Tagged: Torii Hunter
12/1 Hot Stove – The HOT Corner with Hazel Mae
Here’s What’s HOT……Golf in the Desert!
A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to participate in the Torii Hunter Project Celebrity Golf Event in Arizona.
The Torii Hunter Project is an effort to help youths in need. Torii has brought his inspiring personality from the field, to help out off the field. Through his four areas of focus-Sports, Community, Education, and Wellness-he is making a difference in kid’s lives, and not just by hitting game-winning home runs. For more information, check out toriihunterproject.com.
It was a two day extravaganza!
What struck me most about the gathering was the number of former, current and Hall of Fame players that came out to support Torii’s worthy cause.
As David Ortiz told me, “you don’t say no to Torii.”
Along with guest host Justin Upton teammates Mike Napoli, Howie Kendrick and Scott Kazmir showed up with current players, Derrek Lee, Dustin Pedroia, Chris Young, Orlando Hudson, and B.J. Upton. There were also some former players including Kenny Lofton, Carl Everett, as well as Hall of Famer Vida Blue.
The outpouring of support is really a reflection of the type of person Torii Hunter is, not only as a talented ballplayer, but also as a compassionate human being.
He goes above and beyond for the underprivileged.
Our very own Harold Reynolds emceed the gala dinner on day one. He also presided over the live auction. There were more than 400 people seated in the ballroom to show their support.
The highlight of my night was emceeing the evening portion of day one, when I got to introduce an “old school band” Smooth Grooves, a Phoenix based group that warmed up the crowd.
Then a surprise performance by Carvin Winans, a five-time Grammy Award winning artist from the talented Winans family.
To top the evening off, I had the privilege to introduce the feature performer, Grammy Award-nominated singer, Brian McKnight.
People would kill for an intimate and private concert with this multi-platinum singer.
That takes us to day two, which was a serious competition to see who would claim the trophy for the 1st Annual Torii Hunter Golf Tournament.
Want to see how it went? Check it out right here.
Sink that putt! – Hazel Mae
10/13 MLB Tonight – Pena’s Perspective
If you look at the teams left in the playoffs, there is one striking similarity in each of them.
They all have an amazing amount of talent to have reached this point, but there is one intangible quality that they all share within the clubhouse.
Each clubhouse is a loose environment, filled with fun and good energy, which ultimately brings out the best from each of their players. When you’re playing relaxed, you enjoy the game and the talent ends up expressing itself with big hits and big wins.
The Yankees have always traditionally been a business-like, winning oriented team, but this season they are having a blast. A.J. Burnett is a light hearted kid, but is as intense as a bull on the mound. He understands how to have a good time, but is responsible and accountable for his performance.
Nick Swisher is another guy in this mold. It doesn’t matter how many HR’s he hits, his personality makes the team perform better.
Torii Hunter’s energy is contagious. He is the same guy in Anaheim that he was in Minnesota, and winning teams have followed him. He has fun but plays the game as hard as anyone out there, which rubs off on his teammates.
I’ve played winter ball with James Loney and Matt Kemp, and they love playing the game. They’ve always had this young positive energy, but now that they have learned more responsibility, their play has taken off.
It’s also no coincidence that they blossomed with the arrival of Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez, two guys who know a thing or two about winning. Loney and Kemp are now the leaders of a Dodgers team playing loose and having fun playing October ball.
Joe Maddon runs our team in the same way. I always feel like I can be myself and have fun out there. I’m like a kid out there playing this game, because of the atmosphere Joe creates. He understands how to make people responsible and accountable for their actions, which results in a fun winning atmosphere.
Playing in a positive atmosphere enhances all aspects of the game on and off the field. In the playoffs the stakes are high, and to go out there with a bunch of guys that have fun playing the game, can be the difference between winning it all and going home in 2nd place.- Carlos Pena
MLB Network 