most likely to be beaned, 2006

white sox manager ozzie guillen has said some dumb and hurtful things lately, but his comments on catcher a.j. pierzynski certainly ring true to twins fans:

"If you play against A.J., you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him less."

evidently many players agree with the skip. a new sports illustrated survey found that mr. pierzynski tallied the most votes among the 470 players who were asked which major leaguer would you most like to see get beaned? congratulations, mr. pierzynski! you easily outdistance barry bonds, who finished a strong second.

it hardly seems fair, though. anthony john pierzynski is a tough, durable catcher who hits well and plays solid defense, yet he has somehow managed to annoy, alienate, irk, peeve, and vex coaches and teammates at every stop in his career.

i've gotta admit that i, for one, sort of miss the big lug. we locals loved The Trade that brought us nathan, liriano, and bonser. still, mr. pierzynski's successor, joe "baby jesus" mauer (ho hum. another five for five tonight), is just not as ... fiesty ... as aj. i'm sure that other athletes (and sociologists and dictators, no doubt, but let's stick to sports) fit skipper guillen's description. danny ainge springs immediately to mind. who else do we hate just a little less when they're playing on our side?