News
Veteran Aurilia is savoring final days
Infielder says he's been proud to wear Giants uniform
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
09/28/09 6:28 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Though it's not polite to point, Rich Aurilia had nothing but love and respect in his heart as he aimed a finger at the Giants jersey hanging in his AT&T Park dressing stall. "I'm proud," he said, "to wear that uniform." Barring an inconceivable combination of events, this is the last week that Aurilia will don Giants gear as an active player. At age 38, he's batting .224 in 57 games. He made the last of his 21 starts on July 17. His contract will expire at the end of the season. It's not the profile of a player with a Major League future. "With my age and the amount I was used this year, all signs point that I won't be back here playing," Aurilia said recently. "And I need to decide if I want to try to play anywhere next year. I haven't made a decision yet and I don't see making one in the near future." It's only slightly melodramatic to say that Aurilia's departure will mark the end of an era. Among the Giants' active players, he's the last link to the team's wondrous stretch of 1997-2004, when San Francisco averaged 92 victories per season, won three division titles, forced one Wild Card playoff game and won the Wild Card en route to the World Series. Aurilia has spent 11 of his 14 seasons with the Giants, including the first seven years of that aforementioned eight-year stretch. During virtually all of that span, Aurilia was San Francisco's everyday shortstop, a fixture in the lineup with Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and J.T. Snow. "He's earned his place in Giants history," general manager Brian Sabean said. Giants fans also understand what Aurilia symbolizes. Expect them to shower him with cheers and applause if and when he leaves the bench during the Giants' final home series of 2009, a three-game set with Arizona beginning Tuesday. "I feel like I've made an impact on the fans by the way I play the game and just being professional," Aurilia said. "I thank them for supporting me." That professionalism is what Aurilia's peers mention most as his defining quality. Aurilia has played well and often enough to rank sixth on the Giants' San Francisco-era (since 1958) all-time lists in hits (1,226) and games (1,289). But the way Aurilia immersed himself in the game eclipsed his statistics.| "[Rich Aurilia] has earned his place in Giants history." |
| -- Giants general manager Brian Sabean |
"He always had great hands and an accurate arm," Wotus said.
Wotus soon learned even more about Aurilia, who the Giants obtained from the Rangers with first baseman Desi Wilson for right-hander John Burkett on Dec. 24, 1994. Wotus managed Aurilia in the Minors for fractions of the next three seasons before ascending to the Giants coaching staff in '98.
"Richie has respect for the game and he cares," Wotus said. "That's important when you're trying to build a winning situation. He's a real professional. That's the best compliment I can give him. He's always prepared to play." Aurilia also helps teammates prepare by drawing upon his experience to offer advice. "From Day 1, Richie's been a great teammate," right-hander Matt Cain said. "He's been a guy that everybody can talk to, no matter what. Last year and this year he probably didn't play as much as he wanted, but he never pushed that on anybody else. He never brought other guys down with him. If anybody had a problem, they came up to him and he gave his [thoughts]. He'll tell you stuff you don't want to hear, but he feels like you're going to get better from that." Asked to recall a specific message from Aurilia, Cain said, "The biggest thing, and I think we've seen a lot of it this year, is to have fun. This is maybe the last year he's going to play. He really wanted to enjoy it, he wanted to enjoy it here with the Giants, and I think he has."True enough.
"I'm just glad I got a chance to come back here, put on that Giant uniform again and be around these guys and see the level of excitement this year," said Aurilia, who signed a one-year deal before this season. "I'm trying to enjoy my last few days here and make the most out of them. Enjoy my teammates, enjoy the ballpark and think back on some of the great times that I've had here, both on and off the field."
Last Saturday, for example, the heat and the Octoberesque mid-afternoon shadows reminded Aurilia of Game 3 of the 2002 National League Championship Series, when Bonds erased a 3-0 deficit with a home run against the Cardinals before the Giants eventually lost."Every day something else pops in my head," Aurilia said.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of people are entrenched in Aurilia's memory."I don't know if there's enough space to name everybody," Aurilia said, who thanked former Giants stars Robby Thompson and Matt Williams for their influence. "They took me under their wing and taught me how to be a professional and play the game the right way."
| "I feel like I'm a true Giant no matter where I go or end up." |
| -- Rich Aurilia |
Like every Giant, Aurilia paid homage to Mike Murphy, the team's longtime clubhouse manager. He cited Snow, Randy Winn, Kirk Rueter and Robb Nen as just a few of the many teammates he'll cherish forever. And he thanked former manager Dusty Baker, now with Cincinnati, "For believing in me and sticking with me when I wasn't doing well at times."
Aurilia, who resides with his wife, Raquel, and two sons in Phoenix, expressed a desire to continue serving the Giants in some capacity. He didn't cite specifics, but many observers believe he'd excel as a radio or television commentator, or given his vast playing experience, as a talent evaluator, instructor or coach. "I feel like I'm a true Giant no matter where I go or end up," Aurilia said. "I would hope, if I do decide not to play next year, that I'd have an opportunity to help this organization in some way or another, like some of the other guys that have come back here. ... "Hopefully in the future I'll have an opportunity to help this team win in a different way. Because there's nothing I want more than for this organization to finally win a World Series in San Francisco."Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
