Seated in the front row of Torii Hunter's emotional public farewell as a Minnesota Twin at Target Field last week was Joe Mauer, who was there to salute a beloved teammate on his retirement as a wonderful player.
Hunter, 40, played 17 seasons in the major leagues. Mauer will turn 33 next spring and begin his 13th season in the majors, which includes his American League Most Valuable Player season in 2009. Mauer still has three years remaining on the $184 million, eight-year contract he signed in 2010.
Asked if, during Hunter's farewell ceremony, Mauer might have envisioned himself up before a microphone in a crowded room of admirers doing the same in a few years, he joked, "I thought I was coming here for a two-year extension.