Category: Dailies
Nick: Always and Forever
It’s not easy, but we’re moving on, moving forward, because that’s what we do. We’re professional athletes. We’ll go about our business and play quality, exciting baseball for you fans. But no one will walk into our clubhouse this year without thinking about Nick Adenhart. He’ll always be with us, this year and forever.
We all have our own ways of grieving and coping, of dealing with a tragedy like this. You’ve got to live your life and treat people the way you want to be treated. It starts right there. Do what you can to help others. Don’t always be so concerned about yourself. Think about making others around you comfortable and happy, and that will affect you in a positive way.
You never know when God calls you to come home. We’re a family here, and when He called Nick, it was like losing a brother. It hurts. One of the first things I did was call all my family members and tell them I love them. Every time I leave the house, I tell my wife and kids I love them. It’s something we all should do every chance we get. Talk to your kids, your brothers and sisters, tell them how you feel. You never know when something like that, what happened to Nick, might happen to you.
When you’re on a team like this, you spend more time with your teammates than you do your own family. So you become close, and naturally it hits everybody hard. Nick was just a kid, really, but he was a popular kid, a great kid. He was on his way to great accomplishments in this game. He wasn’t here long, but he did get to live out his dream to play in the big leagues – and shut out the Oakland A’s for six innings. That was the kind of performance that showed what was ahead of him. He pitched with his head and his heart. He had a gift and knew what to do with it.
Nick struck out guys he’d been watching since he was in junior high school. He was living out his dream. I kept pumping him up between innings, and I’ll never forget that look he had, that determination. When he came off the field after that last inning, when he put them away in order in the sixth, I could feel him, what it meant to him.
I left the stadium around 11:30. It just so happened Nick’s dad was here. It must be incredibly hard on his family right now, but at least his dad was able to see him, and Nick was able to tell his dad he loved him. Nick dropped him off at his hotel and went out with some friends, and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He did nothing wrong. It could have happened to any of us.
That’s why I encourage everyone to look your loved ones in the eyes and tell them how you feel, how you love and appreciate them. And when I called my brothers the next day and told them I loved them, I also told them to please never drink and drive. That has to stop. No more drinking and driving. Period. We have to be more respectful to each other.
Those of us who make good livings playing a game know how fortunate we are. Not everyone can make it to the big leagues, obviously. But you can take something from Nick and his life, how he went after what he wanted, how he pushed through some adversity last year and kept believing in himself.
He was a tremendous young man, kind of quiet but funny in his way with his easy manner and style. He had a great work ethic and amazing talent. He loved his family. Those are some of the things we should remember when we think about Nick. He was one of us, a baseball player, a competitor, and we’re carrying on in his spirit and memory. It’s the best way we can honor him.
That’s what Nick would want us to do. I know he’ll be watching us, pulling for us, an eternal Angel. We’ll never stop thinking about Nick Adenhart, keeping him in our hearts and minds for the rest of our careers and our lives. A guy like that never really goes away. He’s always a part of you.
Paying respect to Mr. Henry Aaron
Indirectly, I probably owe my baseball career to Henry Aaron, whose great feat of breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record we honor on today’s 35th anniversary of No. 715 in Atlanta. I wasn’t born yet when it happened, but I learned all about it from my granddaddy, George Cobbs. He loved Hank Aaron. It was all I heard about when I was little — Hank Aaron this, Hank Aaron that. All the time.
My granddad played ball in Arkansas and traveled around the area, to Louisiana, Missouri, all through that area of the country, playing ball. He loved the game, and it was a huge part of our heritage. He taught me how to throw a baseball, how to hit, catch, everything. My granddad had a lot to do with me becoming a baseball player, and a lot of that had to do with Hank Aaron, who was such an influence on him.
It’s a special day. We all should celebrate this, whether you’re black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whatever. It doesn’t matter. Hank Aaron was a great man, not only to break the biggest record in the history of sports — not just baseball, but all of sports — but because of the way he handled himself while he was doing it. His dignity and strength in going through what he did, those are the things that distinguish him and make him an American hero.
