Aubrey Huff, a World Series Champion and a Great San Francisco Giant

No need for a game recap as all Giants fans were watching as the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers in Game 5 and won their first World Series since they were known as the New York Giants.  So I thought I would talk about something more interesting.  Maybe it's a bit too sentimental but after waiting for so long to have a World Series title in San Francisco that is all I got, sentiment.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then this says it all.  The rookie catcher embracing the 11-year veteran who had never played in one playoff game in his entire career.

In any other year, the story would be about how Buster Posey was called up in May, took the starting catching job, caught the best pitching staff in baseball, and hit .305 in 108 games.  Oh and possibly won the Rookie of the Year.

But not this year.

Call me sentimental but the story has to be about an 11-year veteran, who had never been to the playoffs. 

Aubrey Huff is that veteran.  Prior to this year he had spent almost his entire career in the AL East playing for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Baltimore Orioles.  Always looking up at the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees in the standings and never having a chance to play a meaningful game in September. 

Coming off of his worst season in 2009 with the Detroit Tigers, he had no job offers and no calls until the San Francisco Giants signed him on January 10th at a minscul one-year, $3 million.  The lowest salary he had earned since 2004. 

He was signed with the hopes that they would get the Aubrey Huff of 2008, when he was an offensive machine hitting .304 with 32 homeruns and 108 RBIs.  They were hoping that 2009 was an anomoly and they got their wish.  Huff batted .290 with 26 homeruns and 86 RBIs and played the best defense of his entire career.  Huff was everything the Giants asked for and more.  He was a veteran on and off the field and a great clubhouse guy and now is a World Series Champion.