During the introductory press conference, Hunter was asked about his career, his statistics and his return to Minneapolis. He also was asked about something very few would expect to hear at an introductory presser — gay marriage.
Mike Berardino is the Twins’ beat writer for the Pioneer Press and a former Sporting News MLB Insider.
In 2012, Hunter was asked whether he would be comfortable playing with an openly gay teammate. He cited his religious upbringing as one of the reasons why he would not welcome it. From the Los Angeles Times:
Less than two months ago, Hunter was asked to help promote the candidacy of Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchison and again made reference to his stance on gay marriage. From Deadspin:
Was it right for a reporter to use an introductory press conference to ask a player about gay marriage? That certainly is up for debate. Hunter’s responses didn’t exactly set the best tone for his second stint in Minnesota, however.
UPDATE: Berardino explained his reasoning in a statement early Thursday (posted at the end of a story by Minneapolis TV station KARE):
You can read the blog post here.
I also asked him if he thought the political backlash might have impacted his recent job search as he eventually settled for a one-year contract at a 19-percent decrease in his average annual salary. Finally, I asked Mr. Hunter if he intended to be as open with his political and religious views moving forward after having gone through this recent experience.
I asked the same questions a few minutes later of Katrina Hunter, his wife, and she offered well-reasoned answers that did not include insults at my expense. I published her complete answers, as well as those of her husband, on my Twins Now blog at TwinCities.com.
Regardless, I consider the unfortunate matter closed and I look forward to covering Mr. Hunter throughout the 2015 baseball season.
Hunter signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Twins.
(Source: Hardball Talk)
