"I understand what I had to pay," said Pierzynski on Friday, before getting the night off to start the second half against the Yankees Randy Johnson. "But at the same time, the thing that bothered me was that during the hearing, Bob Watson said I was fined for things that happened the next day.

 

"For trying to bunt, for trying to slide too hard to break up a double play the next day. That was the thing that bothered me more than anything during the appeal on the phone. He said I was fined for the way I played."

 

Originally, Pierzynski was fined for inciting the crowd following the on-field fisticuffs, stemming from Pierzynski plowing into Cubs catcher Michael Barrett to score a run on a sacrifice fly and Barrett cracking Pierzynski in the jaw with a right cross. Pierzynski waved his hands as he walked off the field after the ejection and slapped himself in the face to the delight of the White Sox fans.

 

The plays on the following day dealt with Pierzynski trying to lay down a bunt leading off the seventh inning against the Cubs Carlos Zambrano and then sliding hard into Jerry Hairston Jr. to break up a double play in the ninth. Of course, Pierzynski also seemed to mildly mimic Zambrano after launching a two-out home run in the fourth on May 21, pointing to the sky after crossing home plate, much like Zambrano does after big strikeouts.

 

At the time, Pierzynski mentioned the move was intensely personal and done because of something happening with his family that week. Whatever the explanation, there's no doubt Pierzynski plays hard and has the ability to get under the skin of opposing players.

 

Pierzynski also has no intention of changing his style of play because of a fine perceived as a warning for future issues.

 

"The question was posed to Bob Watson that, was he being fined for his history and his reputation?" said Pierzynski, who mentioned that Barrett helped have his fine reduced by telling arbitrator John McHale that Pierzynski did nothing wrong. "And Bob Watson said, 'Yes, as a warning.'

 

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws

 

What a crock!

 

Bob Watson & MLB are a joke!

Wow, this is quite the precedent. I didn't know they were in the business of fining players for playing hard.

Bob Watson is a complete asswipe! That is pathetic!

Well just when you think that Selig and his goons have retarded baseball enough, they stoop to a new level.

I don't know how he'll manage to pay that $250 fine, he'll probably end up in the poorhouse

 

If they really fined him for crap that's within the rules of the game it's ridiculous...but it's still only $250, that's like if someone fined me a penny.

That is incredible. Pete Rose and Ty Cobb would have been fined for every game they ever played in. Who the hell is Bob Watson anyway? Did he ever play baseball?

That is incredible. Pete Rose and Ty Cobb would have been fined for every game they ever played in. Who the hell is Bob Watson anyway? Did he ever play baseball?

Actually he played 19 very unspectacular seasons in the bigs mainly as a 1B, his major claim to fame was scoring baseball's 1 millionth run in 1975. He became the first black GM in baseball history when he was named GM of the Astros in '93, he also won a World Series as the GM of the Yanks in '96. He now serves as Major League Baseball's vice president in charge of discipline and vice president of rules and on-field operations.

other offenses that carry fines:

foul balls off the catcher, fine doubles if it is off the umpire, and possible suspension if it hits him in the junk

if on a tag the runner slides feet first and hurts the fielders hand, cause them spikes is sharp

punching water coolers

cussing

saying mean things to another player

brushing someone back, incidental is a fine, intentionally maybe a suspension

beating another team by more than 7 runs

 

all of these things are just not nice and shouldn't happen. lets play nice guys.

.... huh? attempting to bunt... could someone explain that? How could that possibly be a fineable offense?

.... huh? attempting to bunt... could someone explain that? How could that possibly be a fineable offense?

You ever see Z run? If he has to adjust his junk after every pitch, think about the monumental amount of adjustment if he has to field a ball off the mound. That's just not fair or comfortable to him.

AJ was fined because AJ had to be fined for something. (Not in my world, in MLB's.)

Edited July 15, 200619 yr by Balta1701

What a joke Bob Watson is.

The conversation sounds inane, but it was A J's version. Maybe that was how it went, maybe it wasn't.

Edited July 15, 200619 yr by wallyburger

It sounds like AJ is getting fined for playing hard and having an attitude.

 

If that's the case, Pete Rose would have been banned from baseball even without the gambling. And of course, Ty Cobb should be tossed out of the HOF.

 

Last month the Southtown ran a full-page piece on AJ, titled "The Man Who's Booed Too Much." I sent it to AJ and asked him to sign it and send it back to me, and he did. I'm going to frame it and hang it next to my ALCS and WS and parade front pages -- I love AJ, I think he personifies this team and Ozzieball.

there are so many nasty things i want to say right now, but i don't know where to start.

 

If you start fining players for bunting and sliding to hard or just playing hard, well than your ruining MLB. What a joke.

 

Fining someone for bunting. YOu gotta be F'n kidding me.

AJ was fined because AJ had to be fined for something. (Not in my world, in MLB's.)

 

Exactly.

 

 

Bob Watson is a dim man.

.... huh? attempting to bunt... could someone explain that? How could that possibly be a fineable offense?

I still dont understand.......what the heck is wrong about attempting a bunt?

Handing out a $2K fine to a man who is paid $5 million a year is equivalent to a parking ticket for you and me. Sucks, sure, but pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So a $250 fine is about 3 bucks and change.

 

While AJ didn't deserve to be fined, the astronomical amounts of money players are paid and the insignificant thousands they are fined are what makes me laugh. It's not unheard of that the NFL fines players by the game check.

Wow, this is quite the precedent. I didn't know they were in the business of fining players for playing hard.

 

The League of Extraordinarily Dumb Gentleman has spoken