Torii Hunter Suspension Accepted, Showing Scioscia's Philosophy

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Torii Hunter's explosion that included making contact with the umpire with the bill of his helmet, and throwing baseballs on the field, is not an example of typical Angels' Baseball.

In 2004, the Angels of Anaheim let go of Jose Guillen, despite his good numbers, because of his behavior. Guillen's suspension of the last eight games of the regular season in 2004 was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. He was dropped from the roster after his tantrum in the dugout and clubhouse after being removed from a game on September 25th, 2004. He was hitting .294 for the season, but for Scioscia it was more about the team, and Jose was not acting like a team player. After Jose was traded, the Angels picked up key players in Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera.

Hunter is a key part of the team, and I don't believe that the Angels' are going to deal him as a result of his explosion, and suspension. But one has to remember that after Torii was ejected from Friday's game, and went off on home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa, even making contact with him with the bill of his helmet, and throwing a bag of baseballs onto the field from the Angels' dugout, Hunter promised to appeal any suspension for his actions. Even after receiving the news of the suspension, Hunter was ready to fight it. Then, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia had a talk with Hunter, and Torii emerged from the manager's office today willing to serve the four-game suspension for his actions, and even indicating that he was "terrible," and "said some things I shouldn’t have said. I threw balls on the field. You have to pay the price for it and that’s what I’m going to do."

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that discussion between Hunter and Scioscia, but one thing is for sure, it is a testament to the skills that Scioscia has as a manager. Mike surely explained to Torii that Angels Baseball is about the team, respect for the game, and acting as an ambassador for the game.

“The more you think about it and the more you watch it, that’s not me,” Hunter also said. “I really let the guy push my buttons and it shouldn’t have come to that. I apologize to the fans and to the kids out there and to my kids.”

Scioscia would not admit that he had done anything to persuade Hunter to accept the suspension and forego an appeal, but it is obvious that the words of Scioscia in the manager's office convinced Hunter to make the right decision.

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