jims051408

StarTribune.com content is available via e-mail, mobile devices and as RSS feeds.

Mobile content

Advertise with us

Home | Sports | Twins

Jim Souhan: Cuddyer plays guinea pig to latest sports innovation

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Michael Cuddyer was fitted for a mouthpiece that is supposed to help relax muscles in the jaw.

By JIM SOUHAN, Star Tribune

Last update: May 14, 2008 - 2:38 PM

Featured comment

joedude1969

One year with Tampa Bay Delmon Young had well over 600 at bats. He had 13 homeruns. Joe Mauer is a big man with no demonstrable power. Why … read more would you expect Young to develop any? As for Ortiz, he told the Boston newspapers that when he got to Boston he was still trying to do what the Twins(Tom Kelly)had asked him to do. (i.e. hit the ball behind the runner, advance the runner, etc.) And Boston told him he was a big hitter, "Hit the ball." A star was born! The Twins would have held him back for his entire career. Sometimes you can overmanage things.

Add your own comment | Close comment

31 comments | See all

More from Jim Souhan

Hitters will adopt virtually any ritual, talisman or superstition to get an edge: steroids, HGH, greenies, pine tar, high-tech batting gloves, rubbing the barrel of a bat on a bone, extra batting practice, human sacrifice, soft toss, hitting off a tee, watching tapes, calling relatives for swing tips, changing types of wood and lacquer, wearing a lucky T-shirt, and -- in the case of the Chicago White Sox -- arranging their bats around a couple of blow-up dolls in the clubhouse.

Carlos Gomez appears to sniff his bat on the way to the batter's box. Justin Morneau wears a hockey T-shirt honoring one of his favorite players. Chuck Knoblauch adjusted his batting gloves until he cut off circulation. Now Michael Cuddyer is going where no Twin has gone before in his search for that extra hit or two a week:

He's trying a sports version of orthodontia.

Cuddyer heard about a bunch of Red Sox and Tigers who have begun wearing a specialized mouthpiece to improve their hitting, fielding, throwing and general range of motion. He submitted to tests and a 75-minute fitting process, has begun wearing a prototype and hopes to begin wearing the real mouthpiece soon.

"Manny Ramirez is a big endorser of it," Cuddyer said of the Red Sox star. "Seven Tigers are wearing it, a few Toronto players are wearing it, and I thought, 'Well, I'll give it a shot.'

"The way it's been explained to me is it relaxes your jaw, which relaxes your face, which relaxes your shoulders and traps [trapezius muscles], and all of that is a key to athletic performance."

Twins strength and conditioning coach Perry Castellano is besieged with the sports world's witch doctors and snake-oil salesmen, entrepreneurs pushing the next big thing.

Some work. Some are placebos -- effective because they increase an athlete's confidence, not because they are effective in and of themselves. Some are fraudulent.

Castellano was approached by a local dentist about the PPM -- the Pure Power Mouthguard. Castellano researched the product and figured the easy going, open-minded Cuddyer might be willing to try it.

Cuddyer submitted to a fitting. When wearing the PPM, he experienced a great increase in range of motion when he rotated his torso. "That would help with hitting and with throwing," he said. "It's fascinating to me. David Ortiz says Manny loves it, that it's all he talks about. So I figured I'll give it a shot. It can't hurt. And if it does hurt, I'll stop wearing it."

Morneau, asked if he's going to try it, quickly said, "No."

Why not? "It doesn't interest me," he said. "I really haven't heard the whole spiel on what it's supposed to do."

What if Cuddyer gets hot? "We'll see," Morneau said.

Twins infielder Nick Punto was asked if he'll try it.

"I'll look and see how Cuddyer likes it, but I'm not going to try it yet," he said. "Cuddyer will be our guinea pig.

"If, for some reason, he starts hitting the ball well, I'm sure we'll all jump on board. That's the way we are."

Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith and Red Sox players Dustin Pedroia and Jonathan Papelbon are among the other athletes who supposedly use the PPM.

More information about the mouthguard is available at PPMmouthguard.com.

"There are so many gimmicks out there, but the other day I watched Michael getting fitted, and they put the sensors on his face and looked at the large muscles of his neck, and his facial muscles, and he had increased range of motion," Castellano said. "Not an inch. Eight to 10 inches.

"Even if it's all smoke and mirrors, it still worked."

His teammates will be interested in just how well it works. Wearing a lucky T-shirt can help you only so much.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com

Continue to next page

Time lapse of Twins stadium

One year ago this week, the first Web cam image of the new Twins ballpark construction site was taken. Today, the Twins released a one minute time lapse movie of how the construction has progressed over the past year.

Snow doesn't dampen opening day spirit

Twins fans and players alike shrugged off the snow for opening day and heralded the arrival of the baseball season.

Twins video player card: Mike Redmond

Twins catcher Mike Redmond talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Final of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Boof Bonser

Twins pitcher Boof Bonser talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Eighth of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Nick Punto

Twins infielder Nick Punto talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Sixth of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Justin Morneau

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Fifth of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Brendan Harris

Twins second baseman Brendan Harris talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Fourth of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Adam Everett

Twins shortstop Adam Everett talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Third of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Mike Lamb

Twins third baseman Mike Lamb talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. Second of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Twins video player card: Joe Mauer

Twins catcher Joe Mauer talks about his hopes for the season and how things are going this spring. First of nine in a series leading up to Opening Day.

Training camp: The battle for second base

Twins coach Ron Gardenhire is looking for Nick Punto to improve offensively and for Brendan Harris to be patient at the plate, but the competition for second base is close.

5-7-5: Twins are poets, don't 'cha know it?

Assorted Minnesota Twins read reader-submitted Haiku with flair ... or not.

Cuddyer is ready to lead the Twins

Michael Cuddyer says he's probably a natural fit to lead the team since he's got the most experience with the organization.

Who's going to make Twins roster?

Baseball writers La Velle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen think Wednesday's lineup against Boston features the A-listers or as close as it can be given the tough competition.