You know, I see articles like this — discussing Rich Aurilia’s return to the Giants — and I wonder if he would have been more accepted in Cincinnati if he had come on board with the same attitude he displays in that interview.
Looking back on his two seasons with the club, it’s clear that Aurilia did a lot of good things for the Reds. Better than many of us expected. But his first three months in the Queen City were spent complaining, rather than calling himself “a blue-collar” ballplayer and agreeing to play wherever needed, as he’s doing in San Francisco.
Oh well.
UPDATE: If you’re interested, here is Aurilia on Griffey:
Playing with Griff was like playing with a kid. He’s always upbeat, always smiling. Everybody knows that if he had been healthy, he’d be right there with Barry chasing the home run record. Someday I can say that I hit in front of Bonds and I hit in front of Griffey. That’s not too bad.