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Nov 19 '17
MINNEAPOLIS - 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. Lucas Moura Jersey .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. Dani Alves Jersey . While plenty of statistics illustrate Torontos turnaround in the second year of manager Ryan Nelsens tenure, stopping goals is not one of them. Gabriel Jersey . The United States clinched the final berth into the Ford Worlds, March 28-April 6 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, on Saturday in Blaine, Minn.Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Erik Karlsson netted the game-winning goal 1:21 into overtime and the Ottawa Senators battled back from a three-goal deficit to top the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, on Sunday. Mika Zibanejad, who finished with two goals and two assists, dropped a pass back to Karlsson in the slot and the Ottawa captain beat a screened Eddie Lack with a wrister for the win. David Legwand scored on the power play to spark the comeback, Bobby Ryan tallied three helpers and Craig Anderson made 30 saves for the Senators, who ended a five-game skid. Radim Vrbata had a goal and an assist, while Brad Richardson and Kevin Bieksa also scored for Vancouver, which got 41 stops from Lack in its second straight loss. (Lack) played so well, Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins said. That gave us a chance, but we couldnt do it. The Canucks opened the scoring with two goals in a span of 65 seconds during the first period. Vrbata stickhandled his way around Anderson and slipped the puck into the net at 6:10 and also assisted on Bieksas slap shot from the high slot at 7:15 for a 2-0 Canucks lead. Richardson increased Vancouvers lead after snapping home a shot 5:02 into the second, but Ottawa answered back with three goals of its ownn in the second period. Diego Souza Jersey. Things didnt go our way at the start, but we stuck with it and actually came back with a push, Senators head coach Paul MacLean said. Legwand fired home a generous rebound over the shoulder of Lack for a power- play marker past the midway point. Zibanejad gathered his own rebound, skated behind the net and banked the puck off the skate of a defender and into the net for a 3-2 game with 5:48 left in the second. Canucks defenseman Christopher Tanev blocked Ryans shot from the right side, but Zibanejad was there to take the puck and drag it across the slot with his backhand before finishing the play with a patient backhander for a tie game with 1:02 to play before the second intermission. Ottawa threatened in the latter stages of the third, most notably on Ryans turnaround shot in the slot with just over two minutes to play, but neither team was able to find the back of the net and the game went to overtime. Game Notes Zibanejad has scored in three straight games ... Senators defenseman Marc Methot was a late scratch ... It was Zibanejads first career multi-goal game ... The Senators went 1-for-7 on the power play, while the Canucks went 0- for-3. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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