Maybe a gripe about Hunter was he was not always PC when it came to things like Latin players and also gays - though I doubt he is the only professional player to have those beliefs, I think writers and bloggers will always try to exploit apparent faults with 'athletes' who end up talking too much for their own good.
The former Angel ballhawk just got his 2,000th hit with the Detroit Tigers - call me crazy but he might outperform the guy who replaced him in Anaheim for much less cost and years.
As I see it, Hunter has to only play as good as Josh Hamilton does when it matters - which is the next two years, when the Angels and Tigers are looking to contend for the playoffs while depending on Hamilton and Hunter respectively as a cog.
It might not be fair to Hamilton and it might be early - but Hunter actually has a better chance to fulfill his two-year deal just because the guy is always ready to play and doesn't embarass himself on the field.
After the next two years, comparing the two won't matter as Hunter will likely be retired and the mercurial Hamilton will likely slide into a decline phase as most older players do - perhaps accelerated by the abuse his body suffered in his 20's.
It was a nice 5-year run as a Halo for Torii Hunter - while everyone sort of moves on, especially when the Angels have Major League Baseball's best player in Mike Trout, I'll be rooting for Hunter to outplay the Bobby Abreu [circa 2010-2012] comps often thrown at his direction by 'smart' Angels fans who didn't want the team to reach out and re-sign the 37-year old outfielder.
Hopefully Torii Hunter's monster series [9-for-15 with three home runs and nine RBI] in Colorado will be a sign of things to come - after dealing with personal issues and some rustiness when he finally came back to the Angels, it's nice to have him come through big for the team this past weekend.
Minnesota Twins fan and card blogger Rhubarb_Runner saw my 2012 Topps Tribute pack break on my blog and wanted the Joe Mauer base card - he wanted to do a bigger deal though I was stumped, wondering what other card I really have for trade?
MAYBE THIS SITUATION ILLUSTRATES HOW I CAN USE MY INSERT DATABASE THAT I'VE WORKED ON - I sorted my database of inserts to look for Twins cards and actually found some trade bait.
I put together a list and was eager to see if there was any interest in the cards I rounded up - apparently there was interest and after thinking about the cards I was actually going to be sending and what I was getting back, I relented to get something done.
I don't want to be too greedy about keeping most cards featuring players - that aren't exactly 'my guys' from 'my team.'
I got jersey / memorabilia cards [of Ervin Santana and Howie Kendrick], a 2008 Topps Heritage Chrome refractor of Mike Napoli and a handful of Angels inserts and serial #'d cards - some nice cards to add to the collective.
Torii Hunter has had a fine season despite a midseason slump dragging his overall numbers a little bit - it is tough to say whether or not the Angels will catch the Texas Rangers, though I hope Hunter finishes the 2011 season strong with the bat and the glove.
After their 'dud' game against the Baltimore Orioles Friday night - the Halos need a swift collective kick in the butt.
My friend and stopped at a card shop I haven't been at in about two years and I spent $4.75 on 24 cards - what does someone think when I spend an hour lingering at their 'card shoppe' and spend just about $5 on random cards?
I'm not a big box breaker or a guy who usually picks up various singles but there is a seemingly a higher premium for both at this shop - so there has never been a real incentive to make an impulsive purchase.
However, there is a good selection of monster boxes [mainly sorted by year / brand] to dig through, including the '5 for $1' boxes featuring rookies / prospects - so maybe I could take home a little 'grab bag' of cards.
I actually started with what looks to be a 3,200 box with a row of common baseball inserts - I want to look for various inserts just for the possibility there maybe some nice, if not particularly valuable keepers.
Inserts
1.) 2008 Bowman Chrome Garret Anderson #125 Gold refractor serial #'d 24/50
2.) 2008 Topps Chrome Torii Hunter #114 Copper parallel serial #'d 115/599
3.) 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights Bobby Cox #UH 172 Gold parallel serial #'d 1513/2005
4.) 2009 Topps Dusty Baker #154 Gold parallel serial #'d 0507/2009
5.) 2007 Bowman Chrome Michael Young #72 refractor parallel
6.) 1998 Upper Deck Rookie Edition Preview Todd Helton #4 of 10
Various rookies / prospects box
1.) 2000 Topps Gold Label Scott Downs RC #99 - I thought this was a nice find since I wouldn't go out of my way to look for any of his cards to be autographed. Even though he maybe the Angels most effective reliever, he may have hurt himself again...
2.) 2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Jake Marisnick #39 - I have this 'draft pick' card already, but Marisnick has enjoyed a breakout year in the minors.
3.) 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects Luis Jimenez #BCP 22 x2 - not a super prospect but someone who has steadily battled up the minor league ranks and may earn a September call-up.
