Torii Hunter givin up on central?

[GASHWOUND]

Wow, Hunter given us props..who'd of thunk..

http://www.startribune.com/stories/509/5476366.html

 

Jim Souhan: If you ask Hunter, Twins can't catch White Sox

Jim Souhan, Star Tribune

June 26, 2005

 

MILWAUKEE -- Torii Hunter is mounting a one-man campaign for Twins hope this month. His three homers against the Brewers on Friday and Saturday, along with his latest Spiderman-quality catch in the Metrodome, argue that he'll never concede the division title, but words speak louder than actions.

 

Hunter, the Twins' center fielder, sounds like he's waving a white flag at the White Sox. Considering his history of concussing their catchers and repossessing their home runs, the Sox may have never received such high, or unexpected, praise.

 

"We can't keep up with the White Sox -- they're ripping through everybody," Hunter said. "They've got the best record in the major leagues. If people say we need to keep up with the White Sox, then we've got no chance.

 

"All we can do is keep playing ball, and we'll try to sneak that wild card out of there."

 

Hunter told me all this late Friday.

 

The Twin had suffered another one of their maddening, hit-deprived losses.

 

As the Twins have skidded, Hunter has surged. If the Twins were playing well enough to gather national recognition, he'd be on the minds of All-Star voters. After his annual slow start, he leads the team in homers, RBI, steals and rib-bruising catches.

 

It pains him to admit that the White Sox may have slipped out of reach, but he sees in the Sox many of the same traits -- pitching, fielding, grit and resourcefulness -- that marked the Twins' run of division championships.

 

"We've got some young guys," Hunter said. "That is the hand we've been dealt, and we've got to deal with it, no matter what. We can use it as an excuse, but I still think we can go out there and win.

 

"But with the inexperience we've got, it's tough. I still think we're doing a pretty good job with what we've got, but we've won the division three times.

 

"I'm spoiled. I want to win it again."

 

The first thing a visitor to the Twins' clubhouse on Friday afternoon saw was Twins players watching the White Sox blow out the Cubs, for their eighth consecutive victory. The Twins kept looking up from their card games to curse the TV set and Cubs pitchers.

 

On Saturday afternoon, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire held his daily news briefing in his office, and as he talked, Carl Everett and Jermaine Dye hit homers.

 

"You just keep shaking your head," Gardenhire said. "Why watch? I'd rather watch golf."

 

So Gardenhire flipped around the channels, landing on a movie called "Forces of Nature."

 

The Twins must think that's the title of a documentary on the 2005 White Sox.

 

"They're just running on streaks, winning six and seven and eight in a row, and you sit there and wonder if they'll ever lose a ballgame," Gardenhire said. "We can't do anything about it. They just don't seem to be doing too much wrong."

 

There are a few reasons to think the Twins could pull off one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent baseball history. The teams have 13 games left between Aug. 15 and Sept. 25, so if the Twins could climb to within, say, six games of first place by early August, they'd have a fighting chance.

 

But a realist would assess the Twins' condition thusly:

 

• The Red Sox look poised to run away with the AL East. The Orioles could collapse, meaning the Twins' main wild-card competition from the East could come from the floundering Yankees.

 

• Cleveland and perhaps Detroit could threaten the Twins in the wild-card race. The teams have talent, but neither exactly sends shivers down Twins' spines.

 

• The Angels should pull away in the West, and the Rangers lack pitching depth.

 

Because a wild-card team has won the past three World Series, maybe the Twins should look at it this way:

 

They're not trailing the White Sox. They're leading the Yanks.

 

"It's sad, for us to be this far behind Chicago, but they're doing what they're supposed to do, and we can't do anything about it," Hunter said. "I hate that, because I'm with the Twins and I want to win, but they're playing good ball. We can't touch them."

 

Hunter sighed, inserted an earring and shook his head, saying once more for emphasis, "We can't touch those boys right now."

[GASHWOUND]

Also from same paper

http://www.startribune.com/stories/509/5475413.html

 

History says Twins in trouble

 

Baseball history is filled with examples of amazing comebacks the Twins could have pointed to Wednesday night, when they fell 10 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.

 

In 1951, the New York Giants trailed the Brooklyn Dodgers by 13½ games on Aug. 11 but roared back to force a one-game playoff, setting the stage for Bobby Thompson's home run.

 

In 1969, the New York Mets erased a 9½-game deficit over the final seven weeks against the Chicago Cubs to win the NL East and eventually the World Series.

