Pierzynski won't be leaving his heart in S.F.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- If there's one thing White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is looking forward to this weekend, it's leaving San Francisco on Sunday night.
As has been well documented, Pierzynski spent a miserable 2004 season with the Giants before signing with the Sox and promptly winning a World Series ring.
"It's just bad vibes when I go to that city,'' Pierzynski said.
After spending the first four years of his career with the Minnesota Twins, Pierzynski was traded to San Francisco for three players -- all-star closer Joe Nathan and promising young starting pitchers Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser.
Needless to say, Giants general manager Brian Sabean is still taking heat for that deal.
Instead of becoming a cornerstone player for San Francisco, Pierzynski was accused of kicking trainer Stan Conte in the groin, he was criticized by the pitching staff for playing cards instead of reviewing videotape before games, and he was accused of telling opposing hitters what pitch was coming.
Worst of all, Pierzynski was dubbed a "clubhouse cancer.''
"Just a lot of the stories that came out weren't true, more than anything,'' Pierzynski said when asked about the low point of his brief stint with the Giants.
Actually, Pierzynski had a pretty good idea it was going to be a lousy season before it even started.
"The first time I met with the owner (Peter Magowan) and (Sabean), we're having a meeting and the owner asked me if I knew how to play first base,'' Pierzynski said. "I looked at him and said: 'I played in the minor leagues.' He said: 'We like our players to be able to play more than one position, so you probably will get a lot of games at first base.' That's when I knew it was probably not going to work out there.''
At the end of the 2004 season, the Giants finally granted Pierzynski his release. He signed with the White Sox a few months later, but only after GM Kenny Williams talked to a lot of people.
Pierzynski stopped just short of saying Magowan and Sabean tried ruining his career.
"When I was let go, we had a talk with them and they said: 'We'll keep it all clean if other teams call about you. We'll say good things about you and this and that,' '' Pierzynski said. "Well, I've heard rumors where they said some bad things about me. Who knows? I don't think they tried to ruin my career, whatever. Like I said, it worked out great. I came over here and we won and I'm still here four years later.
"I don't think they ruined my career. I don't know if they tried to. You hear rumors about them saying things to people but you never know if they're true or not. It was just a bad fit. Bad personality mix, bad fit. It wasn't a good place to be for me.''
Scouting report
White Sox vs. San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park
TV: Channel 9 today and Saturday; Comcast SportsNet Sunday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Sox' Gavin Floyd (3-2) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (2-2) today at 9:15 p.m.; Mark Buehrle (1-5) vs. Barry Zito (0-7) Saturday at 8:05 p.m.; John Danks (3-3) vs. Matt Cain (2-3) Sunday at 3:10 p.m.
At a glance: This is the White Sox' first interleague series of the season. Last year, they went 4-14 against National League teams. The Sox play the Giants for only the second time. They lost two of three interleague games to San Francisco in 2003 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Next: The White Sox play the Cleveland Indians at U.S. Cellular Field, Tuesday-Thursday
-- Scot Gregor