[August 05, 2011] A.J. Pierzynski remains a constant irritant Tweet CHICAGO, Jul 10, 2011 (Pioneer Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In Minnesota and other stops around the major leagues, A.J. Pierzynski is a menace. In Chicago, he's a hero -- at least south of Madison Avenue. At the White Sox's U.S. Cellular Field, where 35th Street meets Shields Avenue, Pierzynski is enshrined on a piece of sculpture celebrating the team's 2005 World Series title, rising in bronze above a mural that includes the catcher at the center of the Game 4 celebration. "We park on the other side (of the stadium), so you don't really see it a whole lot," Pierzynski said. "You know it's there, and obviously they show it a lot. It's cool. It's cool to know that we did something here that hadn't been done in a long time, and people will always remember it." On the south side of Chicago, Pierzynski will always be remembered as an all-star catcher and integral part of the team that broke an 88-year championship drought (he had three homers and nine runs batted in in 12 playoff games). Nearly everywhere else, he'll be remembered as a loud, contentious, scheming agitator. He got Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn so riled Friday night that the right-hander buzzed Pierzynski up and in to try to shut him up. "I don't even know if it does any good," Blackburn said. It didn't that time; Pierzyn-ski followed with one of his two singles in the Twins' 8-5 victory. After retiring the side, Blackburn stared down Pierzynski while walking off the field. "I'm not going to just stand out there," Blackburn said, "and let someone get away with some stuff he shouldn't be doing." Like what? "Just mouthing and yelling at me, calling me names, all that third-grade stuff," Blackburn answered. "I'm not just going to stand there and allow someone to do that. We've all seen that; it's just kind of who he is on the field." His former teammates have accused him of worse. Many believe he tried to spike Justin Morneau during a May 28, 2007, game while trying to beat out a double-play ball, though Morneau later downplayed the incident. Pierzyn-ski also drew ire when he spiked the ball after winning a home-plate collision with Michael Cuddyer in Chicago's 1-0 Game 163 victory in 2008. Say what you will, the act sometimes works. In 2006, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett earned a 10-game suspension for punching Pierzynski after a play at the plate, and Pierzynski's famous two-out, dropped-third strike sprint to first in the 2005 playoffs, a move of pure moxie, turned the tide of the American League Championship Series. "He's definitely a guy you want on your team," said Cuddyer, a friend and former teammate. "He plays every day. He plays hard every day. He's a winner. He wants to win." Is Pierzynski two different people? Ron Gardenhire, who managed Pierzynski for three-plus seasons in Minnesota, says he is. "When A.J. is playing, he is tough. He doesn't want you to like him. He didn't care if you liked him or not when he was playing. He plays to win, and he loves irritating people," Gardenhire said. "I had him, so I know all these things. He loves to get the other team (angry) at him in his mind; it takes the focus off the game, and there's nothing wrong with that. I saw it many a time when they were so mad about A.J. they forgot about us. "Off the field he's a nice guy. Last night off the field, he aired me out because, he said, 'You don't even come and talk to me anymore.' I was like, 'I haven't seen you out on the field. You're not exactly in my clubhouse anymore.' " Pierzynski dismisses the split-personality theory, instead ascribing his behavior to the situation. "I tell people this all the time; I just play as hard as I can. Whatever happens on the field happens on the field, and it's separate from real life," he said. "Real life is different. There are people you play against that you don't like, and you meet them off the field and they're great guys. It doesn't matter. "On the field is different, and as long as you can separate it, it's fine." Asked if there are other players like Pierzynski in baseball, Cuddyer thinks for a long moment before surrendering. "Not really," he said. "He's one of a kind." Follow John Shipley at twitter.com/shipleykid. To see more of the Pioneer Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.twincities.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]