INSIDE PITCH

Posted on 2010 under Angels | Comments are off

16 Mar

Any list of the most affable and accessible athletes in pro sports would have Angels CF Torii Hunter near the top. But Hunter was stung by criticism after referring to Dominicans as "imposters ... they're not us" in a USA Today article discussing the declining participation of African-Americans in baseball. "I was explaining that my friends or people come to me all the time and say you've got a lot of black players on the team and I always say, 'What do you mean -- there's only two or three?'" Hunter said. "And they're, 'I saw six or seven black guys.' 'They're Dominican. They're not us.' Simple as that. I'm not a racist. I'm just telling you, they're not us." Reds manager Dusty Baker was also on the eight-member roundtable assembled by USA Today for the discussion earlier this spring, and he defended Hunter. "Torii's probably one of the most respected guys in the game, by all races. I hope he's making light of this situation," Baker said. "It either came out wrong or was interpreted wrong. "I know Torii well. I know he has a lot of Latin American friends too. You hate to see any division of races in baseball or in this world we live in -- especially when Torii is one of the guys who brings people together. ... Like everything else, this too shall pass." Hunter had a phone conversation with commissioner Bud Selig after the comments became a hot topic on the Internet and met with manager Mike Scioscia and GM Tony Reagins behind closed doors. All were supportive of Hunter. "In talking with him, he wasn't comfortable with the way the meeting was portrayed and with what was said and what was done," Scioscia said. "I think he wants everybody to understand that the way things were portrayed is not the way he is. It was unfortunate, and he's ready to move on and play baseball."