Richie

How many of you felt a twinge of nostalgia which Rich Aurilia proved one of the heroes in Sunday's 5-3 victory over the Cardinals. Recent roster moves had put Aurilia's roster spot in jeopardy, leading some Giants fans to wax poetic about their favorite Richie moments. Aurilia's homer - performed with the same swing and quick trot the utility man has exhibited throughout his entire career - was his first this season. Aurilia's production has been minimal this year, but he remains a hard guy not to like. Whether it be his links to better days in Giants history or just the fact that he is one of those admirable players who may not be a hall of famer but still busts his tail and occasionally achieves something great, we're hoping to see Richie stick around for a few more swings.

Henry Schulman writes today that Aurilia does not worry about his roster status. "I don't think you can have fear over something you have no control over," Aurilia said. "I still feel I can help this team now. I proved it the other day. I don't think they've lost confidence in me, and I haven't lost confidence in myself."

Aurilia Signs Minor League Contract

The Giants are starting this week off by making the no-brainer move of signing Rich Aurilla to a minor league contract. Aurilla embodies the "Giant Way" the front office has been talking about - not to mention that it makes sense to retain a guy who can play four positions and still is a decent hitter. Aurilia batted .283 last year, with ten home runs. [Via MLB Trade Rumors]

Richie In '09?

Mention the possibility of Rich Aurilla coming back in '09 and Giants fans will head for the hills. But, Chris Haft raises some good points in this week's Giants Mailbag:

Although the Giants' veterans are gradually fading from prominence, the team can use Aurilia or somebody like him to provide stability in the infield, which could be an extremely inexperienced group next year. Aurilia's ability to play all four infield spots makes him a potentially valuable backup. I wonder, though, whether Giants management views Jose Castillo as somebody who also could fill this role. As usual, the offseason will be intriguing.

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.