No one watched "Seinfeld" looking for likable characters -- after all, if they did, they probably didn't hang around for long. But even the most dedicated fans of the sitcom needed an oasis of sanity to escape to every now and then when Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer got overly contentious or just plain unbearable. And on a show like "Seinfeld," David Puddy sometimes qualified as a pillar of sanity. Sometimes.

Played to deadpan perfection by Patrick Warburton, Puddy was an honest mechanic who loved the New Jersey Devils (a little too much) and was fond of Elaine. Elaine reciprocated this fondness, but their relationship was perpetually on the rocks. Theirs was not an ideal match -- or maybe it was. Maybe these two worked best in on-again/off-again pairings, in which case they were meant to be together when they were together and vice versa. In any event, when it came to volatility, Elaine tended to hit the top more easily (though Puddy could surprise with an out-of-character fit of pique on occasion).

For the most part, however, Puddy existed above the fray. He was also a fairly moral dude when it came down to it. Alas, Warburton's parents didn't see it this way, and let him know about it at length.