He didn’t talk about it at the time, but we learned later — and I learned from my family — about all the threats and all the things that he had to endure while he was going for the record. That kind of courage is what we should celebrate as Americans. When I go to schools to talk to kids and find out that they don’t even know who Aaron is, that really disappoints me. It hurts. He showed us all how to handle adversity with pride and character.
Hank Aaron deserves a place of honor in our history. I don’t know many, if any, players today who could have gone through what he did with such class and integrity.
I was fortunate to meet him once. It was at the All-Star Game in 2002 in Milwaukee. I shook his hand and told him what an honor it was to meet him. We didn’t get a chance to have a real conversation, but he wished me the best, and I had that moment. When you shake the hand of a man like that, a true legend, it’s something that sticks with you. I’ll never forget that.
He was one of the greatest of all time, and a true gentleman. I know Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and deserves all the credit in the world for that, but I really wish more kids knew who Hank Aaron is and what he means to so many people. He was a pioneer, like Jackie Robinson, paving the way for all the rest of us who came along behind him.
Here’s to Hank. You’re the man, Hammer.
Nothing like Opening Day
This is my 11th Opening Day, and that’s really hard to believe. I can still remember my first one, in 1999. I was a nervous wreck that day. I still get butterflies on Opening Day, but it’ll be nothing like that first one. I spent most of my pre-game in the restroom. My stomach was driving me crazy. I had been called up in ’98 and played six games, but this was my first Opening Day — and every player remembers that feeling the first time.
Butterlies are normal. I think every player feels a little anxiety on Opening Day. I remember Paul Molitor, who played for 21 seasons, telling me he always got butterflies on Opening Day. You’re anxious to get started, to get it going. You want to get off to a great start. After tha first at-bat, the nerves go away and you just settle in and play the game. Your instincts take over.
That first Opening Day with the Twins, I got a hit, scored a run and got an RBI. We beat Toronto, 6-1. Pat Hentgen was pitching for them. I just remember how great it felt to be on the field with a Major League team. I was leading off and playing center field, 23 years old. I remember the announcer saying, “Leading off and playing center field, No. 48, Torii Hunter.” It’s still fresh in my mind, how that sounded. And how nervous I was.
Opening Day last year was something I wouldn’t wish on anybody. We were back in Minnesota, where I’d grown up as a player and a person, where I learned the game. I was surrounded by all these people I knew and loved, and I was wearing another uniform. It was a very strange experience. There was so much going on emotionally, it was very difficult for me to play that day.
I didn’t have a good day, I remember that. We lost, and I didn’t get a hit. I finally settled down during the series and got some hits, got some things done. We won three games. I was just relieved when it was over. I got standing ovations from the fans, which was great, and they presented me my Gold Glove. But I felt strange the whole time. I wonder if that’s ever happened before, a guy playing all those years in one place and then opening his first season in another uniform in that same stadium where he grew up.
Coming to Angel Stadium for the first time, playing in front of my new home crowd in my new home, that was totally different. I loved everything about that. I had some great moments right off the bat, hitting a walk-off grand slam, making some catches. I remember getting hit in my car on the way to one of the games, too.
I’m really happy with where our team is, the chemistry we have on the field and in the clubhouse. I want to get it going, have a great year. Once I have that first at-bat out of the way, and get rid of the butterflies, it’s on. I can’t wait.
Assessing the Matthews situation
I know a lot of people are criticizing Gary Matthews Jr. for taking the stand he’s taking, wanting to play every day. People wonder how a guy making the kind of money he’s making can act like he’s not happy. I hear that all the time. You’re making all that money, how can you complain? What’s your problem? Well, that’s not fair at all, if you understand the mindset of an athlete. We’re competitors by nature, and we all want to be part of something special.
I understand perfectly how Gary feels. Gary’s an athlete. He grew up loving the game and playing for nothing. That’s what got him where he is, that passion he has for the game. The fact he’s now making a lot of money doesn’t change that. He feels he can play at a high level — and I agree with him.
