Richie Is A Giant

Charlie and I went to see Rich Aurilia at the Giants Dugout Store several years back. He had a very quiet presence, but seemed like a humble and genuine guy. That was back in his first stint with the team, a run from 1995 to 2003, in which he saw one All Star appearance and countless postseason action. He was pretty well liked during that time for his timely hits, good looks, and 37 homer/97 RBI season of 2001. But Richie is not quite so well-liked now - his age and contract seem indicative of a Giants' strategy fans disagreed with. But, you see, I am not going to criticize the team's decision to bring Richie back and keep him around. Because ...

Richie is a Giant.

I'm sentimental, and the more baseball changes the harder it becomes to do so. It's so rare teams finish out their career with the team they started with. Even if Richie didn't start out in the Giants organization, it's where he had his best years, and he's way more of a Giant than he is a Mariner, Padre, or Red. It broke my heart that J.T. Snow had to finish his career in Boston. I'm happy to see Richie back in uniform, if only to bring back memories of better times.

To his credit, Richie's had a pretty solid Spring, both offensively and defensively, and looks to be the leading candidate for first base. Maybe I'll get the last laugh on this one.

Video: Aurilia's game-winning hit 4/18/07 against St. Louis.