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Torii Hunter: The man behind the smile Monday, Jun 9, 2008 By Lee Warren |
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On the surface, Hunter has every reason to be smiling. He won his seventh consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award with the Minnesota Twins last season. The MLB Players Association named him the 2007 Marvin Miller Man of the Year (an award given to the player whose on-field and off-field performances most inspire others to a higher level of achievement). He signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Angels before the 2008 season started. And in February, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame — the 50th anniversary class. But you get the feeling while talking to Hunter that circumstances and awards don’t motivate his smile. Instead, he seems to have a deep sense of peace that comes from knowing God -- something he initially experienced at a young age. “I grew up in a Christian household. It was to the point where we couldn’t go outside unless we went to church and Sunday school,” Hunter said, laughing. “I always believed. I really think it got me on the right track — not as far as making it to the major leagues, but as far as keeping me off the streets or whatever. All the prayers that went up, blessings came down.” Admittedly though, Hunter’s childhood was riddled with all sorts of trauma. He grew up in Pine Bluff, Ark., and was surrounded by drugs, gangs and poverty. His father battled an addiction to crack cocaine, which often left the family with little or no money to buy food. Hunter’s mother attempted to support the family on an elementary school teacher’s salary. Such a difficult start to life led to poor choices by Hunter in his youth. And even now, he doesn’t pretend to have it all together. “I’m always struggling with something,” Hunter said. “But I know that if I’m struggling, there’s progress. If I see myself falling, I read a passage or talk to my wife [Katrina] about it. When you’ve got somebody in your corner who’s helping you with your faith and they are a Christian, (it makes a big difference). It’s just like when you work out; it’s hard to work out by yourself. When you’ve got a workout partner, you get a lot done. You push each other. That’s what my wife and I do.” Hunter also benefits from a core group of believers on the team who get together every Saturday. He says they have a time of prayer and discussion. As much as he profits from the company of other believers, he doesn’t neglect time alone with God and His Word. “All in all, when you go home and get ready for bed, it’s up to you to read those verses and study,” Hunter said. “My favorite is the Psalms. In the life we live, you always have somebody pulling at you or something negative going on. So, I always read Psalms to keep me strong. Psalm 27:14 is one of my favorites, ‘Be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!’” Knowing how it feels to struggle as a child, Hunter is passionate about helping children. His passion has led him to get involved with the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, the R.B.I. (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program and to establish the Torii Hunter Project to work with Little League Baseball’s Urban Initiative to maintain baseball diamonds in urban areas. Hunter knows that God has given him a large platform as a big league baseball player and he attempts to use it for God’s glory. “I think about that a lot,” Hunter said. “Being out there, you’ve got a chance to shine. You’ve got a chance to let people know your Christian testimony and everything about it and let them know that you follow God. What is greater than that? “Every chance I get — whether it’s on TV or radio shows — I make sure to let them know that God is the light for me and He’s the reason why I am where I am now.” --30--
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