Why was Aubrey Huff crying after the Giants’ victory?

It was the highlight that sparked a big question on Friday night. Why was San Francisco Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff(notes) crying in the team's postgame handshake line? Especially since they had just defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4-3?

Since most of us saw the clip without any context (or without any sound in restaurants and bars), there were a lot of questions to be asked. Was he upset over the death of the clubhouse water cooler after Brian Wilson(notes) took a bat to it after a blown save? Was he remembering the .567 OPS he posted for the Tigers during an ill-fated playoff push in 2009? Or just simply missing his retired red rally thong?

Given Huff's reputation as a prankster, I thought he was probably just hamming it up and joking for the entertainment of his teammates. It's a theory supported by someone close to the team, San Jose Mercury News reporter Andrew Baggarly.

From the Mercury News:

"Several folks have asked me why Aubrey Huff appeared to be wiping away tears in the handshake line. Not sure, but Huff has this mock crying performance thing that he does often, usually when he's talking about his batting average. He'll start laughing and end up crying. He's a showman."

That's not to say Huff doesn't have a sentimental side. The Stew was there last November when he cried and cried after winning the World Series. But given that Friday's game was just another during the grind of a season it's probably safe to say he was just messing around.

UPDATE: Huff confirms to Baggarly that he was indeed just joking around.

Huff said he was just clowning around, as he usually does. "I can't take this stress! That kind of thing," he said.


(yahoosports.com)