Retired Twins fan-favorite Torii Hunter authored a post on The Players' Tribune on Tuesday in which he casts a wide net from his early days as a professional to being at peace with his career coming to an end.
The first-person piece, entitled 'Started From the Parking Lot,' reads like a lengthy goodbye letter to teammates and fans as the first spring training in nearly 20 years inches closer to starting without him. (Note: Some brief profanity exists).
Over the course of 3,000 words Hunter reflects on:
- The slim beginnings, sleeping in his Geo Prizm parked in the Class AA New Britain stadium parking lot with teammate Armann Brown until they got paychecks. (That was a tough time — a time when I started to lose faith, and I seriously considered quitting baseball.)
- His first call-up, breaking down in tears after Al Newman convinced him it was not a prank. (It was my first time ever in a big league stadium — I'd never even been to a game.)
- Practical jokes - memorable ones from Terry Steinbach (pretending to refuse to exit the game when Hunter was called in as a pinch runner) and David Ortiz (the peanut-butter-in-the-underwear incident)
- The surprising 2002 Twins (We weren't the most talented team, but we were playing for each other. We were fighting and grinding, but we were having fun, too.)
- Becoming a mentor to Mike Trout in Anaheim (When I'd get to the stadium and walk into the clubhouse, he'd be right there next to my locker, ready to get some info)
