overhyped stat geek lazy fatass, Frank Thomas... (look down before getting freaked out and thanks WU!)

no no. don't apologize. i think you nailed it!

[surfdudes]

Originally Posted by scottmt

It may or may not have happened, though I tend to believe a reputable newspaper wouldn't print an entirely apocryphal story. What I want to know is why anyone is willing to give Pierzynski a free pass on being a miserable jerk now that he's a Sox? If he were with the Twins when this happened, there would have been no limit to the number of people enraged by it. What if it had been Herm Schneider on the receiving end? Would it have been funny then? Take off the rose-colored glasses. Pierzynski is Ty Cobb without the racism and ability.

exactly .... which only goes to prove there are as many jerk white sox fans as anywhere else.

And this story is very dubious and shouldn't be a thread. And if it was a bit true then the aformentioned trainer either has the patience and compassion of Gandi or he's a frightened little kiss a** for taking a shot to the groin and not reporting/retaliating, etc.....
I find it hard accepting the fact that I am giving AJ a free pass when:
A-All these stories are from when he was with Frisco
B-Frisco has underachieved for years
C- Barry Bonds and his baggage are there and nobody would ever place blame on his Royal Balconess

[WinningUgly!]

Originally Posted by blesto-v

One of those now-it-can-be-told stories the White Sox, A.J. Pierzynski's new employer, surely haven't heard: During a Giants exhibition game last spring, Pierzynski took a shot to his, shall we say, private parts. Trainer Stan Conte rushed to the scene, placed his hands on Pierzynski's shoulders in a reassuring way, and asked how it felt. "Like this," said Pierzynski, viciously delivering a knee to Conte's groin. It was a real test of professionalism for the enraged Conte, who vowed to ignore Pierzynski for the rest of the season until Conte realized how that would look. The incident went unreported because all of the beat writers happened to be doing in-game interviews in the clubhouse, but it was corroborated by a half-dozen eyewitnesses who could hardly believe their eyes. Said one source, as reliable as they come: "There is absolutely no doubt that it happened."

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

It sounds like A.J. wanted to keep Conte & the magic cream he used on Barry Bonds, away from him.