Twins Fan Thanksgiving Reflections

Hunter's gone. No shocker there, but the timing is certainly poignant. We will certainly miss Torii, who is not only a local favorite but probably the most charismatic player in the league. As Kurt Streeter writes in the LA Times,

"If you haven't been paying attention to Torii Hunter, then you've been missing out. He is everything a baseball player should be, particularly in an era when the game needs to sell itself to a younger generation looking for more sizzle."

Or to quote a glowing PR piece from major league baseball, "There is no question but that Torii Hunter, the new center fielder of the Los Angeles Angels, is a very special player." As I try to get the cranberry stains out of my holiday best, let me enumerate the ways in which I am thankful that Torii Hunter once donned a Twins uniform:

• He gave Twins fans a reason to come to the Metrodome in the dark seasons of 1998-2000
• He gave Twins fans a reason to believe in the comeback seasons of 2001-2004
• He behaved with class when he was sent to AAA in 2000
• He hit 9 Grand Slams as a Twins
• His awesome defensive play bolstered awesome pitching
• He won 7 Golden Gloves
• He rejected the White Sox's offer!