Few players know how to get a reaction from his peers, the fans and even the umpires, quite like Boston Red Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski. He's like a classic pro wrestling villain. Even though you know it's a part of his schtick, he knows what buttons to push and when to push them to get under your skin. He's a master at it, but that isn't really surprising considering Pierzynski grew up watching men like "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, Pierzynski's "heel" like tendencies haven't faded as he's grown older. In fact, during a game against the Cleveland Indians on June 4, they led directly to an ejection. After Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera drew a walk, which Pierzynski obviously didn't agree with, he subtly jabbed home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott with an insult akin to Piper's dreaded double eye poke.*
A.J. Pierzynski got ejected from a game this month for telling an ump, "Give me a new ball. One you can see." http://t.co/26pKLH4SIc #RedSox
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) June 26, 2014
Umpires aren't very receptive to vision jokes, so it's not surprising that Wolcott sold that one.*
The funny thing is, if Pierzynski's "promo" — as it's called in wrestling — was aired to the viewing audience at home, he probably would have drawn a favorable reaction.
First and foremost, it was hilarious. Second, the umpires are the villains that are always plotting to ruin your team's season. Any dig at them works for every fanbase and every demographic.
Speaking of umpires, the Pierzynski story was a good hook, but Castrovince has a lot more in his column which discusses the rise of ejections in MLB this season despite the implementation of expanded replay. About one month ago, we learned the number was up 22 percent. That didn't change much at all in June, and Castrovince take a little deeper look into what's causing the surprising spike. It's definitely worth a read.*
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813