***AJ Pierzynski Appreciation Thread***

[raven1]

Originally Posted by Soxman219

The Cell will be the only MLB park in the league that will never boo you, AJ. Thanks for being my favorite White Sox catcher ever.

A.J. won't be booed in Chicago next year, but I expect that Tyler Flowers will be if he fails to produce. For letting one of the team's most consistent hitters walk, Sox management should expect zero tolerance from the fans for lack of hitting by Flowers, Beckham, Viciedo, & the rest of the lineup.

[Tragg]

He played his ass off for us. He as a good hitter, a good pitcher manager and an excellent base runner.
He wanted to win.
Sad to see him go.

[Procol Harum]

Thanks for everything AJ, we appreciated your drive, hustle, and wily heads-up approach to the game. Thanks especially for your role in bringing a World Series title to the South Side. Best of luck to you from here (except against the Sox) and God bless you and yours.

[doublem23]

This really pisses me off, I figured AJ was going to get PAID this offseason and it would have made sense for the Sox to let him walk. The idea of giving a mid-30s catcher with the kind of miles AJ has on the odometer a fat 3-year deal didn't appeal to me so if that's what he got, I would have been OK with this. But 1-year, $7 M? The Sox couldn't have figured out a way too come up with that? What a crock of ****.

Thanks for the memories, Anthony John. Sorry our front office apparently lowballed you. You deserved better.

[102605]

I'm super glad he went to Texas. I really want them to take home the crown if the 2013 White Sox don't.

[Thome25]

Originally Posted by doublem23

This really pisses me off, I figured AJ was going to get PAID this offseason and it would have made sense for the Sox to let him walk. The idea of giving a mid-30s catcher with the kind of miles AJ has on the odometer a fat 3-year deal didn't appeal to me so if that's what he got, I would have been OK with this. But 1-year, $7 M? The Sox couldn't have figured out a way too come up with that? What a crock of ****.

Thanks for the memories, Anthony John. Sorry our front office apparently lowballed you. You deserved better.

I agree 100 %. This team's ownership/management is wearing extremely thin with me. Things like this with AJ and Buehrle which would be no brainers with most intelligent and winning ballclubs is beyond ridiculous imo.

[LoveYourSuit]

Originally Posted by doublem23

This really pisses me off, I figured AJ was going to get PAID this offseason and it would have made sense for the Sox to let him walk. The idea of giving a mid-30s catcher with the kind of miles AJ has on the odometer a fat 3-year deal didn't appeal to me so if that's what he got, I would have been OK with this. But 1-year, $7 M? The Sox couldn't have figured out a way too come up with that? What a crock of ****.

Thanks for the memories, Anthony John. Sorry our front office apparently lowballed you. You deserved better.

Looks like something is missing here. The contract made sense for the Sox not to match.

My only thought is that perhaps he was no longer liked in the clubhouse.

[LoveYourSuit]

Originally Posted by Thome25

I agree 100 %. This team's ownership/management is wearing extremely thin with me. Things like this with AJ and Buehrle which would be no brainers with most intelligent and winning ballclubs is beyond ridiculous imo.

Buehrle's contract would not have been intelligent.

[wassagstdu]

Originally Posted by WhiteSox5187

I think by the end of 2013 everyone will appreciate AJ a lot more than they did at the end of 2012.

Big mistake by the Sox. AJ will be missed, and not just sentimentally.

Of all the Sox games I have seen over 60 years, AJ's walkoff against the Dodgers is the most memorable. But more importantly, I think losing AJ will leave a hole close to the heart of the team and certainly in its head. (My candidate for clumsiest metaphor ever)

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by LoveYourSuit

Buehrle's contract would not have been intelligent.

Exactly, and I would have been perfectly fine with the Sox letting AJ walk if teams like Texas, the Yankees, etc. all got in a bidding war and he ended up signing some ridiculous 3-year deal that would have clearly been a huge risk going past 2013. I had no problem the Sox let Buehrle go because as much as it stinks to watch Mark pitch in another uniform, it would have been worse watching him pitch for the Sox at $20 M a season and totally anchor the payroll for 2015 and 2016. But for AJ, it's embarrassing enough they let him walk for 1-year before you even consider the disrespectful, slap in the face offer they supposedly made to him...

Ah, it's OK, OK... last day before Christmas Break for me. First off-season for Hahn. Maybe he's got something up his sleeve that I don't see yet. Man, I hope so. It's not even that I don't think Flowers can't be a serviceable MLB catcher, I think he can, it's just this cheap ass bull**** is aggrevating.

[SephClone89]

Originally Posted by LoveYourSuit

Buehrle's contract would not have been intelligent.

No kidding.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Add my voice the chorus that:

Appreciates AJ's contributions to this team;

Resents that the Sox refused to match the Rangers' offer; and

Hopes he returns to the team in some capacity someday, perhaps as a broadcaster or coach.

[SephClone89]

Originally Posted by doublem23

Exactly, and I would have been perfectly fine with the Sox letting AJ walk if teams like Texas, the Yankees, etc. all got in a bidding war and he ended up signing some ridiculous 3-year deal that would have clearly been a huge risk going past 2013. I had no problem the Sox let Buehrle go because as much as it stinks to watch Mark pitch in another uniform, it would have bee worse watching him pitch for the Sox at $20 M a season for 2015 and 2016. But for AJ, it's embarrassing enough they let him walk for 1-year before you even consider the disrespectful, slap in the face offer they supposedly made to him...

Ah, it's OK, OK... last day before Christmas Break for me. First off-season for Hahn. Maybe he's got something up his sleeve that I don't see yet. Man, I hope so. It's not even that I don't think Flowers can't be a serviceable MLB catcher, I think he can, it's just this cheap ass bull**** is aggrevating.

Pretty much.

The fact that they would offer one a mere $4m to one of this era's most reliable catchers, coming off of his best offensive season, after eight seasons of service is pretty sad. There must be something else there.

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by SephClone89

No kidding.

I can't believe anyone is upset the Sox didn't match that Buehrle offer. The only thing there is to be mad about is that MLB let Loria and the rest of the scumbags who run the Marlins essentially do a bait-and-switch on Dade County which allowed them to offer him such a berserk deal in the first place.

[TaylorStSox]

It's pretty clear that Rick Hahn doesn't want AJ. He wants Tyler Flowers. The Sox could have easily offered a similar contract, but didn't.

In a year where Mike Napoli got an outrageous deal, AJ couldn't even get a multiyear offer. Think about that for a second. There just isn't much demand for a DH playing catcher.