He was too whiny, I guess the creators of this TV show made the resemblance that daughters get mostly their father genes and son's get their mother genes.

A.J. is a reallistic character, he's whining just like his mother. And I doubt the show would be as much interesting as it is if A.J. would be shown following Tony's steps. You can't compare Tony with A.J., because Tony is a grown man who's been all his life in the mob and he has gained a lot of experience, while A.J. is a kid who has no sense of what's crime or street smarts.

But somewhat it seemed due to his status in life, like no education or proper work he could end up in the crime life if he matured up. Don't know what result would that make, but maybe it's just me who thinks like that.