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MINNEAPOLIS - When Torii Hunter first came up to the major leagues in 1997, Paul Molitor was bringing a Hall of Fame playing career to a close with his hometown Minnesota Twins.Molitor could still swing the bat, and the impression he made on a talented group of youngsters, including Hunter, helped lay the foundation for the long-struggling teams renaissance.Almost two decades later, Hunter is returning to Minnesota, his home away from home, to play for Molitor and return the favour.This is where I needed to be, Hunter said Wednesday after signing a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Twins. This is home for me.Hunter spent the first 11 years of his career with the Twins. He was a first-round draft pick as an 18-year-old in 1993 and looked up to Kirby Puckett and Molitor, among others, as he made his way up through the system.He watched how Molitor, who hit .341 in 161 games as a 39-year-old designated hitter with the Twins in 1996, went about his business, studying opposing pitchers for weaknesses and pouncing on blunders in the outfield to take an extra base.Now Hunter is 39, still swinging the bat pretty well in the closing stages of his career. And the Twins are flush with prospects who need a mentor.Its crazy how things come full circle, Hunter said. Just watching Molitor at the end of his career and I was a young player and he was imparting (wisdom) to me and showing me different things. Hes the manager now and Im almost at the end of my career, still producing though. Now Im coming back and trying to impart to some of these younger guys and give back to them and make them better.The Twins have lost at least 92 games in each of the last four seasons and a young clubhouse has at times appeared overwhelmed and a little lost without a strong veteran voice. The organization hopes prospects such as Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer and Eddie Rosario will be ready to support quiet veteran Joe Mauer. There also are up-and-comers Kennys Vargas, Oswaldo Arcia and Danny Santana on the roster who may push the Twins back into relevance.General manager Terry Ryan was looking on the free-agent market for a right-handed hitter with some power, and Hunter hit 17 homers and drove in 83 runs for the Detroit Tigers last year. That Hunter also happens to be the kind of player who takes pride in being a vocal leader and holding other players accountable only added to the attraction.Weve got a young club here. Weve got young position players, Ryan said. We brought Torii here not only to help them out, but more importantly, we still believe Torii can be a productive player in his own right.Hunter is a five-time All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove winner who has hit at least 16 homers in 13 of his last 14 seasons.He had other suitors, and perhaps some were much closer to contending for the championship that has eluded Hunter to this point in his career.Hunter said he couldnt pass up the chance to return to the place it all began. Hes looking to help the Twins regain the level of the team that won four division titles in five seasons before he left in 2008.Hunter asked for a full no-trade clause in his contract in order to come back home, underlining his commitment to helping this wayward franchise, and the Twins agreed.Hunter said if things go poorly this season and Ryan has a chance to trade him to a contender at the deadline, they will discuss it. But his preference is to finish his career in Minnesota, whether it ends after this season or not.This is where I want to be, Hunter said. Im in it for the long haul if theyre willing to do it.NOTES: Hunter would earn $25,000 bonuses if hes an All-Star, wins a Gold Glove or wins a Silver Slugger. He would get $100,000 for MVP, $75,000 for second, $50,000 for third and $25,000 for fourth through sixth. He would get $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $100,000 for World Series MVP. Basketball Shoes Cheap Australia . On the day the club activated Casey Janssen from the 15-day disabled list, his return from a strained oblique that cost him the first six weeks of the regular season, it announced Sergio Santos would be placed on the disabled list on Monday with discomfort in his right forearm. Wholesale Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday. http://www.cheapbasketballshoesaustralia.com/. -- Ryan Millers debut for the St. Basketball Shoes Online Store Australia .com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak. Basketball Shoes Australia Online . Canada Day is here and with it comes Free Agent Frenzy as the NHLs 30 teams storm out of the gate for signing season.NEW YORK -- Michael Sam was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the NFL draft Saturday, becoming the first openly gay player drafted by a pro football team. Sam played at Missouri, and came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best season of his career: He was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, including a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day came and went, no Sam. Then the second, and the third, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake -- and another kiss. Sam will start his professional career not ffar from the place where he played his college ball, with three former Missouri teammates.dddddddddddd The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted. He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and McGill University in Canada were selected before Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL -- coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports -- was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. ' ' '