Clubhouse Guys

Today I read a column reminding that not only is Nick Punto an atrocious hitter, but he's at best adequate in the field. I skimmed over some reader comments, and not surprisingly the Punto Apologists brought forth their final line of defense: He brings the intangibles. He hustles. He's a team leader. He's a good clubhouse guy. I recall one saying he'd rather have Punto than a "clubhouse cancer" like Manny Ramirez. Let me just ask this: As an opposing team, who would you rather see stepping into the batters box for a critical late inning at bat? Even as a Twins fan conditioned to quake in terror of puny middle infielders like Adam Kennedy, I'd take my chances that the Brave Little Toaster hits a dinky foul ball to the first baseman, spikes his bat in disgust, throws his helmet across the diamond, and slides headfirst into the bag to get his uniform dirty. Manny may be suspended presently, but when he returns, he'll still have more RBI's and HR's that Punto.