suggesting he would watch his own back
Posté: Mar Nov 01, 2016 10:16 amMINNEAPOLIS - When Torii Hunter first came up to the major leagues in 1997, Paul Molitor was bringing a Hall of Fame playing career to a close with his hometown Minnesota Twins.Molitor could still swing the bat, and the impression he made on a talented group of youngsters, including Hunter, helped lay the foundation for the long-struggling teams renaissance.Almost two decades later, Hunter is returning to Minnesota, his home away from home, to play for Molitor and return the favour.This is where I needed to be, Hunter said Wednesday after signing a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Twins. This is home for me.Hunter spent the first 11 years of his career with the Twins. He was a first-round draft pick as an 18-year-old in 1993 and looked up to Kirby Puckett and Molitor, among others, as he made his way up through the system.He watched how Molitor, who hit .341 in 161 games as a 39-year-old designated hitter with the Twins in 1996, went about his business, studying opposing pitchers for weaknesses and pouncing on blunders in the outfield to take an extra base.Now Hunter is 39, still swinging the bat pretty well in the closing stages of his career. And the Twins are flush with prospects who need a mentor.Its crazy how things come full circle, Hunter said. Just watching Molitor at the end of his career and I was a young player and he was imparting (wisdom) to me and showing me different things. Hes the manager now and Im almost at the end of my career, still producing though. Now Im coming back and trying to impart to some of these younger guys and give back to them and make them better.The Twins have lost at least 92 games in each of the last four seasons and a young clubhouse has at times appeared overwhelmed and a little lost without a strong veteran voice. The organization hopes prospects such as Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer and Eddie Rosario will be ready to support quiet veteran Joe Mauer. There also are up-and-comers Kennys Vargas, Oswaldo Arcia and Danny Santana on the roster who may push the Twins back into relevance.General manager Terry Ryan was looking on the free-agent market for a right-handed hitter with some power, and Hunter hit 17 homers and drove in 83 runs for the Detroit Tigers last year. That Hunter also happens to be the kind of player who takes pride in being a vocal leader and holding other players accountable only added to the attraction.Weve got a young club here. Weve got young position players, Ryan said. We brought Torii here not only to help them out, but more importantly, we still believe Torii can be a productive player in his own right.Hunter is a five-time All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove winner who has hit at least 16 homers in 13 of his last 14 seasons.He had other suitors, and perhaps some were much closer to contending for the championship that has eluded Hunter to this point in his career.Hunter said he couldnt pass up the chance to return to the place it all began. Hes looking to help the Twins regain the level of the team that won four division titles in five seasons before he left in 2008.Hunter asked for a full no-trade clause in his contract in order to come back home, underlining his commitment to helping this wayward franchise, and the Twins agreed.Hunter said if things go poorly this season and Ryan has a chance to trade him to a contender at the deadline, they will discuss it. But his preference is to finish his career in Minnesota, whether it ends after this season or not.This is where I want to be, Hunter said. Im in it for the long haul if theyre willing to do it.NOTES: Hunter would earn $25,000 bonuses if hes an All-Star, wins a Gold Glove or wins a Silver Slugger. He would get $100,000 for MVP, $75,000 for second, $50,000 for third and $25,000 for fourth through sixth. He would get $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $100,000 for World Series MVP. http://www.uachaussuresoldes.fr/pas-cher-under-armour-outlet-france/pas-cher-ua-speedform.html . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Under Armour Curry 2 France . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. http://www.uachaussuresoldes.fr/pas-cher-air-max-tn.html . The Major League Soccer teams were scheduled to play on Saturday night, but their game was rescheduled after Stu Tudor was hit during a pregame storm. The 54-year-old lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Ohio State Medical Center. Under Armour Soldes France . Felton pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. He admitted he knowingly had a large-capacity ammunition magazine and a semi-automatic pistol without a license. http://www.uachaussuresoldes.fr/pas-cher-under-armour-outlet-france/pas-cher-ua-micro-g-anatomix-spawn-ii.html . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations.PARIS -- At last, Formula One has a heated rivalry again. Better still, its in the same team and there are 13 races left for it to develop. The dominance of Mercedes, which has swept all six races and all six pole positions so far, prompted fears that this season was becoming even more predictable than the last, when Sebastian Vettel won the final nine races and Red Bull crushed everyone. Then, at last weekends Monaco GP, a feud erupted out of nowhere between Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to add some much-needed spice to a dull campaign. Hamilton has won four races this season, but Rosberg captured Sundays race from pole for his second victory and reclaimed the overall championship lead with 122 points to 118 for his teammate. "Were fierce competitors, so you can never expect us to be best friends and compete as fiercely as we do," Hamilton said after the Monaco GP. "But I will try to remain respectful." Hamilton ignited the row by taking the brash step of publicly claiming that Rosberg, the son of former F1 champ Keke Rosberg, has less hunger than him after growing up in the luxurious environment of Monaco. Rosberg didnt respond to those claims verbally, but in the eyes of Hamilton he responded to them on the track by making a surprising last-gasp mistake in qualifying that led to a yellow flag. The session was abruptly halted, ending any hopes that Hamilton, at full throttle just behind, had of winning pole. The fallout escalated quickly. An incensed Hamilton insinuated that Rosberg -- cleared by stewards of any wrongdoing -- had done it on purpose, suggesting he would watch his own back the way the late Ayrton Senna did when he fell out with Alain Prost when they drove for McLaren in the late 1980s. With tensions running high, the two Mercedes drivers were not in the postt-qualifying team meeting together and were at opposite ends for the traditional pre-race jaunt around the circuit.dddddddddddd After Rosbergs win, there was no handshake from Hamilton, who came in second to give Mercedes a fifth straight 1-2 finish. There have been fiery team rivalries before, notably the one between Vettel and Mark Webber at Red Bull. That got very bitter, with each driver ignoring team orders to let the other one pass and making blunt comments about the other. But the crucial difference is that, apart from 2010 when Webber challenged for the title, the four-time defending champion Vettel was always winning. Relations were ice-cold, but there also seemed to be a mutual acceptance they would never get along and the professional working environment within Red Bull continued to operate smoothly. The matter is more delicate for Rosberg and Hamilton because theyve known each other for such a long time, racing karts against each other and even going on holiday together -- something that was never going to happen with Webber and Vettel, and even less so with Senna and Prost. Rosberg is less experienced than Hamilton, with five GP wins compared to Hamiltons 26, but the German has shown real consistency with top-two finishes in all six races. Hamilton would still be ahead, though, but for the engine failure that forced the British driver to retire in the season opener at Melbourne. That technical glitch, on what is the most reliable car in F1, likely still rankles him. After several frustrating seasons with McLaren, Hamilton has a great chance to win his second F1 title six years on. But standing in his way is his childhood friend. That relationship is going to be severely tested and the spotlight will be beaming straight in the face of both drivers at the Canadian GP in two weeks time. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '