Aubrey Huff Is a Mocking Bird (Sorry)

In May ‘08, former Yankees pitcher Goose Gossage spoke out about Joba Chamberlain’s obnoxious celebrations on the mound, saying that there’s no place for them in baseball. He wasn’t the only one. David Dellucci expressed dismay over the fact that Joba can get away with yelling and fist-pumping after a strikeout, but if a hitter did that after a home run, it would be considered bush league.↵↵Fast forward to yesterday. Aubrey Huff hits a three-run homer in the first inning off Chamberlain. While rounding first base, and then again after touching home plate, he looks in Joba’s direction and does this:↵

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↵↵After the game, Huff said he wasn’t trying to mock Joba, he was just having some fun at Joba’s expense, which is totally different:↵

↵↵⇥“I always told the guys that if I get him, I’m going to give him a nice fist pump,” said Huff, who faced Chamberlain in his next two at-bats with men on base. “For me, it wasn’t really showing anybody up. I was just trying to have some fun with it. If he’s going to do that all the time, he’s got to understand that guys are going to be gunning for him. If you want to do that stuff, you got to expect the hitters to get you, too.” ↵↵Had the O’s won (they lost 5-3), something tells me Huff wouldn’t have been so quick to back off Joba after the game. Something also tells me that anytime someone hits a homer off Chamberlain, Papelbon, K-Rod or any other fist-pumping jackass, they should do cartwheels around the basepaths and somersault into home plate. Taking the high road is entirely overrated. ↵↵Oh, also: These two teams meet again in nine days. The bullpens best get their sprinting shoes ready. A shouting match could totally erupt at any moment. ↵

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