Former Giants Wilson and Uribe take jeering in stride

SAN FRANCISCO – They were once two of the central figures on the team that ended the San Francisco Giants' 52-year-long championship drought.

Now they're the objects of persistent jeering.

Brian Wilson and Juan Uribe don't take it personally. They understand that's simply what happens when you cross sides in a rivalry.

Even the goodwill engendered by Jackie Robinson Day – when Hall of Fame broadcasters Vin Scully of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jon Miller of the Giants joined forces to introduce Tuesday's starting lineups on the AT&T Park PA system – was not enough to spare Wilson and Uribe from the fans' wrath.

The mere sight of Wilson getting up in the bullpen evoked a chorus of boos, much like those that greeted Uribe every time he stepped up to the plate. Among the other Dodgers, only the polarizing Yasiel Puig drew a similar reaction.

"We make light of it and talk about how the fans are not booing, they're saying 'Wilson,''' joked Giants reliever Javier Lopez, Wilson's former bullpen mate. "And they're not booing, they're saying, 'Uribe.' I talk to Wilson and try to have some fun with it.''

Wilson spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Giants before joining the Dodgers in August after recovering from elbow surgery. He got more of a mixed response when he returned to San Francisco in late September than Tuesday, when he was mostly booed.

"One's reaction is one's perception, so whatever way you perceive that will be either positive or negative,'' Wilson said philosophically. "I just see people standing up making noise. It's part of the game.''

Wilson saved six games during the Giants' championship run in 2010, including the World Series clincher, but missed nearly all of 2012 after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. He and the club could not come to a contract agreement after that season and he became a free agent, hooking up with the Dodgers for the stretch run and postseason.

With his bushy, jet-black beard, Wilson is a magnet for attention wherever he goes, and he's used to getting heckled on the road, so the boos don't much affect him. Plus, he said the interaction he's had with fans away from the ballpark has been almost always positive.

"One-on-one people are going to be nice,'' Wilson said. "In a group setting, people may not want to. It's totally understandable. It's fun to get a high-five for maybe getting a reaction out of a player. … Mostly, any time I run into someone in San Francisco, it's them thanking me for what I've done here, thanking me for being a part of a solid run. It's usually very classy.''

Uribe carved out a place in Giants' lore with his postseason heroics in 2010, including driving in the winning run in two National League Championship Series games.

After that season, though, he jumped to the Dodgers for a three-year, $21 million contract – about the same amount the Giants were offering. That decision was not well received by Giants fans, who were all over him upon his return.

"Yes, many booed me, but some applauded for me,'' Uribe said. "That always happens. You shouldn't feel bad about it. I understand. … I can't complain about them. They gave me great support in the time I was here.''

That hasn't always been the case in L.A., where Uribe had two miserable seasons before bouncing back with a strong second half last year, earning the starting job at third base and helping the club reach the playoffs.

Uribe, who re-signed for two years in the offseason, is off to a strong start with a .379 batting average. However, he hasn't won over the fans to the point they would chant his surname – "OOO-RIBE!'' – the way San Francisco fans did for him and his uncle, former Giants shortstop Jose Uribe.

"That was very emotional. I was very proud of the way they've treated my family,'' Uribe said. "You never forget that. You always carry it inside you.''

The booing, that he'll let slide off.