White Sox’ Pierzynski calls rumors ‘a shame’

A.J. Pierzynski is no stranger to controversy.

The White Sox catcher always seems to be in the middle of trouble, which is why broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson affectionately refers to him as “Dennis the Menace.”

On Wednesday, Pierzynski was rumored to be facing a 50-game suspension for failing a PED test. The story surfaced on a White Sox fan website and got some traction on WSCR 670-AM, the club’s flagship radio station.

The story was shot down Thursday, but the damage to Pierzynski already had been done.

Not surprisingly, the 35-year-old catcher was not happy with being targeted.

“Apparently, certain people in the media — they know who they are, I don’t have to mention them by name — they just go ahead and run stories and talk about stories on their air without getting sources,” Pierzynski said.

“It’s a shame because people that don’t do anything, haven’t done anything, can be targeted and you can say whatever you want on the Internet.

“But that’s the life we live and the world we live in and unfortunately it’s happened to other people and this time it happened to be on me. It’s over with now and hopefully people find something better … we can talk about the White Sox instead of something that is completely baseless.”

Pierzynski obviously was targeted because he has hit 25 home runs this season, including a solo shot Friday night against the Kansas City Royals. His previous career high was 18 in 2005.

Nevertheless, Pierzynski has been outspoken about PED use in baseball, and he was upset to be thrown into the mix. When a reporter asked if the suspension rumors hurt him or his family, Pierzynski snapped.

“To be honest with you, what happens with me and my family is none of your business,” Pierzynski said. “And what happens with me off the field is none of your business. So I’m not going to talk about it.”