NEW YORK — Torii Hunter doesn't condone gambling, but he had some words of caution for those leaning toward the favored New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series against the Angels, which opens, weather permitting, tonight in Yankee Stadium.
"If you're a betting man, I'm pretty sure you'll go with the Yankees because of the payroll they have and the [future] Hall of Famers they have," the Angels' center fielder said.
"They've got Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Godzilla [Hideki Matsui], CC Sabathia, one of the best left-handers in the game, Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time . . . you want me to keep going?
"There's a lot of guys over there, so if you were a betting man, yeah, you might go with the Yankees. But at the same time, you might lose your money."
No disrespect to Minnesota, but these are not the Justin Morneau-less Twins the Yankees are facing in this best-of-seven series for the AL pennant.
The Angels have power and speed, a deep and talented rotation, an improved bullpen and a versatile and productive bench.
They not only swept the Boston Red Sox in the division series, they beat closer Jonathan Papelbon, who hadn't given up an earned run in 26 playoff innings, with three ninth-inning runs in Game 3.
They are playing "with fire, with passion, with purpose," as Hunter said, alluding to the inspiration they're deriving from the memory of Nick Adenhart, the 22-year-old pitcher who was killed in an April car crash, and they do not fear the Yankees.
The Angels are the only AL team with a winning record (79-66 including playoff games) against the Yankees since 1996, and they are 33-20 in their last 53 games against them, including a three-game sweep in Anaheim before the All-Star break.
"We're gladiators, we're ready to play -- nobody here is shaking in their boots," Hunter said. "If we play the game the way we've been playing for the last six or seven games, I feel we have a good chance against any pitcher, any team."
The Yankees, of course, are not just any team. They have eight players with 22 home runs or more, and Teixeira and Rodriguez combined for 69 homers and 222 runs batted in this season, the most prolific middle-of-the-order duo since David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were winning championships with the Red Sox.
