The WGOM

The fact that "2008" and "Nick Punto" were mentioned in the same sentence by the manager gives me a headache.

I'd love to see a game where Gardy is ejected, and the bench coach immediately takes Punto out of the lineup. Because at this point, it seems the only way we're going to get our wish is if Gardy is canned. Which, I guess, makes TWO wishes fulfilled.

Excellent work, ubelmann. Way to put the lie to the Gardy propaganda about bunting. Punto's problem isn't bunting, although he sucks at that (at least the sacrificing kind) it's popping up all the time. It's working counts until he's in a hole. In short, it's hitting.

Sometimes I think to myself -- man why pick on Punto, he's such an easy mark. And, to be sure, it's not Nick Punto I'm picking on as much as it's the decision by management to install Nick Punto into the lineup every day.

Nick Punto will not be benched. -30, here we come.

LENIII:

But his average hasn't been above .250 since May 3, though his defense has remained spectacular.

No, his defense is not spectacular. His numbers at 3B have improved so that he's in the top half of 3Bers in the AL in UZR. He's a lot better than Buscher and L-Rod, but that doesn't mean he's "spectacular". I'd say he's a good defensive third baseman. He's no Brooks Robinson, who was "spectacular".

While many middle-aged men have reluctantly become accustomed to doing self-exams for a certain type of cancer, Gardenhire has enthusiastically mastered the art of doing self-examinations for colo-rectal cancer. Way to go -- "Ron, you're the best."

Just to throw it in there because, meh, I feel like it. Punto had 10 sacrifice hits last year (i.e., bunts), whereas he's only had 5 this year. And I know he's tried a *lot* more than five times this year. I assume therapy in the off-season will result in an eventual failure to remember the number of pop-up bunts.

Gardy referring to Punto's bunting expertise as "a weapon" slays me. Like a shiv made from butter.

Top shelf analysis wrapped in a delicious snark coating. Well played, Ubes.

Here's even more of the lie:

Last year, when Punto bunted for a hit, he was 7-26, a .269 BA, which is lower than his .290 average. His attempted to bunt for a hit 5.66% of his at bats.

This year, when Punto has bunted for a hit, he is 8-18, a .444 BA. So actually, he's been better bunting for a hit this year than he has last year. And 18 attempts is 4.35% of his at bats, not much difference. If he gets the same number of at bats this year, at this rate he'll have 20 attempts, only six fewer attempts, or just over one attempt per 100 at bats.

This is utterly ridiculous.

Gardenfool is a complete moron. Why does this guy have such job security?

To come out and say that he will not bench Punto for the remainder of the season shows just a glimpse of what is wrong with this organization. I don't give two shits what Punto did in 2006...he's reverted back to his career norms this year, which is the player most intelligent people should expect him to be. But for some reason, the manager and GM of this organization feel it's necessary to continue to give him everyday AB's, which in essence is hurting the present and future of this ball club.

Good stuff though Ubel.

Here are is numbers by half this year.

.211 -.313 -.272
.170 -.228 -.215

Can he really be that bad?

I don't know about you guys, but I think Punto is due for a big consolidation year in 2008. You know... one where he hits nearly .230/.300./.300 over 450+ ABs at 3B and 2B. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

It makes sense that Punto would try to bunt for hits more this year than last year. Even Mickey Mantle was known to drag one for a hit when he was in a wicked slump, and Nicky is in the mother of all slumps this year (I know, at some point you just can't call it a slump anymore). But it is just unfathomable that they continue to trot him out there every day. Since Ubelmann went with the Animal Farm allusions today, I want to point out how fitting this excerpt is when considered in the context of the Twins:

"If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal."

At this point Gardy's been given the directive to "tank". Hence Punto gets to finish the year.

Can we buy out Punto's contract ala the Wolves buying out T-Hud? I'll throw in $5!

This is a coaching staff that has repeatedly ignored solid-to-great minor league results (Bartlett, Cuddyer, Kubel, even Morneau) when jerking around young players the second they show any sign of struggling.

Yet they absolutely will not let go of a needle-in-a-haystack season from a career utility player with absolutely no track record of being an average (at best) offensive season.

I'm just surprised we haven't had a return of the "combined RBI" stat they liked to use with Mientkiewicz. Punto might only knock in 40 runs, but he's saved another 40 with his glove.

This season is O-V-E-R. We know Punto sucks this year and will likely suck in the future. What the hell does this team have in Casilla and Buscher? We won't find out until next year, maybe ever for Buscher (and he's a huge suspect) since L-Rod and Punto will likely continue to suck up at bats.

With the current state of the front office and coaching staff, the dark ages are threatening to return just in time for the new stadium.

This gets me feeling that even if TR/Gardy don't plan to use Punto as the regular 3B next season, they may already be thinking that he'll be the placeholder at 2B while Casilla works on his game and leadership abilities at Rochester next spring.

I'm looking for a little self-sacrifice from Punto now. Pull yourself off the lineup and take your money and sit on the bench. Punto is doing nothing for the morale of the Twins fans. I'm just hoping that TR and Gardy decide to pull a Rivas on Punto next year and pay him to play in Rochester.

This is great analysis but it's also preaching to the choir. How can we get the average rube to realize that Punto sucks? Over the past few months I've been asking baseball fans that I know what they think of Punto. Amazingly they all love him! Now my parents are big Twins fans, but not very sophisticated ones, they're probably being influenced by dicknbert. As I'm sure many others are too. But other people I asked who "know" baseball, shouldn't be swayed by the Little Nicky Punto crap and they feel the same way.

I think if there was a public level of disgust toward Punto as is found on this blog (rightfuly btw), Gardy wouldn't be so hot to keep on trotting him out there everyday. So where do we start?

I'm completely behind the "Press Release." I know that Batgirl's website reached the clubhouse on a daily basis ... maybe this will too? Or a girl can dream, right?