The 2010 San Francisco Giants baseball team were a band of misfits and mercenaries, many of whom were discounted or written off by the other teams of the MLB. Amongst this group of characters, and playing at first base, was Aubrey Huff. He was a king amongst the misfits and a team leader with his bat. If the San Francisco Giants did not have Aubrey Huff in 2010 they probably would not have won the World Series. However, in 2012, there are many cries for the king to be dethroned and as I write this in April Aubrey Huff has been put on the disabled list for anxiety. As the rumor mill swirls, (divorces, etc) Giants fans may want to look beyond the stat sheets and think outside of the diamond somewhat.
Firstly, as I write this, there is no information as to what is going on in Aubrey Huff’s life outside of baseball to cause anxiety, nor do I think there needs to be. The problem for his public image is he takes the leave right after having a terrible game in which his error helped the other team get the winning run. Aubrey Huff was put in to play second base for the first time in his career and his natural instincts overruled common sense and he ran towards first instead of second during what would have been an inning saving double play. I don’t blame Huff for the loss. The Giants still could have gotten out of the inning if not for a Mets player performing a nice slide at home plate and causing a Buster Posey error. However, Aubrey Huffs detractors had a lot more fuel for the fire and the word “inexcusable” was even thrown around by sports broadcasters in regards to Huff’s mental lapse. Is a part of Huff’s anxiety perhaps being brought on by his slow start to the 2012 season and lame 2011 season? Are Giants fans too quick to call for his head?
Aubrey Huff earned his payday from the Giants after his 2010 season. When the 2011 season started, however, there was a new rookie named Brandon Belt pushing for a spot on the roster and ultimately Aubrey Huff’s position at first. Brandon Belt made the team because someone else was injured. Aubrey Huff got his world changed and started getting put into the outfield to play baseball. It was a terrible experiment and watching Aubrey Huff flail around in the outfield was cringe worthy. Giants fans wanting the best for their brand new rookie talent were dismayed to see Brandon Belt yo-yoed back and forth from the minors to the majors during the 2011 season as Belt was having trouble finding his swing at the plate. Also, he spent some time gone because he got injured; people seem to forget Brandon Belt missed that time that was not chosen to happen by the Giants coaching. They complained that the Giants were hurting the young man by not giving him stability. But what about Aubrey Huff? After giving his all to the team in 2010, here he was with a young player breathing down the back of his neck, wanting his spot, and getting himself shuffled around to accommodate. There had to be a lot of added pressure. You can say that the Giants were ruining Brandon Belt, but one could also say that what they were doing was hurting Aubrey Huff and his stability as well. Aubrey Huff, one three homer game against the Saint Louis Cardinals aside, never really found his footing in 2011 and his weak season along with the Giants not making the playoffs did not help endure him to the already fickle fans.
Unfortunately, in 2012 Aubrey Huff seems to have picked up where he left off in 2011: not doing so well in the batter’s box. Now, on top of Brandon Belt, he also has Brett Pill, wanting his job. It is the nature of the game, always someone there to take your place, but the fan base has been especially vocal in wanting Aubrey Huff ousted. Again and again it seems those who favor Brandon Belt are out front still claiming he has not been given a chance and the 2011 season was a horrible way to treat him. I don’t recall anyone complaining about how the newly contracted, already proven first baseman Aubrey Huff was not given the ideal circumstances to thrive in 2011 either. Sure, he played in a lot of games, but what fans do not see or feel is the personal pressure and reality of what a player is putting themselves under. Many view it with outside eyes and often blinded by the huge paychecks the sport stars are getting to play a game. Many baseball players suit up for the game like warriors going into battle, it is a game, and it is a job, but it is also a lifestyle. It is the same with many careers, for example a fast food manager running a store lives and breathes his job: it’s more than a job and a paycheck at a certain point. Problems at work can easily equal problems in life. Fast food managers don’t tend to have a world of people watching and picking apart their every day though. I know, “boo-hoo, wipe your tears with your millions.”
Life is bigger than baseball and you cannot use the word “inexcusable” until humans have been replaced by machines. Aubrey Huff is human and whatever the issue may be causing him “anxiety” I hope he recovers strong from it, and I even hope he suits up again and shows why the first base position on the San Francisco Giants is his. It was given to him because he earned it and it just seems everyone caught up in prospect hype turned on him before the 2011 season was barely out of the gate. It may be too late for Aubrey Huff to win back the respect that was taken from him, but hopefully he can at least find a place in his own mind to realize his place in history, and the business, and the greatness of his contributions already given to a sport, a game, and our entertainment. Heck, even his leave for anxiety stirs the soap opera for us! Even if he ends up on the bench because Brett Pill or Brandon Belt have earned their spot in the roster, Aubrey Huff should feel accomplished, keep up his spirit, feel like a part of the team, and earn a 2012 World Series ring! He has fans, it doesn’t matter if someone else has more, Aubrey Huff is on a baseball card somewhere in someone’s collection, labeled a keeper.
