Ouch.

Torii Hunter discusses the state of his testicles, and I'm just left wondering how the topic came up in the first place:

"Baseball's most acrobatic, aggressive and athletic center fielder doesn't wear a cup.' As long as I'm playing the outfield I won't be wearing one,' says Twins star Torii Hunter. 'I need the freedom. I need to feel free out there. But I've already gotten hit twice there this year.'

He grimaces as if he's reliving the pain. 'It's been a bad year. Last year I didn't get hit at all. The other day I fouled a ball off, it bounced off the ground and hit me right there. During Spring Training I was fielding groundballs during batting practice and got hit right in the nuts. I was out for the count.

But no second thoughts about it. I'm not going to wear one ever.' "


if you thought that was painful, read Albert Chen's attack on a straw man.

According to Chen, the Twins were "a fashionable preseason pick to win the World Series but are at this moment baseball's forgotten championship contender."

The Twins are a three-time defending division champ and they have the reigning Cy Young Award winner. Nobody ever forgot about the Twins in the first place.