Last night my baseball team, the Minnesota Twins, defeated the Chicago White Sox 7-6 in a stunning come-from-behind victory to grab sole possession of first place in the American Central Division. The player who scored the winning run was Nick Punto.
One of Punto’s more interesting habits is that he often slides head-first into first base. This makes sense only if you need to avoid a tag, otherwise it is counterproductive. It is a habit he should unlearn.
On the flip side, according to this new study, when a player does have to slide (say into second base) the head-first slide is superior to the feet-first version. Apparently, it is a matter of the player’s center of gravity.
So next time your favorite player is tagged out on a feet-first slide encourage him to unlearn that habit.
