I MET NICK PUNTO!

(From August 20, 2007)

So I was at the Blockbuster Video on Hennepin and this dude walks in with his two young sons. And hey, it's Twins third baseman Nick Punto! OBSERVATIONS: 1) He is shorter than me. And almost NO ONE is shorter than me. (I've noticed that no matter what, no ball player is EVER listed as being shorter than 5'9". This includes Alexi Casilla.) 2) Firm, dry handshake. One pump. Very manly, but appropriately so I think for a corner infielder. Not fruity like you get from a pitcher. 3) He seems like a nice guy. He was very patient with his kids. They REALLY wanted to see RATTATOUILLE and made that point clear to everyone in the store. 4) His wife-- a cute blond with a bob haircut waiting outside in a late-model black Lexus with Arizona plates-- did NOT look like she wanted to see RATTATOUILLE. I DID NOT: 1) Bring up his batting average. (.203) 2) Fawn or in any way make a fuss. 3) Mention that after striking out to end tonight's game against the Mariners he made incredibly good time from the Metrodome to south Minneapolis. I swear I didn't leave my place that long after the game ended. Maybe when you're batting .203 it's customary to have your wife waiting outside the ballpark with the engine running.