4.) 2009 Bowman Prospects Michael Stutes #BP 62, 2009 Bowman Draft Gold D.J. Le Mahieu #BDPP27 and 2010 Bowman Platinum Trevor Plouffe #77 - random cards of three players who have been 2011 MLB rookies.
5.) 2011 Upper Deck World of Sports Stephen Fife #153 - he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox and this unlicensed card is another I maybe able to get signed, if he gets to the Major Leagues.
6.) 1988 Topps Traded Robin Ventura RC #124T - this card is probably worth a nickel these days, but sometimes the nostalgia of growing up as a baseball fan through the 1990s kicks in and Ventura was one of the better players at the time. About 20 years ago, this card may have been known as an 'XRC' in a Beckett though various trading card designations in a price guide have faded away over time.
7.) 1989 Upper Deck Roberto Alomar #471 - I prefer this second year card of the Hall of Fame second baseman, over his various 'rookie issues' released in 1988, though it is probably worth a nickel like the Ventura card.
8.) 2006 Topps Allen and Ginter Josh Willingham #256, 2006 Topps Allen and Ginter Anderson Hernandez #263 and 2006 Topps Turkey Red Melky Cabrera #627 - random 'setters' I probably didn't have and probably wouldn't have bothered looking for unless I stumbled upon them.
9.) 1996 Fleer Update Tony Batista RC #U70, 1996 Fleer Flair Tony Batista RC #141 and 1996 Fleer Update Chris Singleton RC #209 - an old friend of mine 10-12 years ago used to hoard all sorts of cards and maybe I'd be a little jealous he would dig out these types of cards. I actually remember when these Batista [and his goofy stance] and Singleton [now an 'analyst' for ESPN] had their breakout seasons in the late 1990s-early 2000s and just maybe their rookie cards were something to chase for maybe half a season or so.
10.) 2009 Bowman Prospects Wilin Rosario #BP 58 and 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects Maikel Cleto #BCP 155 - a couple of prospects working their way through the minors.
2011 Bowman Platinum value pack [$8.99 each at a Target] - I was looking for a cardboard fix, so I tried another 2011 Bowman Platinum value pack.
Pack one - the cards are facing from the back.
#66 Dustin Pedroia
#58 Clayton Kershaw
#BPP 71 Johermyn Chavez - x-fractor
Filler card
#2 of 2 Checklist
Pack two
#55 Michael Pineda
#45 Torii Hunter
#BPP 55 David Cooper
Filler card
#64 Hunter Pence
Pack three
#53 David Ortiz
#65 Albert Pujols
#BPP 96 Christian Colon - x-fractor
Filler card
#17 Ryan Braun
#2 of 2 Checklist
Purple refractor pack
#BPP 18 Zack Cox
#BPP 28 Shaeffer Hall
#BPP 91 Kaleb Cowart
I got three of these insert cards in the mail Thursday and I really like the look of them even though they really are just figment of someone's imagination - I probably wouldn't be able to pull or even consider purchasing one if they were actually game-used.
It maybe obvious, but I assume these leather nameplate cards are supposed to mimic the stitching done on baseball gloves - to personalize them for particular players.
Besides Angels fan favorite Torii Hunter - the other two I got were Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Martin Prado of the Atlanta Braves.
For better for worse, Torii Hunter is my favorite current Angels' player - I think he generally represents the Angels well and even if he isn't 100 percent, he always plays hard on the field and grinds out at-bats at the plate.
As much I like the guy, I'm not so obsessed too much with collecting any of his particular cards - however I did find a lot of 15 cards online that I picked up for a dollar that included a small mix of base cards, maybe a couple of inserts and these early cards of Hunter.
Cards pictured are his 1994 Score rookie card, his 1994 Pinnacle rookie card and his 1995 Upper Deck Minors card - my favorite is probably the 1995 Upper Deck Minors card since I liked the Upper Deck design that year.
A three-game sweep of the AAA Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres over the weekend and a win against the San Francisco Giants Monday night doesn't necessarily inspire confidence - the Angels are far from a good team, despite a record over .500[33-29].
Now, Angels' centerfielder Torii Hunter will likely be out a several games - he bruised his ribs after slamming into a wall Monday night in San Francisco.
If he is out for a prolonged period of time - it will be a major blow to the team.
'Spiderman' has earned his keep as the face of the Halos franchise in 2009 - making spectacular catches and it looks like he is having a career year at the plate. 
I tend to think participating in the World Baseball Classic maybe a curse for pitchers in the Major Leagues - just look at Jake Peavy [out for a month], Roy Oswalt [down year], Joel Hanrahan [lost his job as a closer], Matt Lindstrom [not very good so far], J.J. Putz [out with an injury], et al.
Now set-up ace and WBC participant Scot Shields is out for the year and with his prolonged struggles two years ago, his implosion this year and the number of innings he has pitched – it isn’t unreasonable to think he may done as the lights-out set-up guy Angels fans expect to see on a regular basis.