Alright, let’s talk about this fella, A.J. Pierzynski. Don’t know much about fancy baseball stuff, but I know what I saw. This guy, he was somethin’ else for them White Sox, back when they won that big game, the World Serious or somethin’ like that, in 2005.
He was a catcher, see? That means he squatted down a lot, like I do when I’m weedin’ the garden. Tough job, that is. But he was good at it. They say he was a “clubhouse cancer” but I don’t know nothin’ about that. Sounded like he riled folks up, got ‘em goin’. Maybe that’s what they needed, I dunno. Folks always said old Mrs. Henderson down the road was a “clubhouse cancer” too, always stirrin’ up trouble at the bingo night, but she made things lively, you know?
Now, they tell me he came from Minnesota. That’s a long way, like drivin’ to see my sister in the next county, but further. And wouldn’t you know it, Minnesota and the White Sox, they were rivals, like the McCoys and the Hatfields, always fightin’ and such. But the White Sox, they took him anyway. Guess they saw somethin’ special in him, like when you find a good tomato plant at the market, even if it’s a bit bruised.
- He caught the ball, that’s for sure.
- He hit the ball sometimes, too.
- And he got on base. That’s important, right?
I heard tell he was important in that 2005 win. They say he was “integral.” Big word that, but it means he was a big part of it. Like flour in a cake, you can’t have the cake without it. They never lost first place that year, not even once. That’s like plantin’ a garden and havin’ everythin’ grow perfect, no weeds, no bugs, just big, juicy tomatoes and sweet corn.
They talk about this one game, the second game of the Championship series. Don’t remember who they played, some other team with fancy uniforms. And there was this other time, when he walked a bunch of fellas, four of ‘em in one inning! Can you imagine? Walkin’ four fellas in a row! That’s like lettin’ four chickens out of the coop all at once. But even then, he only let two runs score. One fella hit a home run, they said, Jeff Kent was his name. Sounds like a fella who’d wear a nice suit to church, doesn’t he? But A.J., he kept his cool, like when you’re tryin’ to shoo a fly away from your pie, gotta be quick and steady.
And this Dye fella, he was good too. Real good hitter, won some kind of MVP award. But A.J., he was there, part of the team, like a good stitch in a quilt, holdin’ it all together. Folks say that 2005 team, they don’t get enough credit. They’re “underrated.” Like my apple pie, nobody appreciates it till they taste it.
And you know what? He came back recently, threw out the first pitch at some game. Guess folks still remember him, cheer for him, even after all these years. That’s somethin’, ain’t it? Like when you see an old friend at the market, and you remember all the good times you had. He must’ve done somethin’ right, that A.J. Even if he was a “clubhouse cancer” or whatever they called him. He helped them win, and that’s all that matters in the end, just like gettin’ them tomatoes in the jar before winter comes.
So that’s what I know about A.J. Pierzynski. Not much, maybe, but I know he was a catcher, he played for the White Sox, and he helped ‘em win that big game. And that’s good enough for me.
Tags: [A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox, 2005 World Series, catcher, baseball, MLB, MVP, Jeff Kent, Minnesota Twins, Hawk Harrelson]