 

In 1978, the New York Yankees trailed the Boston Red Sox by 14 games on July 19 but came back to leave a generation of Red Sox fans cursing Bucky Dent.

 

But to their credit, the Twins have been so concerned about their own play of late, they haven't let Chicago's amazing success bother them too much.

 

"I can't even worry about those guys," Twins center fielder Torii Hunter said. "They're in another world right now."

 

Things can obviously change quickly. By doing nothing but winning, Chicago increased its lead over the Twins from four games to 10 games in just more than a week.

 

History says building that big of a lead in June should result in an AL Central title.

 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the White Sox became the 27th team since 1901 to take a 10-game lead atop their division or league in June. And here's the part that should make a Twins fan gulp: All 26 of the others went on to win those respective titles.

 

In other words, unless the Twins plan to make like the 1978 Yankees -- who trailed the Red Sox by nine games at the end of June -- they might as well focus on the wild-card race.

 

Entering Friday, the Twins (39-32) trailed the Red Sox by 1½ games in the wild-card race. Here's a closer look at the teams they could be fighting for that final playoff berth, with records through Friday:

 

Boston Red Sox (42-30)

 

• Why they're dangerous: The defending World Series champs hope to have Curt Schilling back from his ankle injury by mid-July. Boston GM Theo Epstein showed a deft touch at the trade deadline last year, so he'll likely address whatever weaknesses this team has, presumably in the bullpen.

 

• Why they could stumble: If Schilling and David Wells can't stay healthy, things could get dicey. But the bet here says the Red Sox will make the playoffs. The question is, will another AL East team be joining them again in October?

 

Baltimore Orioles (42-31)

 

• Why they're dangerous: They have led the AL East most of the season, and they've sustained injuries to Javy Lopez, Erik Bedard, Luis Matos and now Melvin Mora.

 

• Why they could stumble: When the Red Sox and Yankees were really struggling, the Orioles might have missed a chance to build a bigger cushion. Baltimore has a better farm system than the Yankees, but will the Orioles deal from their strengths to add a top starting pitcher (such as Jason Schmidt or Barry Zito) for the stretch?

 

New York Yankees (37-36)

 

• Why they're dangerous: As bad as they've looked, they are George Steinbrenner's Yankees, and all signs point to them trading for Oakland center fielder Mark Kotsay or whatever expensive parts they need to fix the leaks.

 

• Why they could stumble: They've been nothing if not inconsistent. After going 3-9 on a trip to Kansas City, Minnesota, Milwaukee and St. Louis, they won six in a row against the Pirates and the Cubs. Then, they lost three of four against the Devil Rays this week.

 

Cleveland Indians (37-34)

 

• Why they're dangerous: They have hit better than when they started the season 12-18, and it has shown off a bullpen that leads baseball with a 2.72 ERA.

 

• Why they could stumble: Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro will obviously go for it if he feels his team has a chance, but back in April he hinted that the club might be a year away. So the path would have to be clear for this team to alter its long-term plan for a trade that can help it win this year.

 

Texas Rangers (37-34)

 

• Why they're dangerous: With Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano, the Rangers rank among the league leaders in runs scored. And Kenny Rogers and Chris Young give them a potent 1-2 duo atop their rotation.

 

• Why they could stumble: So many Rangers teams have stumbled in the late-summer Texas heat. The pitching staff probably isn't deep enough to keep them in it for 162 games.

 

Detroit Tigers (35-35)

 

• Why they're dangerous: They have been winning, and within the next couple of weeks they could get All-Star shortstop Carlos Guillen and outfielder Magglio Ordonez back from the disabled list. Jeremy Bonderman also looks like a budding ace.

 

• Why they could stumble: The starting pitching is still so young, it's hard to fathom them having the kind of August and September it would take to reach the playoffs, at least this year.

 

Toronto Blue Jays (37-37)

 

• Why they're dangerous: Roy Halladay has returned to his Cy Young form, and after struggling the first two months, lefty Ted Lilly is starting to look like the All-Star he was a year ago.

 

• Why they could stumble: After years of trying to trim payroll, the Blue Jays have money to spend. But GM J.P. Ricciardi only plans to use it on an expensive trade if the team has a legitimate chance to make it.

 

Short hops

 

• Entering Saturday, the AL Central was 40-21 against the NL West this season. It would have been better had the Twins not gone 5-7 against the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants and Padres.

 

• Roger Clemens has a 1.51 ERA -- the lowest it has been through 15 starts in his 22-year career.

 

• The Washington Nationals entered Saturday averaging 32,052 fans per game and reportedly are on pace to turn a $20 million profit. Major League Baseball still owns the club, but GM Jim Bowden will get permission to add payroll for a deadline deal.

