Cuddy Does It!

With these late West Coast games, I've been missing many of the Twins games this week. Thus, I never read the bad news or the good news until the next day. It was a great surprise to read this morning that the Twins beat the A's in the 10th inning with Michael Cuddyer hitting the triple to drive in the winning run.



I know I seem very critical of Michael Cuddyer in the posts I've made, such as my thoughts about the end of Monday's game or, still, the out at home in Game 163 last year. The truth is that I'm a big fan of Michael Cuddyer. He embodies everything the Twins have always been about: his tireless work ethic, his blue collar grit, and his humble playmaking.

Cuddy was the Twins' first round selection in 1997. He made his Major League debut in 2001 and worked on and off the starting lineup and playing a number of different positions until he established himself as the starting right fielder in 2006. In that year, he set career highs in batting average, home runs and RBIs. People do not talk much about his defense, yet he lead the league quietly in outfield assists in 1997. While he has been critized for not performing to his 2006 levels, Cuddyer has become one of the solid spots in the lineup this year.

I had met Michael Cuddyer at TwinsFest in 2007. I had a baseball in my bag that still needed an auto. The line for Cuddyer was relatively short so I stepped in. When I handed my ball to Michael, we chit-chatted for a few seconds, he signed my ball, thanked me for being at TwinsFest and I thanked him for signing. One of the very classiest guys in baseball today.

In honor of Michael Cuddyer, here are the rookie card I have in the collection.