By KEN LIPSHEZ
The Herald Press

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Minnesota Twins' star center fielder and one-time
Rock Cat Torii Hunter remains passionate in defense of Barry Bonds'
alleged connection with the steroid scandal that has rocked Major League
Baseball.

Hunter cited Bonds' adversarial relationship with the media as the primary
reason for what he said are unsubstantiated allegations.

"Barry's never been caught with steroids," Hunter said. "The more you
write about it, the more you talk about it, you make it a race thing
because he's trying to (pass Babe Ruth in the career home-run derby).

"People are all over him and he's never been caught. There is speculation
and rumors but you can't go on speculation and rumors. Has he been caught?
Is there evidence? No. You have a war going on and different things that
you can talk about instead of Major League Baseball and steroids."

Bonds has been under heavy scrutiny since Sports Illustrated printed an
excerpt from the book, "Game of Shadows," written by two San Francisco
Chronicle reporters who covered the BALCO investigation between 2003 and
2005. The story has remained in the news with baseball commissioner Bud
Selig bringing in ex-senate majority leader George Mitchell Thursday to
spearhead an investigation into steroid usage.

Hunter said that with the increased penalties for taking steroids,
ballplayers are staying away.

"How could there be (a steroids incident)? There's a 50-game suspension, a
100-game suspension then a lifetime ban," Hunter said. "No one's taking
that stuff."

Hunter feels that the confrontational atmosphere between Bonds and the
media is at the heart of the allegations. He said the connection between
racism and Ruth's legendary status in the game's history as a secondary
motive.

"Leave it alone and let it be," Hunter said. "If he breaks Ruth's record
he breaks Ruth's record. If you're going to dig up dirt, you can dig dirt
on every old player out there that did wonderful things.

"It doesn't make any sense the way they're treating Barry. He's never been
(cited for) drugs, murder, drinking and driving. Why, because of his
attitude?"

Hunter feels that the majority of white baseball fans don't reject Bonds
because of race, but says a significant minority (30 percent, maybe less)
do.

"When you talk Major League Baseball, you talk Babe Ruth," he said. "But
there's a home-run king out there and it's Hank Aaron. But when you think
Major League Baseball, do you think Hank Aaron?"

MOVING FORWARD: Hunter, 30, is equally ardent about his return to active
duty after fracturing his left ankle on July 30 at Fenway Park and missing
the rest of the season.

With the addition of Rondell White and Tony Batista to the lineup, the
pressure on Hunter and Justin Morneau to supply the brunt of the power
should subside. The Twins' offense was 13th in the American League last
year.

"Hopefully I can get some pitches around the plate because they don't want
to face Justin Morneau, Rondell White and Tony Batista hitting behind me,"
Hunter said. "I get some good pitches to hit, finally.

"We have two guys on top (Luis Castillo and Shannon Stewart) who are going
to set the table. All we've got to do is eat."

From a team perspective, Hunter recognizes that the Twins face a
monumental challenge in vying with the world-champion Chicago White Sox
and up-and-coming Cleveland Indians in the AL Central Division.

"The last year or two have been pretty tough," he said. "The White Sox
raising their payroll to $95 million and getting some good players over
there. The Cleveland Indians are still young but they look good."

Hunter, the Twins' first-round pick in the June 1993 draft, played parts
of three seasons in New Britain (1996-98). He was an Eastern League
all-star in 1998 when he hit .282 with six homers and 32 RBI in 82 games
to help the Rock Cats capture the Northern Division title.

No Hunter story would be complete without the quips that define his
affable nature. He recalled the unpredictable spring weather that
distinguished his stay in New Britain and imprinted lasting memories on a
young man from Pine Bluff, Ark. He'd prefer confronting the unexpected
deliveries of major-league pitchers rather than those of New England's
early April skies.

"I don't think I'd want to shovel snow," he said. "That's like shoveling
horse manure. You just don't have the smell, that's all."

04/02/2006