You’d think Twins fans would think a little more fondly of former catcher A.J. Pierzynski, even if he does now play for a division rival. After all, he played hard for six years in Minnesota, and it’s not like he left - he was traded. Even better, he was traded for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. They should be throwing this guy dual parades in the respective downtown areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul. But nope. If it were up to Twins fans, they’d name their new stadium “A.J. Pierzynski Should F**k Off And Die In A” Field.
(Showing more exciting out-of-town games sadly not an option.)
As you can see from the poll on the STAR TRIBUNE’s website, fans still carry a torch for ol’ A.J. A torch, in the “villagers storming Castle Frankenstein” sense. The news today actually has nothing to do with Pierzynski, but rather to do with the new stadium’s scoreboard. But when you carry an eternal, unquenchable hatred for a man who dared to only hit .301 and lead the team to two division titles, everything has to do with A.J. Pierzynski. The paper made the mistake of letting fans vote on what the best use of the scoreboard would be. (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: democracy just doesn’t work–after the jump.)
You’d think that the best thing for Minnesotans about Target Field, set to open in 2010, is that it kept their team from being contracted. But the obsession seems to be with the scoreboard:
The centerpiece of the integrated system is a high-definition video display that will measure about 101 feet wide by 57 feet high, which will make it the fourth-largest scoreboard in the majors, the team said at a news conference this morning. By comparison, the current Metrodome scoreboard is 34 feet wide by 19 feet high.
Fourth largest? Whoo-hoo! We’re #4! We’re #4!
Now, that’s a lot of room, much more than the Twins will need to show replays of endless push bunts and Ron Gardenhire walking to the mound. What else could the scoreboard could be used for? If you said “Replays of A.J. Pierzynski bloopers,” congratulations! You’re a cold, bitter Twins fan, and you’re in the majority!
The eternal A.J. tribute video idea is currently leading the (light-years more sensible, some might say) idea to post traffic updates, but maybe not for long. I can totally picture A.J. sitting in front of his computer right now, frantically voting over and over again. After all, we know how techno-savvy he is.
(Vote for A.J., that is.)
5:49 pm on October 23rd, 2008
And I thought Minnesotans were all friendly and polite, like those guys in "Fargo".
5:53 pm on October 23rd, 2008
Of course Twins fans are cold - they live in Minnesota!
5:58 pm on October 23rd, 2008
Mr. Twins-bashing author fails to realize that Minnesotans also have a fine sense of humor.
6:02 pm on October 23rd, 2008
I'm not from Minnesota, but I would enjoy a plethora of Pierzynski bloopers.
6:34 pm on October 23rd, 2008
I dunno - traffic updates can be pretty hilarious, too.
6:40 pm on October 23rd, 2008
i'm not from minnesota, but i hate a.j pierzynski.
6:46 pm on October 23rd, 2008
It's more of a "we love to hate him" more than "we hate him".
6:49 pm on October 23rd, 2008
So I take it wearing an A.J. Pierzynski Halloween costume won't get you much candy in the Twin Cities.
2:28 am on October 24th, 2008
Minnesota hates dude because he's trashed the Twins ever since he left. Most recently, he complained about the way the Twins swept the Sox in late September, saying that they won in a cheap way with cheap hits. You don't win a season series 10-9 (albeit, losing the big #163, 1-0) being cheap.
11:16 am on October 24th, 2008
Taye Povs, don't feel bad that you guys got beat out of the Division Title. It's okie.. shh shh shh.. it's okie… Mommy will make it better with a nice shot of Jack Daniels.
11:43 am on October 24th, 2008
Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't dislike Pierzynski.
7:26 pm on October 24th, 2008
I personally hate the man and will punch him in the face if I ever accidently run into him on the street. He is a cheater that should be run out of the game.
8:17 pm on October 24th, 2008
If A.J.'s so vilified, I'm surprised he's not playing for the Yankees.
8:28 pm on October 24th, 2008
Kevin, actually it's the San Fran Giants who seem to corner the market on a-holes - having had Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, and even A.J. himself on their roster.
1:16 am on October 25th, 2008
I like AJ…..always have…..hes a winner…whiny bitch ass losers dont like him.
COUGH TWINS FANS COUGH GIANTS FANS COUGH CUBS FANS
3:16 pm on October 26th, 2008
Twins fans have plenty of appreciation for former teammates. Many I know are hoping the Rays win the series, because there are several former Twins on their roster. They hate AJ because, well, he's a prick who has done nothing but trash talk the team since being traded.
The Twins fans aren't the bitter ones, he is, they just hate him for that. Of course, at this point it's a "love to hate" relationship.