We play the same position, and I know what it takes to get it done. Gary’s a terrific center fielder, and he can also play left and right. But we’ve got a lot of talent everywhere in this clubhouse, and even though that’s great for the organization, it’s not so great for some of the players.
You can’t expect a guy who loves the game to sit on the bench and be happy about it. I’ve always felt older guys who are near the end of their careers make the best bench guys, because they know what they can do and how to respond to situations. Younger guys just want to get out and play. Gary’s not a kid — he’s 34. But he’s not an old guy, either. He’s healthy again, and he wants to get out and show the world what he can do. How can you blame him for that?
Bobby Abreu is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Because of the economy in baseball now, he had to take an $11 million cut this year, down to $5 million, to come play for us. He did it because he loves the game and wants to play baseball. He’s here every day, cracking us up with jokes, laughing, having a great time. I knew he was a great player, but seeing him every day now, i can see he’s a great teammate, too. He’s going to be good for this club in the clubhouse as well as on the field. Bobby’s a real pro.
I know what it’s like to be frustrated with your situation. I was the same way back with Minnesota. I’d be hitting like .450 in the spring, but they had Otis Nixon in center field in ’97 and ’98, and I couldn’t make the team, no matter what I did. It kind of messes with your mind when you’re young.
That’s why I’m always talking to Brandon Wood, Matt Brown, Sean Rodriguez, all these young dudes who can play but have established veterans in front of them. I tell them to be patient, that their time will come. I know how frustrating it is, but you have to keep working, keep improving — and be ready when your opportunity arrives. I tell them it’s the same game up here. That doesn’t change. What changes is the hype, the fans. It’s the spotlight, and how you handle it.
The talent level on this club is really amazing. Man, I look around and shake my head. We’ve got athletes all over the place. That’s why I feel for Gary. This guy is a premier athlete. I know it’s tough on him emotionally. It doesn’t matter if you’re making $500 million — you want to play. That’s true of 99 percent of the guys in the Major Leagues. Manny Ramirez is playing because he loves the game, loves to hit. I know Manny, and he lives for the game, the competition.
Gary is no different. He just wants to play. That doesn’t make him a bad guy, by any means. It makes him an athlete.
All’s well that ends well
Any time you go crashing into a wall, like I did on Wednesday in Tempe, there’s a certain risk involved. It goes with the turf, you might say. I’ve run into a lot of walls in my career going after balls, and I won’t stop now. That’s how I play the game — all-out. I don’t think I can play it any other way.
MIke Scioscia likes to say that playing hard actually helps you avoid injuries, that it’s when you’re holding back, not playing the game naturally, that you’re more likely to get hurt. There’s definitely some truth in that. When I’m on the field and there’s a ball to go get, I’m going after it, whether it’s March or October.
Anyway, I’m fine. The X-ray showed no damage. So I’m good to go. I’m going to play against the Indians today. If it’s not something with my body — my arm, shoulder, legs — I’m OK. I took a little shot in the face with the ball when I hit the wall, but my nose looks good as ever now. The collision might have looked a little worse than it was. I’ve gone head-first into walls before and gotten concussions.
I’m old school, man. It takes a lot to get me to come out of a game. I was able to walk off the field, so I knew I was all right. As long as it’s not a knee or a shoulder, something like that, I’m good to go.
The way I play goes back to my younger days when I played football. I could throw the ball and move around, so I took some hits. Arkansas, where I grew up, is football country, and they don’t mess around down in Southeastern Conference country. We get after it. So my body was conditioned from an early age to take hits and bounce back up, ready to go.
I wish I could have stayed in that game and enjoyed the fireworks our guys set off. We’ve been swinging the bats, man. I really like our offense, how deep it is. We’ve got so many guys who can hurt you. We might not have four guys hitting 30 to 40 homers, but we’re going to be banging line drives to the gaps and running those bases. It’s an exciting style to play, and I’m loving it.
I’ll get back with more shortly. Just wanted to let everyone know I’m fine. My profile hasn’t changed at all. I’m still the same Torii — and we’re going to keep Toriis Storiis rolling.
