Hey Punto: Pull Your Head Out - It Gets You There Slower!

Nothing has been more baffling in those three Twins games I've watched this year then to see Nick Punto slide head-first into first. From Charley Walters' column on Thursday:

Twins third baseman Nick Punto said he isn't sure his head-first dives as a base runner get him to first base sooner.

"It's just a habit," he said. "If I time it some day, I'll let you know."

First base is the only one you are allowed to overrun. As my buddy Bjerk points out - if sliding head first works so well why don't sprinters do the same thing at the finish line?