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Giants Rich Aurilia tells 'em goodbye
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Aurilia waved goodbye in the ninth inning of Thursday's game. Jeff Chiu, AP.
Thursday at AT&T Park, a lifetime of baseball may have come to an emotional end for Rich Aurilia.
It’s easy to forget how remarkable Aurilia was in his best seasons with the Giants, especially in the heat of a pennant race. But, Aurilia was a link to one of the best eras the San Francisco Giants ever enjoyed – 1997-2003.
Here’s a bit of the post game reaction from the day San Francisco said goodbye to possibly its best short-stop since the team moved west.
Bruce Bochy on Rich:
“It was special to see how Richie was treated – he’s done so much for this organization. And, for the fans to how much they appreciate and respect him, we all enjoyed it.
Richie on his thoughts of his final day as a Giant in San Francisco:
“Great – a win with one of the best pitchers in baseball pitching, the only thing we could of wished for more is that we were still in the race. But on personal note, it was great. I was really hoping that last (fly-ball) would just fall in there. I thought I hit it just soft enough and cracked my bat enough, but not meant to be but, it’s been a great ride here, I have nothing but great memories of this place.”
On receiving several standing ovations:
“Not too bad (smiling), I’m thankful that ‘Boch’ put me in there today and let me have a day like that because it's something you’ll never forget as a player.”
“The first one surprised me. I guess they’ve been reading the papers lately knowing that this would be my last game here, but it’s an honor to be here for so long and to have those fans come out and support you. I’m honored to wear that uniform with ‘Giants’ across it for the majority of my career, and hopefully in the future I’ll be part of this organization, trying to continue to help them win.”
On the emotion he felt throughout the day:
“I’ve known this day was coming for a while, with everything that’s happened this year with my dad passing, I think I was kind of like emotioned-out for today. But you know I did have some tears out there, that’s why I had the sunglasses on when I went out to first base (laughing). But you know it was a really great day for me. I can’t thank the organization enough, I can’t thank the fans enough. The only thing I want is to see this organization win a World Series. I know I was the last guy in this room to play in one for them, so I guess it’s kind of the end of some kind of an era. They have a bright future ahead of them and hopefully I can contribute to helping these kids get better.”
On what he would you like to do next:
I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet if I want to try to play next year or not. I do know I won’t be back here as a player and that’s ok. The situation for me (to play) would probably have to be a real ideal situation, but I’m not going to make that decision yet. I’m going to go home and relax, decide what I want to do, and I know that I have relationships here that I’ll keep forever – and I know there’ll be a spot for me here if I decide to come back
On his favorite memories as a Giant:
“It’s funny because guys that haven’t been here, I always tell them when they ask me what my best memories are, and a lot of my best memories are on deck.”
“I was on deck when Brian Johnson homered in '97, I was on deck when J.T. (Snow) homered in the playoffs off Benitez, I was on deck when we clinched the NLCS to go to the World Series.
“So some of my better memories are not even involving me, which I guess in turn, at least I think, makes me a good teammate, because all my memories that are great here have nothing to do with what I’ve done.”
The last word:
“I’m proud of the fact that I’ve worn this uniform for 11 of my 14 or 15 years, and for the fans to really come out for me and support me, it really means a lot.”
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