Jim Souhan: Playing appreciates in value for Cuddyer

Some guys love the money. How can you blame them? You'd love the money, too.

Some love the fame. Some love going to work, playing catch, then sitting around in the clubhouse in their underwear, doing crosswords while teammates play pranks.

It's a great life, being a big-league ballplayer, and you can love the life without loving the game itself, without loving the work, without loving winning as an end, not a means.

That's why you should root for Michael Cuddyer as the Twins try to fight off elimination tonight -- because we can only hope that for every money-grubbing, Scott Boras-loving, entitled, spoiled ballplayer in the big leagues there is at least one Cuddyer, a guy who craves the victory handshake.

The last time the Twins faced elimination in a game at the Metrodome, the night ended with Cuddyer climbing onto the table in the clubhouse during a wild celebration, calling for silence and handing out theoretical game balls to his teammates. "This one," he said, holding a baseball aloft, "is for all of you."

The players cheered, and the party resumed.

Cuddyer, who has taken it upon himself to hand out game balls for the past two seasons, may not be in line to emcee any more clubhouse celebrations this year. The Twins trail the Yankees two games to none in the best-of-five playoff series that will resume tonight in the Dome.

So Cuddyer may have to take solace in having gotten the Twins this far, in having become more driver than passenger this year.

While Joe Mauer is the Twins' best player and Justin Morneau their signature slugger, Cuddyer has reasserted himself as a leader in deed as well as word this season. As the most optimistic and gregarious personality on a team that mirrors Mauer's reserved personality, Cuddyer has prided himself on displaying the resilience and flexibility the Twins have required during their improbable sprint toward the playoffs.

He is the quintessential Twin in so many ways: a first-round draft pick as a high school shortstop who has since played every position but catcher and shortstop in the pros; a raw prospect who took years to make an impact in the big leagues; a player whose injuries and slumps required patience from the front office; a player who embraced the Twins' emphasis on hustle and selflessness.

"I feel very lucky that I wound up with the Twins, because I really believe in those philosophies, and how we do things here," Cuddyer said. "It's been a great marriage."

Cuddyer enjoyed his first breakthrough season in 2006, but his career path has never proven to be linear. He slumped in 2007 and suffered a variety of injuries in 2008 before rebounding this season with a career-high 32 homers.

The 2008 season bothered Cuddyer so much that he admits to a certain kind of relief when the White Sox beat the Twins in Game 163 in Chicago last year. "A lot of guys said that game stuck with them for weeks and weeks and weeks," Cuddyer said. "I turned that page the very next day. I was ready for '09."

Cuddyer offered his best when the Twins needed him most, once Morneau was lost and it would have been rational to assume the season was also lost.

"If we're looking back at the year, yeah, it has been extremely rewarding, to play that way, to top it off with winning the division and having a pretty big role in winning the division," Cuddyer said. "That's fun. Especially coming off a season like last year.

"Last year was absolutely miserable. I didn't let it show that much because I know I can't let it show that much, but it was miserable."

Cuddyer plays with the kind of passion we like to believe we would display if we were gifted and privileged enough to play big-league ball.

Without complaint, he has been moved to third, second, left and right field, and filled in at center field, and when Morneau was lost, he took over at first base and the Twins inexplicably surged.

The signature moments of the Twins' late-summer surge featured Cuddyer's jackhammer high-fives, which have sent some of his more intelligent teammates ducking into the corner of the dugout, trying to stay intact.

"If you've been around a while, and if you've seen things and if you have the type of personality that is not afraid, you're going to ultimately step up in that situation," he said. "If you're a quiet guy, maybe you won't. But I'm not very quiet. I get excited. I'm exuberant. And if you have that kind of personality and you've been around for a long time, it becomes natural for people to look at you."

His teammates will be looking to him tonight, as they try to survive again.

Jim Souhan can be heard at 10-noon Sunday, and 6:40 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on AM-1500. His twitter name is SouhanStrib. jsouhan@startribune.com