Going Out in Style

One of the most underrated parts of sports is retiring with the team you began your career with. I think it is a great move for the player, the organization and the fans. It's not very common that a player spends their entire career with one team, so when a team loses a great player, the fans hope it's not goodbye forever.

Torii Hunter just agreed to a one year contract with the Minnesota Twins. Hunter spent his first 11 years in Minnesota before he left for the Los Angeles Angels. After five years in LA, Hunter took his talents to Detroit hoping to finally win a World Series ring. Unfortunately two years in Detroit wasn't enough for the ring, but at age 39, Hunter appears to be nearing the end. 

I grew up watching Torii Hunter make ridiculous catches in center field. He was a prime piece of the early to mid 2000 Twins: Johan Santana, Brad Radke, Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Mauer. The team was so exciting to watch. Hunter was easily a fan favorite. His first game as a LA Angel was played in Minnesota, where he was greeted with a standing ovation. 

I was furious when I saw Hunter signed with Detroit because I thought that was where he was going to retire. I think one of the most classy things in sports is to retire with the team that made you. It wouldn't make sense to have Brett Favre retire an Atlanta Falcon, but I'm interested to see if Peyton Manning signs with the Indianapolis Colts before he announces his retirement. Some people I have talk to don't like the one day contracts. I'm not a huge fan myself but I understand that sometimes it makes sense to do a one day deal rather than a one year deal. Hideki Matsui, Jim Thome, Champ Bailey, and Fred Taylor are some examples of one day contracts in sports. 

I like what the Twins and Hunter did. Hopefully the scenario works better than when the Twins brought back Jacque Jones, who spent his final time with the Twins in the minors. Torii Hunter has still managed to produce in the field and in the batters box. Unfortunately I don't see this being the year Torii Hunter wins a World Series, but he is still going out in style.