One day after Jake Peavy had some harsh words for A.J. Pierzynski while leaving the mound -- and more for him in the tunnel afterward -- nobody is exactly sure what it's about. The pitcher and catcher didn't have their stories straight:
Even though it's unclear what started the argument, Doug Padilla wonders whether this could be a turning point.
If Peavy is just pushing to get the most out of himself and his teammates there’s probably a better way of doing it than potentially alienating the person he has to trust the most each time he takes the field.
If this is about Pierzynski’s inability to throw out base stealers, challenging him somewhat derisively on the field probably isn’t the best approach. If this was about pitch selection, shake the guy off or call him out to the mound and get real face to face.
Maybe this was about Peavy telling Pierzynski, not so eloquently, to bear down and help the next guy on the mound more than he was helped.
Whatever the case, we now have a moment to point back to.
I'm willing to drop it, mainly because I can't pick a favorite. Pierzynski did throw Gavin Floyd under the bus for not slowing the running game enough, so maybe Peavy's standing up for him. Peavy also seemed to shake off Pierzynski more than the average White Sox starter, but Pierzynski could say that he'd have a better idea of what to call if Peavy could pitch for a month.
Either way, I wouldn't call it a turning point, because the Sox will only transform into a stout contender if they can get any kind of production from DH, left field and third base. Peavy and Pierzynski have no say in those positions.
Having read numerous accounts of what led to Jim Riggleman's surprise resignation, Tom Boswell's column makes the most sense to me. He acknowledges Riggleman's tenuous existence, but says he had plenty left to prove, and Mike Rizzo had to work for everything he's had as a general manager.
Speaking of the Nationals, Edwin Jackson's "What Could Have Been" tour continues tonight with a start against his former future team (before Rizzo and/or his overlords had second thoughts), one start after he lost a head-to-head battle with Daniel Hudson.
Daryl Van Schouwen explores the philosophy of self-described "bartender-slash-psychologist" Don Cooper, and Matt Thornton best sums up the spirit of the thing:
‘‘When I struggled early in the season, he always looked for the positives in my outings, even if I had a bad game, and reinforced those,’’ Thornton said. "He has seen a lot of pitchers come through here. It’s not so much about changing guys drastically. He finds what they do well and reinforces that.’’
Mark Polishuk looks at what it would take to lock Carlos Quentin down for multiple free-agent seasons, and comes to the figure in the neighborhood of four years and $40 million.
If we're not able to see the Cuban Tank roam left field in Chicago, we can at least watch him play on ESPN2 on July 10.