Let's Chill With Huff Boo's

[Skipjack33]

In a dream season, Huff hits .400 and gets booed before and after every at-bat.

[OsStormers]

I'm glad the guy did well tonight obviously. But still when you basically say you don't feel like putting in the work to study the game, that all you have to do is see the ball hit the ball. But yet you only hit 15 HR's last year when we are paying him to hit the deep ball, no thanks not off the hook yet. He has to do more than just beat up the Rays everytime we play them.

***edit By the way that being said, I wouldn't boo the guy if I were at any of the games early this season. Just personally I don't let him off the hook yet.

[Oriole4Life]

I agree with the original poster. Give the guy a break. He said some dumb things. Real dumb. He insulted the city, nightlife or whatever. But he's a player on our team who I think is going to have a rebound season. I'd say a smattering of boos mixed with heavy cheering at his first at-bat tommorow, then that's it.

[Pushmonkey]

at least the guy hasn't done steroids...as far as we know

With his body and Millar's I doubt they will ever get accused of having great bodies.

[BaltimoreTerp]

In a dream season, Huff hits .400 and gets booed before and after every at-bat.

You dream that our fans are morons?

[orioles119]

I'm glad the guy did well tonight obviously. But still when you basically say you don't feel like putting in the work to study the game, that all you have to do is see the ball hit the ball. But yet you only hit 15 HR's last year when we are paying him to hit the deep ball, no thanks not off the hook yet. He has to do more than just beat up the Rays everytime we play them.

***edit By the way that being said, I wouldn't boo the guy if I were at any of the games early this season. Just personally I don't let him off the hook yet.

Get over it already.

[RShack]

Ballplayers are a superstitious bunch, right?

When something's working, they don't wanna change anything for fear of losing whatever's working, right?

So, wouldn't that mean that he'd *want* people to keep booing him?

[IHeartMASN]

Exactly, he's actually hit the ball well in the first two games. Boo him all the way to an MVP award

[Moose Milligan]

I can't get mad at the fans who boo him for being upset with his comments. For as many people here who are proud to be from Baltimore, they are quick to want to forgive/forget about those comments.

The people who are booing Huff are proud Baltimoreans, there's nothing wrong with that. The booing doesn't have anything to do with his performance, it has to do with how his feelings on the city that were captured at a candid, public moment.

I wouldn't boo him, but I can't get mad at the reasoning behind others who are.

[geschinger]

I can't get mad at the fans who boo him for being upset with his comments. For as many people here who are proud to be from Baltimore, they are quick to want to forgive/forget about those comments.

The people who are booing Huff are proud Baltimoreans, there's nothing wrong with that. The booing doesn't have anything to do with his performance, it has to do with how his feelings on the city that were captured at a candid, public moment.

I wouldn't boo him, but I can't get mad at the reasoning behind others who are.

Being quick to move on is a good thing. Although I don't have any issues with people who feel they need to boo him I also don't have any issues with those people who are disappointed with those fans who do feel the need to boo.

[longflyball]

I hear that Huff has apologized for insulting Baltimore. Great.

When is he going to apologize for jogging to first on grounders? Or for his admitted "I don't give a damn" attitude towards staying in shape and working on his game?

I'm not so naive as to expect athletes to be perfect role models and such. But any player who clearly doesn't try and doesn't care deserves every 'boo' they get. And the list of current O's who are guilty of this sort of thing is still too long.

[orayole]

Let's see how he does against a team not from Tampa.

[jeffmantoformvp]

I live and breath Baltimore. I'm working waiter shifts to pay for my rent at 24th and Guilford. I hear gunshots. I see tranny prostitutes from my back porch nightly. Corner kids aplenty. I get rocks thrown at me on my bike. Blue light cameras blinking at 25th.

But still, after how Huff as done in the first two games, I'm done booing. Let's see how it goes, though. The articles yesterday gave quotes I'd never heard. Shame on the press, but good on Huff.

Let's wait for my friends, who grew up living across the street from Memorial stadium, to tell me to stop booing. I'm almost ready to give up the ghost.