Alls well that ends well
Any time you go crashing into a wall, like I did on Wednesday in Tempe, there’s a certain risk involved. It goes with the turf, you might say. I’ve run into a lot of walls in my career going after balls, and I won’t stop now. That’s how I play the game — all-out. I don’t think I can play it any other way.
MIke Scioscia likes to say that playing hard actually helps you avoid injuries, that it’s when you’re holding back, not playing the game naturally, that you’re more likely to get hurt. There’s definitely some truth in that. When I’m on the field and there’s a ball to go get, I’m going after it, whether it’s March or October.
Anyway, I’m fine. The X-ray showed no damage. So I’m good to go. I’m going to play against the Indians today. If it’s not something with my body — my arm, shoulder, legs — I’m OK. I took a little shot in the face with the ball when I hit the wall, but my nose looks good as ever now. The collision might have looked a little worse than it was. I’ve gone head-first into walls before and gotten concussions.
I’m old school, man. It takes a lot to get me to come out of a game. I was able to walk off the field, so I knew I was all right. As long as it’s not a knee or a shoulder, something like that, I’m good to go.
The way I play goes back to my younger days when I played football. I could throw the ball and move around, so I took some hits. Arkansas, where I grew up, is football country, and they don’t mess around down in Southeastern Conference country. We get after it. So my body was conditioned from an early age to take hits and bounce back up, ready to go.
I wish I could have stayed in that game and enjoyed the fireworks our guys set off. We’ve been swinging the bats, man. I really like our offense, how deep it is. We’ve got so many guys who can hurt you. We might not have four guys hitting 30 to 40 homers, but we’re going to be banging line drives to the gaps and running those bases. It’s an exciting style to play, and I’m loving it.
I’ll get back with more shortly. Just wanted to let everyone know I’m fine. My profile hasn’t changed at all. I’m still the same Torii — and we’re going to keep Toriis Storiis rolling.
And the winner is . . . Torii’s Storiis
Man, you took me seriously when I asked you to get creative with some ideas for giving the blog a new title. There are far too many great suggestions to include here — it would take up the whole blog — but I really want to commend you.
Afte sorting through the long and impressive list with my wife, Katrina, we settled on “Torii’s Storiis” from Scooter. Katrina told me she really liked it, how catchy it is, and I’m smart enough to agree with my wife. Truth is, I like it too.
So there it is: Torii’s Storiis.
Today I’d like to talk about the World Baseball Classic. It’s a great event, and I’m definitely for it. I think it’s awesome, what it has done for our game. You’d never think Netherlands would beat the Dominican Republic — and it happened twice. Baseball is international now. It’s America’s pastime, but the whole world is playing it now.
I made a comment about the Classic in 2006 when it got started. I said I wouldn’t play if they asked me, because I liked the chemistry with my team, the Twins, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess with it. I’m not old, but I’m old-school, and I knew it would be hard on my front office and manager knowing how I play and worrying about me crashing into a wall, getting hurt, missing some time. I can onlly play one way, and I knew that I’d be diving for balls, going all-out.
I wasn’t asked to play on Team USA this time, and I think those comments I made might have had something to do with it. I have the same mindset I’ve always had, If they had asked me to play, I’d have thought long and hard about it. It would be a great honor to play for my country and to be part of that whole experience.
On the other hand, I’m not sure our owner, Arte Moreno, or our manager, Mike Scioscia, would have been too crazy about it. I wouldn’t want that panic about me running into a wall and getting hurt. I just wish they could play the Classic at another time, so it doesn’t disrupt the chemistry you’re building with your team for the season ahead.
I’ve been watching as much of the Classic as I can, and I love what I’ve seen. Japan is impressive, man. I’ve liked the way those guys play since 2002 when I went over after the season for a series of games with an all-star team. They play the game right. They’re fundamentally sound, play good defense, and they’ve got athletes, Pitching and defense — that wins games. Everybody hits line drives, lots of doubles, running the bases hard. They play the game we do with the Angels.