[Kalapse]

Is this a paper printing old Torii Hunter quotes or is Hunter saying this s*** again?

[rangercal]

The Twins kept looking up from their card games to curse the TV set and Cubs pitchers.

[GASHWOUND]

Is this a paper printing old Torii Hunter quotes or is Hunter saying this s*** again?

 

He said this stuff on Friday..didn't you read it?

[Kalapse]

He said this stuff on Friday..didn't you read it?

No. I just remember Hunter saying the same thing a couple weeks ago and people claiming that he's trying to play mind games with the Sox. Since then the Sox have gained like 7 1/2 games in the standings.

[witesoxfan]

No. I just remember Hunter saying the same thing a couple weeks ago and people claiming that he's trying to play mind games with the Sox. Since then the Sox have gained like 7 1/2 games in the standings.

 

So it obviously worked

[Mplssoxfan]

From Sunday's Minneapolis Startribune:

 

Jim Souhan: If you ask Hunter, Twins can't catch White Sox

Jim Souhan,  Star Tribune

June 26, 2005 JIMS0626

 

 

 

 

MILWAUKEE -- Torii Hunter is mounting a one-man campaign for Twins hope this month. His three homers against the Brewers on Friday and Saturday, along with his latest Spiderman-quality catch in the Metrodome, argue that he'll never concede the division title, but words speak louder than actions.

 

Hunter, the Twins' center fielder, sounds like he's waving a white flag at the White Sox. Considering his history of concussing their catchers and repossessing their home runs, the Sox may have never received such high, or unexpected, praise.

 

"We can't keep up with the White Sox -- they're ripping through everybody," Hunter said. "They've got the best record in the major leagues. If people say we need to keep up with the White Sox, then we've got no chance.

 

"All we can do is keep playing ball, and we'll try to sneak that wild card out of there."

 

Hunter told me all this late Friday.

 

The Twin had suffered another one of their maddening, hit-deprived losses.

 

As the Twins have skidded, Hunter has surged. If the Twins were playing well enough to gather national recognition, he'd be on the minds of All-Star voters. After his annual slow start, he leads the team in homers, RBI, steals and rib-bruising catches.

 

It pains him to admit that the White Sox may have slipped out of reach, but he sees in the Sox many of the same traits -- pitching, fielding, grit and resourcefulness -- that marked the Twins' run of division championships.

 

"We've got some young guys," Hunter said. "That is the hand we've been dealt, and we've got to deal with it, no matter what. We can use it as an excuse, but I still think we can go out there and win.

 

"But with the inexperience we've got, it's tough. I still think we're doing a pretty good job with what we've got, but we've won the division three times.

 

"I'm spoiled. I want to win it again."

 

The first thing a visitor to the Twins' clubhouse on Friday afternoon saw was Twins players watching the White Sox blow out the Cubs, for their eighth consecutive victory. The Twins kept looking up from their card games to curse the TV set and Cubs pitchers.

 

On Saturday afternoon, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire held his daily news briefing in his office, and as he talked, Carl Everett and Jermaine Dye hit homers.

 

"You just keep shaking your head," Gardenhire said. "Why watch? I'd rather watch golf."

 

So Gardenhire flipped around the channels, landing on a movie called "Forces of Nature."

 

The Twins must think that's the title of a documentary on the 2005 White Sox.

 

"They're just running on streaks, winning six and seven and eight in a row, and you sit there and wonder if they'll ever lose a ballgame," Gardenhire said. "We can't do anything about it. They just don't seem to be doing too much wrong."

 

There are a few reasons to think the Twins could pull off one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent baseball history. The teams have 13 games left between Aug. 15 and Sept. 25, so if the Twins could climb to within, say, six games of first place by early August, they'd have a fighting chance.

 

But a realist would assess the Twins' condition thusly:

 

• The Red Sox look poised to run away with the AL East. The Orioles could collapse, meaning the Twins' main wild-card competition from the East could come from the floundering Yankees.

 

• Cleveland and perhaps Detroit could threaten the Twins in the wild-card race. The teams have talent, but neither exactly sends shivers down Twins' spines.

 

• The Angels should pull away in the West, and the Rangers lack pitching depth.

 

Because a wild-card team has won the past three World Series, maybe the Twins should look at it this way:

 

They're not trailing the White Sox. They're leading the Yanks.

 

"It's sad, for us to be this far behind Chicago, but they're doing what they're supposed to do, and we can't do anything about it," Hunter said. "I hate that, because I'm with the Twins and I want to win, but they're playing good ball. We can't touch them."