[justD]

When is he going to apologize for jogging to first on grounders? Or for his admitted "I don't give a damn" attitude towards staying in shape and working on his game?

Um, that's pretty much what he did tonight.

I typed up what I heard in his interview tonight because I thought there was some good stuff in there:

Aubrey Huff Interview by Fred Manfra on Orioles Postgame Show, WHFS, April 2, 2008:

FM: What a sweet win. You fall behind twice by 3 runs and come back to win the ballgame!

AH: Yeah, it shows a lot of character for a young team. Obviously we had a lot of guys on the board today, Adam Jones, and B-Rob is always spectacular. It's good to see a hard-fought battle like that, coming from behind, with such a young team and everybody really giving us no chance this year. It just goes to show that hey, we can go out and play with anybody and put up a good showing.

FM: One thing is that you picked up where you left off against your old ballclub. They may be called the Rays now, but still, the success for you -- last year, seven home runs against Tampa Bay and in your second game against them this year, another shot, four runs driven in for you tonight.

AH: Well, hopefully that will be the theme with everybody this year, not just the Rays, that's the idea. But I'm really trying to concentrate this year on getting off to a better start. I've never been a really good starter, and hopefully this will get me jump-started and get some confidence going. Going through all the "boo's" is tough, but maybe I can get that monkey off my back with that 2-run shot, and hopefully we can win some hearts back here.

FM: Well, you're doing everything you can to win those hearts. At FanFest you wore the T-shirt, and you've apologized I don't know how many times now. What more can you do than drive in runs and hit home runs, eh?

AH: Well that's all I can do, that's all I can do. But hopefully, I mean like I said, it was stupid to do those things on the radio this offseason. I've learned my lesson, and I'm paying for it dearly. All I can ask is forgiveness from the fans and hopefully let the bat do the talking the rest of the way.

FM: A key part in this ball game, we go back to the 5th inning with the bases loaded, the Rule 5 kid Bierd comes out, double-play ball, run scores, but that was it. He's been very impressive through Spring Training and in his Major League debut.

AH: Yeah, Dave said it too. He's a guy that's a Rule 5 guy, but he didn't make the club because he was a Rule 5 - he made the club because he pitched that well in Spring Training. And the kind of stuff he showed tonight got Daniel out of a big jam, and you know you can't say enough about him. He's done that all Spring, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come for him.

FM: You being on a young ballclub, you have to set a veteran example. How do you and guys like Melvin Mora and Ramon Hernandez do that?

AH: Well, I've been on a lot of young teams, like with the Rays down there, and it's all about not so much being the "Rah Rah" guy, but just doing things right, and I'm really trying to do the right thing this year. There have been some times in the past when I've been kinda lackadaisical, and have been criticized for that. This year I'm really trying to bust it, every at-bat, and really put forth a better effort than sometimes I have in the past.

FM: You mentioned Adam Jones. Tonight he gets his first Orioles hit, then drives in his first Orioles run, he's a kid with a bright future. And those deals that were made in the offseason, you lose a superstar in Miggy and an outstanding pitcher in Bedard, but what you got back are like what you said, things you can build on for the future.

AH: That's the thing with rebuilding: You've gotta stay patient with it. You're gonna take some lumps but you're also going to see some outstanding things out of these young guys, especially Adam Jones. I've seen some things in BP and have seen how quick his hands are, and his arm is tremendous. He threw a ball from Left-Center today to second on a line, and it got there in a hurry, and still almost got the guy at second. He's going to be an exciting player. And there's just nothing but good things for him, and the thing is that it will just get better with time.

FM: Well Aubrey, congratulations on the win tonight. It's a kinda sweet win against Tampa Bay, but a lot of things went nicely for a young ballclub.

AH: They showed a lot of heart, and that's a good thing about a young team: they're hungry, and they never want to give up on any at-bat. No matter how far down you are, they're always trying to prove themselves, and that's what you saw tonight.

[orayole]

Um, that's pretty much what he did tonight.

I typed up what I heard in his interview tonight because I thought there was some good stuff in there:

That's all nice but now he's gotta follow through with it, and so far he hasn't.