FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins had finished their batting practice, and players filed in out of the hot sun for the air-conditioned clubhouse.

All except for Torii Hunter. He watched as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays sauntered over to the batting cage, and then he strolled over. The first group of Devil Rays to hit included B.J. Upton, Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes. After shaking hands with Upton -- whom he has known through agent Larry Reynolds -- he introduced himself to Young and Dukes.

Hunter knew the "rap sheet." He knew Upton was charged with drunken driving and Young had tossed a bat at an ump this past summer, and Dukes had the reputation of coming from a rough background.

"There isn't anyone in this game who doesn't have something back there in the closet," the Twins' star center fielder told them. "You just have to fight and get beyond it."

He then talked with Dukes about his own background, his street and gang life, his drug-ridden family situation, getting shot at, and like Gary Sheffield, how he knows the way out is never looking or going back.

"I did what I had to do," Hunter said. "You will, too. You can be a great player. I want to see it. We all do. We want you to win."

The group discussed former Devil Rays prospect Josh Hamilton, who now plays for Cincinnati. They all hope he wins his personal battles and becomes an inspiration to troubled teenagers everywhere, a real-life example that drugs can be overcome.

What was so striking is that here is Hunter, making $12 million, going out of his way to help three young players trying to learn to trust themselves in their environment.

"If I can help anyone, then I've done something worthwhile," Hunter said. "David [Ortiz] is the same person. He helped me more than I can ever explain."

Now Ortiz -- Hunter's mentor in Minnesota -- and Hunter are two stars that always have time to simply be nice to others, even if the others can do nothing for them.

"Aren't we all supposed to be that way?" Hunter asks. "Where'd we all come from, anyway?"

Hunter was a member of the Crips street gang while growing up in Pine Bluff, Ark. Now, every Christmas, Hunter and his wife, Katrina, provide meals, toys and gifts for people in his old neighborhood. He has enlisted more than a dozen players -- including B.J. and Justin Upton, Ken Griffey Jr., Carl Everett, Derrek Lee, Sheffield and Rondell White -- to join with him in The Torii Project, which sponsors inner-city youth baseball. This year, the Torii Project will hold a 12-team tournament in Williampsort, Pa.

The mission statement is clear: "Our goal is to increase the opportunities for American youth to enjoy the game of baseball in the inner city and beyond and to provide an equal playing field, regardless of race, ethnicity or skill level."

"We have to do something to get African-Americans back playing baseball," Hunter said. "It's ridiculous. People like me have to show kids what can happen if they play baseball. B.J. can be a role model. Delmon. Elijah. I don't care what some people who don't know them think about them; they are good people, smart people … and can be great players. If they're great players, they can do a lot of good for a lot of other people."

The Twins have long been one of baseball's character teams, with remarkable individuals like Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan, et al. Hunter is the one with the star personality and unforgettable All-Star Game catch in Milwaukee. He is a free agent at the end of the year and says, "I like this team and city so much I really want to stay."

Hunter has plenty of time to think about where he'll be playing next season. On a hot, dusty Saturday at Lee County Stadium, Hunter did what is most important to him: helping other people. In this case, it was three gifted players.

"Torii," Upton said, "is who we all should strive to be."

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