MINNEAPOLIS -- You don't have to be from Minnesota to adore the Twins. So much in baseball is loathable in the 21st century, but on a glorious Tuesday night in a diabolical dome, they showed why they're lovable and worthy of America's collective October heart. Prince? Brett Favre? Garrison Keillor? The Pillsbury Doughboy? As local icons, they're mere sideshows to the astonishing comeback of a ballclub that has one player known to the masses -- the great Joe Mauer -- and a whole lot of crunchers, muckers, grinders, survivors and who-the-heck-are-theys."Let me say something," said one of the better muckers, slugger Michael Cuddyer, climbing onto a podium to address his teammates in a rocking, champagne-stained clubhouse. "The game ball today goes to everyone, every single one of you. This was a total team championship, and you all deserve it."
Perfect.




