Torii Hunter blasts reporter for asking about political views
Never shy about giving his opinion, Torii Hunter was unhappy with a few questions he received on Wednesday at his reintroductory press conference with the Twins.
Hunter returned to Minnesota, where he played from 1997 until 2007, after signing a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the club on Tuesday.
Towards the end of the Q&A period with the media, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press asked Hunter about a recent political endorsement he made in his home state of Arkansas. Specifically, Berardino wanted to know if the 39-year-old’s public statements opposing gay marriage may have affected his options in free agency.
Hunter was not pleased:
“No, there’s nothing to talk about. You already know. So why keep talking about it? I said it. It is what it is. So no, I’m not going to talk about it if you bring it up. It’s not even baseball-related. You can do that later, when I retire. Then I’ll tell you the truth — everything.”
On the way out, Hunter called Berardino an unpleasant name and accused him of ruining the press conference.
There was also a baseball question that irked Hunter. Once a Gold Glove caliber center fielder, Hunter’s defense has slipped according to most analytics even with a move to right field a few years ago.
“Whoever believes in that sabermetrics stuff never played the game.”
This is certainly not the warm welcome Hunter expected when he decided to follow his heart back to Minnesota to end his career.
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