GOLD GLOVE CENTER FIELDER BELIEVES FRIEND CARLOS JAMES IS RIGHT CHOICE FOR UAM

 Photo by: Terry Pierson / The Press Enterprise  
The jury is still out on how Pine Bluff native Carlos James will do as the head baseball coach at Arkansas-Monticello.

But there's at least one person who thinks he's the perfect fit.

Torii Hunter, the two-time big league all-star centerfielder and former Pine Bluff High School standout, said UAM made the "perfect choice" when they decided to name James the interim coach when former manager Ron Hill resigned on March 28.

"I feel like Carlos is the perfect choice for a place like UAM," said Hunter, who was taking a break from his busy schedule with the Los Angeles Angels to discuss his old friend. "Carlos knows so much about the game and he loves to pass that knowledge on to kids. I've always know that he'd be a great coach one day."

Hunter and James go way back. Both players starred for the Zebras in the early 1990's, but the two were never on the field at the same time. James is three years older than Hunter, so by the time the future major leaguer was playing for the late Billy Bock, James had already been drafted by the Oakland Athletics and was playing for Seminole State College in Seminole, Okla.

But that didn't stop the two from striking up a quick friendship.

"Carlos and I, man, we're really, really good friends," Hunter said. "We've been that way for a long time now. He's older than me, so we never played for the Zebras together, but he was a guy I looked up to a whole lot. I wanted to be just like Carlos James. Shoot, I wanted to be the next Carlos James...He's one of the many reasons that I love the game of baseball."

Hunter, before he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 20th overall pick of the 1993 amateur draft, committed to play for the University of Arkansas, where James was at the time.

"I ended up going pro, but before that Carlos was the guy that showed me around Fayetteville on my official visit," Hunter said. "His dad was also an old football coach of mine, and during my first couple of years (in the majors), I'd come back home to work out in the off-season, and he and I would train everyday together...We never missed a beat....Carlos and I really do go way back, man. He's one of my very best friends."

Hunter said James is perfect for the Boll Weevils because of his wealth of knowledge about the game and the fondness for teaching younger players.

"We've always talked, and as I've gone up in my career, I've taught him some things about baseball," Hunter said. "I used to fly him out to Minnesota and let him just sit and talk with guys like (Twins Manager) Ron Gardenhire and kind of pick their brains a little bit....He's played for some great coaches, too...all the way from high school to junior college to the Razorbacks...and he's like a sponge anyway. He wants to learn, and as a result, the guy knows what he's talking about."

Hunter said James was simply waiting for the opportunity, and now that its been given to him, he'll succeed with flying colors..

"They're rebuilding right now, obviously," he said. "So it's going to be tough on him...but that's the way it is...He's got to get through the rebuilding stage first and kind of revamp everything, the he'll start to win some games...He'll get there early and stay late. He's a hard worker, and I just really think he's a great fit for UAM."

If James becomes the permanent solution to the UAM baseball equation, the there's en excellent chance the Boll Weevils well receive some instruction from Hunter, too.

"Oh yeah, no doubt about it. I'd come help him," Hunter said. "Anytime I have some free time, I could come down there and help him out...I'd love to because I'm like him, I love working with kids."