An Unrequited Bromance

Hunter Plays and Lives a Life Worth Emulating
(Torii Hunter and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson before Game 1 of the ALDS)


By Mike Takeuchi


Anaheim-This ain't no bromance but how do I love thee Torii Hunter? Let me count the ways Well, maybe it is a little. But from his electric style of play to who he as a man, the Angels' center fielder is like a virtual Pied Piper of the clubhouse.

On Thursday, he proved that once again by hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning of a scoreless tie to offset the magnificent pitching of John Lackey in helping to lead his team to a 5-0 victory in Game 1 of their Divisional Series playoff against the Boston Red Sox. The win was the team's first playoff home win since Game seven of the 2002 World Series.

After he hit the home run, he paced the dugout like a tiger that hadn't eaten in three days and then spiked his helmet like he had scored the game winning touchdown for his Pine Bluff (Arkansas) high school football team.

“It's like when I played football, they called me the Sandman because I put them to sleep,” Hunter said seriously.

That's my kind of guy. Because for me, I find that there are more players that I don't care for than I actually like. Other than Hunter, there are a few-Ichiro of course, Chone Figgins and David Eckstein because I can visually look them in the eye. There are a couple of players that I enjoy watching like the Giants Pablo Sandoval and the Dodgers Matt Kemp. Manny amuses me much like Barry did where their failures are as entertaining as their successes, but that's about it.

Perhaps it's because of proximity and seeing them up close makes me jaded. But maybe it's something more. Maybe it's the way many play the game with a nonchalance that looks suspiciously like apathy or even antipathy towards the game. Hunter is the antithesis of this in the way he plays and the way he lives his life.

In this modern age, he is the closest thing to a modern day Roberto Clemente that there is, which is ironic since he is his team's 2009 nominee for the award for the Hall of Fame player and humanitarian. Hunter, the winner of the 2007 Marvin Miller Award recently won the Branch Rickey Award for his accomplishments off of the field. Named for the former Brooklyn Dodgers executive who is best known for signing Jackie Robinson, the honor is given to the player who exhibits “service above self.”

Last year before a game, I came up and asked him about another program he is involved in, the RBI (Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities) to get African American players more involved in the sport. While I expected a 30-second sound bite, what I got was a ten minute conversation about how important it is to keep Blacks in the sport in particular, and about the role of race in sport in general.

Of course the guy can play a little. With a .275 lifetime average and 235 homers and 322 doubles he can hit pretty fair. But it is in the field where he dazzles the most With eight consecutive Gold Glove awards, he is the standard for center fielders. He can also be spectacular making the wall climbing catch a semi-regular occurrence. Who can forget the Spiderman earning nickname when he out jumped Ichiro to rob Barry Bonds of a home run in the 2002 All-Star game? Since he signed with the Angels, things haven't changed-inspiring teammates such as Chone Figgins.

“He's a game changer,” Figgins said. “He plays big that's what he does. He comes to play and makes things happen at the right time.”

And he always talks to the media win or lose. My first encounter with him was after the All-Star Game in San Francisco years ago. With everyone, including Hunter in a hurry to get back to the next game they were playing, I looked for a player, any player to interview to meet my deadline.

“What you need sir?” Hunter asked. “I'll talk to you. We are all getting out of here in a hurry, but I got a minute.”

He save my deadline and my life.

Through the last two years, I have observed him to be an eloquent speaker with a touch of Pine Bluff still in him. When asked what the difference between guts and nuts were, he smiled.

“The nuts is Hood,” Hunter replied.

Even in defeat, he was always what we reporters call “a story saver”-the one guy you can count on to help you make deadline when other guys won't talk. It was never more apparent after the last home playoff game the Angels played in, a 7-5 loss to the very same Red Sox who eventually eliminated the Angels in four games.

After that game, he simmered with anger, yet still was willing to talk to the media. After most of the reporters tiptoed away, a few of us remained because it was apparent that Hunter was not finished talking. A question was posed to him about a teammate talking about facing the reality of elimination. When asked the same question he frowned.

“Elimination?” Hunter seethed. “Who's talking about elimination? Tell me who it is, because I want to slap them.”

He then went on for another five minutes before he started smiling and said, perhaps to convince himself more than anything, that the Angels season wasn't over. It's too bad the team didn't follow his lead, because two games later, it was.

Thursday night's clubhouse scene was a little more joyous. When Hunter came back to the clubhouse, a horde of scribes and TV types were waiting for him. Hunter willingly and happily obliged questions about anything and everything-including his end zone style spike of his helmet in the dugout.

“ I just lost it, I was so pumped up,” Hunter said. “My adrenaline was going man. I wish you guys can feel what I feel in my body. Because it's niiiiiicce!”

“I really wish you guys can feel that,” Hunter repeated before excusing himself to the shower.

After the group broke up, I related what was said to the Angels clubhouse gatekeeper Bruce Olson. I added that I thought Torii Hunter has got to be one of the nicest guy in baseball.

“In any walk of life,” Olson responded.

I stand corrected.