As much as I’d love to be in the Classic, I need to be here with my team, doing everything we can to win a World Series. It’s all about the World Series, and that’s how it should be. From the day you sign, it’s not about MVPs and Gold Gloves, individual stuff. It’s about winning the World Series.
Camaraderie, chemistry, leadership . . . all those things are so important to developing a winning atmosphere. I love what we have going here with the Angels. I can’t wait to get the season started.
And the winner is . . . Toriis Storiis
Man, you took me seriously when I asked you to get creative with some ideas for giving the blog a new title. There are far too many great suggestions to include here — it would take up the whole blog — but I really want to commend you.
Afte sorting through the long and impressive list with my wife, Katrina, we settled on “Torii’s Storiis” from Scooter. Katrina told me she really liked it, how catchy it is, and I’m smart enough to agree with my wife. Truth is, I like it too.
So there it is: Torii’s Storiis.
Today I’d like to talk about the World Baseball Classic. It’s a great event, and I’m definitely for it. I think it’s awesome, what it has done for our game. You’d never think Netherlands would beat the Dominican Republic — and it happened twice. Baseball is international now. It’s America’s pastime, but the whole world is playing it now.
I made a comment about the Classic in 2006 when it got started. I said I wouldn’t play if they asked me, because I liked the chemistry with my team, the Twins, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess with it. I’m not old, but I’m old-school, and I knew it would be hard on my front office and manager knowing how I play and worrying about me crashing into a wall, getting hurt, missing some time. I can onlly play one way, and I knew that I’d be diving for balls, going all-out.
I wasn’t asked to play on Team USA this time, and I think those comments I made might have had something to do with it. I have the same mindset I’ve always had, If they had asked me to play, I’d have thought long and hard about it. It would be a great honor to play for my country and to be part of that whole experience.
On the other hand, I’m not sure our owner, Arte Moreno, or our manager, Mike Scioscia, would have been too crazy about it. I wouldn’t want that panic about me running into a wall and getting hurt. I just wish they could play the Classic at another time, so it doesn’t disrupt the chemistry you’re building with your team for the season ahead.
I’ve been watching as much of the Classic as I can, and I love what I’ve seen. Japan is impressive, man. I’ve liked the way those guys play since 2002 when I went over after the season for a series of games with an all-star team. They play the game right. They’re fundamentally sound, play good defense, and they’ve got athletes, Pitching and defense — that wins games. Everybody hits line drives, lots of doubles, running the bases hard. They play the game we do with the Angels.
As much as I’d love to be in the Classic, I need to be here with my team, doing everything we can to win a World Series. It’s all about the World Series, and that’s how it should be. From the day you sign, it’s not about MVPs and Gold Gloves, individual stuff. It’s about winning the World Series.
Camaraderie, chemistry, leadership . . . all those things are so important to developing a winning atmosphere. I love what we have going here with the Angels. I can’t wait to get the season started.
And away we go
This is the start of what I hope will be long-running relationship with fans at MLB.com. I’m looking forward to passing along to you on a weekly basis my thoughts and ideas, insights into the game, my take on events of the day, whatever is relevant. I think it’s important to make a connection with fans and keep it, because that relationship is vital to the health of the game we all love.
I feel blessed to be in a position to represent a great game and a great organization. That’s why I’ll often use “we” in the blog, since I’ll be speaking in many respects for teammates, hoping to promote our game, get more people involved.
To get this going, we’d like to start with inviting you to help us create a name, a title, for this blog. We’re asking for suggestions in the comments bar at the bottom of the blog. This is going to be an interactive process, so we might as well get it moving in that direction right away.
I am thrilled to be wearing an Angels uniform, playing in a great environment with a first-class organization. My first year in Anaheim had some great moments with 100 wins, most in the Majors, even if it didn’t end the way we all wanted. This season we’ll try to deliver six winning months again along with a happier ending in October. I am convinced we have the talent and the drive to get it done. Now it’s just a matter of going out and doing it.
Before we get into that, though, I’d like to talk a little bit about one of my passions off the field: getting young people out of their houses and outside, using their imaginations and creativity the way I did as a kid growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in some pretty rough circumstances.
