Stu is back, much to your delight, with another installment of The Hunt Down. This time he takes a look at Denny Hocking. Before that, though, a quick note: things will be quiet around here next week as we take some time off. As in, probably completely dark Monday-Friday of next week. The pug/house sitter is lined up, and we're getting away from a little while. But we'll be back in plenty of time for The Masters, the Final Four, MLB opening day and all that good stuff. Talk amongst yourselves in the mean time. If history holds, Marthaler's Weekend Links will be the last post for a while. And now: Stu's Hunt Down. Stu?
-----------------------
Name: Denny Hocking Claim to Fame, Minnesota: put in terms of James Cameron films, Denny Hocking is the Titanic of Minnesota Twins utility players. A mainstay of the Twins from 1993-2003, Hocking played just about everywhere on the field, and would have been everyone's selection for the apogee of the TK/Gardy Guy (long on hustle and fundamentals, short on "being good at stuff") until Nick Punto's Avatar came along and shattered all the box office records. That said, Hocking's time with the Twins is perhaps best remembered for two incidents from the 2002 season that didn't even occur during a game. He was a part of the Anne Hutchinson dousing episode after the Twins clinched the AL Central, and he was later forced to miss the 2002 ALCS after Jacque Jones reportedly stepped on his throwing hand while the team celebrated their ALDS win over Oakland. Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: he finished his baseball career with the Rockies and Royals, and co-hosted a Fox Sports Radio show with his friend, former 49er Derrick Deese. They should've made a buddy cop movie. Where He Is Now: coaching for the Frederick Keys in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Glorious Randomness: Here's the full list or Cameron films and their Twins counterpart, if you were curious: Avatar: Nick Punto Titanic: Denny Hocking Terminator 2: Al Newman True Lies: Ron Washington The Abyss: Houston Jimenez Aliens: Jeff Reboulet The Terminator: Rob Wilfong Piranha Part Two: Lenny Faedo Is it a coincidence that Cameron directed a Piranha movie? THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES, SHEEPLE.
