Cuddyer gives Hickory High two major league heroes to follow

The Virginian-Pilot

Sure, David Wright gets the love at Hickory High School. It's where the New York Mets' iconic third baseman walked the halls, played his ball and flashed the golly-gosh smile that's captured a city of hard-bitten baseball fans.

But Hickory, bless its big old heart, has enough love for two major league stars. Even one who attended - cough, cough - a rival Chesapeake high school.

Michael Cuddyer of the Minnesota Twins - and Great Bridge High - has become Hickory's honorary favorite son. Not because he's a good guy, which he is, but more because he's Claudia Rente's guy.

Rente, who teaches English at Hickory, has a photo on her desk of Cuddyer, whom she'll marry in November. She never worries if the photo will wind up with a Sharpie-scrawled goatee and devil horns the next time she turns her back.

"People definitely love David around here," says Rente, a 28-year-old from Arlington, Va. "He's still a fresh face and everybody still recognizes him. Michael's a little older, but he still is kind of a hometown hero.

"I don't know if one gets more attention than the other, but I think that people are definitely prone to asking me about Michael."

When students and faculty inquire, Rente says she tries to keep it brief. Classroom duty calls, after all, and Cuddyer is never on the syllabus. That's ironic because there is so much more ground to cover regarding Cuddyer these days.

The Twins remain in a frantic push to run down the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central or earn the AL wildcard berth. And Cuddyer, who before this season struggled to find a home in Minnesota's lineup and seemed to be running out of chances, has had a breakout year.

Moved to rightfield - he's done everything but pitch, catch and play shortstop for the Twins over six seasons - and eventually into the clean up spot, Cuddyer, 27, has blossomed with 22 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .276 batting average through Friday.

Prior to meeting Cuddyer three years ago through a mutual friend, all of that would've sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher to Rente.

She was raised on soccer by Portuguese parents and rowed crew in high school. For all she knew, a boxscore could have been a recipe for noodle soup.

Rente now talks casually of games behind, wildcards and Cuddyer's contract status - "he's arbitration-eligible," she says - like a woman whose life has become permanently bound to the diamond.

"He used to give me little quizzes on the phone, like, 'What's it called when a runner comes across the plate?' " Rente says with a laugh. "He really had to teach me as if I was a young child because I didn't know anything about it.

"Oftentimes he would say, 'It's OK if you don't know this stuff, it doesn't matter,' but it did matter to me. Not that I've become a lover of baseball, but that I understood what his life was like. "

Tracking Cuddyer and a nervous pennant race from afar isn't exactly ideal, Rente has found, but that's life at the moment. She spent time this summer in Minneapolis, and this weekend caught up with Cuddyer in Cleveland for the first time in three weeks.

On most nights, the satellite dish in the house Rente and Cuddyer recently had built in Great Bridge is dialed in to the Twins' game, after which Rente always receives a call from one handsome, unassuming outfielder.

How unassuming? Cuddyer, Rente says, just bought thank-you gifts for teammates who helped him drive in 100 runs by consistently getting on base.

"He does not toot his own horn or pat himself on the back," Rente said. Although Cuddyer, who couldn't be reached for this, is justifiably thrilled to have arrived as an essential Twin.

"I think he likes his job more now." Rente said. "They gave him a chance and he's been able to run with it. Overall, I think he's a generally happier person."

And why not? The year has showered a brand new success on Cuddyer with a new contract and a new future with Rente.

Love like that is hard not to love.