I was always outside, using my athletic ability in some way in our neighborhoods. If I wasn’t playing catch with a baseball or football, I was riding a bike five miles to another neighborhood, then riding it back. I like to say I got my speed running from a dog, and I got my jumping ability leaping over a fence to get away from a dog. My throwing ability came from trying to hit trees with rocks. We were always outside competing in some way. It concerns me now that so few kids are doing that. Too many of our parks are empty, quiet.
With the technology we have today, too many kids are spending too much time playing video games, watching TV. It’s a fast-food culture, and it’s not good for our kids’ health. They need to be outside, developing their minds and their bodies in healthy ways. When I was a kid and wanted to be like Tony Dorsett or Andre Dawson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I’d be doing it on a sandlot or a playground. Now kids are doing it with video games, and it’s just not the same. We have all these kids who are obese, and it’s a function of society, of spending all this time sitting in their houses.
That’s why it’s been so important to me with the Torii Hunter Project to work with kids, to build Little League fields, get kids outside playing games. It might not get a kid to the Major Leagues or the NBA or NFL, but it’s going to make them healthier and more productive in their lives. Even my own kids try to stay inside, but I’ll close the door and lock it. I tell them to go outside and play a game, any game. Invent one if you have to, but do something. I don’t want my kids inside the house all day.
Well, that’s a start. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in the weeks ahead, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
So, when you get a minute, use your imagination — it’s one of your best resources — and help us come up with a name for this blog.
I’ll check in next week, and hopefully by then we’ll have a title that we think represents what we’re trying to do here.
Stay active, and stay positive.
My best, Torii
Hard to believe its over
I really hate for it to end like this. I could have sworn we were going to The Show, the Fall Classic. One-hundred percent, I thought we were going to The Show.
This has been such a great season, and this was such a great team, it makes me sick to think that it’s over and we didn’t go all the way. I really thought we had the team to get it done. Walking away is so hard when you’ve gone through so much with a team for eight months.
It’s really hard to swallow. I thought we were taking it back to Anaheim for Game 5. We came back, and when I got that single to drive in the two runs to tie it, the guys were going crazy. I was trying to go the other way like that, hit it hard. He threw me a fastball that I was able to drive, and it was an awesome feeling to see Tex and Vlad score. Tying up the game in that situation, with two outs and two strikes on me, that was a thrill. I felt like we had all the momentum, that we’d be coming home for the decisive game.
And just like that, we didn’t make the squeeze play work, they got a couple of hits, and our season was over.
The thing now is, you don’t know who’s coming back next season. You can’t say you’re going to be in this position again and have a team like this. This was the chance. This was the team. Unless everybody comes back — and we all have no idea how that’s going to turn out — we won’t get another chance with this team.
In a perfect world, I would love to have Mark Teixeira back, Frankie Rodriguez, Garret Anderson, Darren Oliver, Juan Rivera, Jon Garland — all those guys. But that’s out of our hands. That’s the business side of the game, and you never know what’s going to happen there. We have to trust our management people to make good moves and keep us strong and competitive.
What hurts for all the guys in this room is that we feel we’re a better team than those guys, but they’re moving on. That’s hard to take. It was little things here and there. Maturity. Some guys probably learned a lot this postseason that will help them in the future. You have to be 100 percent mentally committed to getting it done.
For me there are two seasons — the regular season and the postseason. I’m happy about what we did in the regular season. We made it to 100 wins, the first team to do that for this franchise, and that’s something we should all feel good about. We hung together and made a lot of great things happen. The fans were great, and I think we gave them a good show.
But the postseason, that’s a big disappointment. I’m just really upset about October. Maybe in time we’ll all be able to understand what happened, why we didn’t get it done, but right now, it just doesn’t make sense. We had so much talent on this team, so much camaraderie. I’m so proud of these guys, what they accomplished.
I think we all just need a little time to get over it. Before long, we’ll be back at it with Mike Scioscia and the staff, bringing big hopes and expectations to 2009. But right now, it’s a little too painful to put into words.
Torii's Storiis 