 

Hunter sighed, inserted an earring and shook his head, saying once more for emphasis, "We can't touch those boys right now."

[Mplssoxfan]

Oops, sorry, mods and admins -- please delete.

[SnB]

Say what you want about torri hunter. But i respect him.

[Dam8610]

Say what you want about torri hunter.  But i respect him.

 

I would respect him had he not taken that cheap shot on Jaime Burke. That will not be forgotten, and makes him a classless, egotistical "star" IMO.

[SnB]

I would respect him had he not taken that cheap shot on Jaime Burke. That will not be forgotten, and makes him a classless, egotistical "star" IMO.

i hated the play just as much as you. But if one of our guys had done it, we would have loved him for it.

He plays hard, he plays to win, he added the fire to his team that made them winners.

[Milkman delivers]

Say what you want about torri hunter.  But i respect him.

 

I respect him for managing to be a "thug" from the streets while having braces and growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

[Jabroni]

I respect him for managing to be a "thug" from the streets while having braces and growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Dat's right-right. I'm from da hood, playa!"

[Dam8610]

i hated the play just as much as you.  But if one of our guys had done it, we would have loved him for it.

 

I wouldn't have. It's a cheap shot, plain and simple. I probably wouldn't have had ill will towards a guy who did it on our team, but I wouldn't have liked him for doing that.

[whitesoxin']

"Dat's right-right.  I'm from da hood, playa!"

That's what I think about him saying everytime I hear him talk. Just shut up Torii.

 

I am suprised he is saying that, but it is the truth.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Even Ozzie admitted it was a hardnosed, clean play. If one of our players did it, we'd cheer our asses off. It was a hardnosed, hardplayed play. Oops! I forgot baseball is supposed to be sitting around reading poetry and eating celery sticks. Quit whining about the play. It was a clean shot. Unnecessary -- possibly but you don't have time to think when you're running at full speed in what could be a possible close play at the plate. He had his nose to the grindstone and did what he thought he needed to do to be safe at home. If we only had players like that last year instead of the consistent meltdowns.

[Dam8610]

Hey you can think what you want, so can Ozzie, and so can I. I think it was a dirty cheap shot by a classless, wannabe thug. Remember the Erstad-Estrada play at the plate from earlier in the year? That play was MUCH closer than the Hunter-Burke play, and most people thought Erstad unneccesarily hit him. As for the Sox having a "meltdown" last year, I'd like to see any offensive powerhouse team lose its two biggest bats and still make the playoffs.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Hey you can think what you want, so can Ozzie, and so can I. I think it was a dirty cheap shot by a classless, wannabe thug. Remember the Erstad-Estrada play at the plate from earlier in the year? That play was MUCH closer than the Hunter-Burke play, and most people thought Erstad unneccesarily hit him. As for the Sox having a "meltdown" last year, I'd like to see any offensive powerhouse team lose its two biggest bats and still make the playoffs.

 

Even the past few years from 2003 on -- perhaps you remember when Twins players discussed how Everett said something during a game that came out afterwards along the lines of "Good luck in the playoffs because the Sox are rolling over and dying". I think the play was probably unnecessary but I'd love to have a player who was so hardnosed that he'd go all out to be safe at the plate like that instead of having, for example, Dumbass Caballo who would admire HR's that landed inside the park -- and he'd just get a single because of the lack of hustle.

[whitesoxin']

I was at the game and couldn't really tell if he was out of the base path, and didn't think too much of it at the time. I was more angry that Timo couldn't throw him out at the plate at the time. But after the game I lost all respect for Hunter when he said "I'm from da hood playa." and he's never getting it back from me.

[Jake]

i hated the play just as much as you.  But if one of our guys had done it, we would have loved him for it.

He plays hard, he plays to win, he added the fire to his team that made them winners.

 

In that case though, there was no need for it...he was standing away from the plate and didn't have the ball.

[qwerty]

If we had hunter everyone would love him ( alright 99.7%).

[JUGGERNAUT]

Absolutely. I'd give them Dye, Anderson, & BMac right now for Hunter.

Pods, Hunter, Rowand - best OF in MLB

 

After we win the WS will offer Prior an offer he can't refuse to take BMac's place in the rotation.

[Hanky Panky]

The article was very interesting to say the least. After I witnessed Torii mow down Jamie Burke last year, it's good to hear him praise our Sox. Don't get me wrong though. I still hate that bastard! He would be sexy as a White Sox outfielder.