Better short field performance, Kingy, I agree. And better soft-field performance, too, in most cases. More speed only applies for non-retractable types - once you fold the wheels away, it doesn't really matter where they are.
But I think you are right about the big benefits being for the pilot. I remember reading somewhere (may even have been here) a discussion about cross-wind landings, in which someone suggested that tail-wheel aircraft are better in cross-winds. After a bit of discussion, the conclusion was that this is not correct, and that tricycle aircraft can handle more cross-winds than tail-draggers - but that a tail-dragger pilot in a tricycle could handle more cross-wind than a tricycle-only pilot. All a generalisation, of course.
Incidentally, any fear I had of ground-looping was eliminated when a (very experienced) instructor demonstrated that a Super Cub can be landed quite safely pointing sideways. In still wind conditions, he flew the whole of the final approach in a crab, landed in the crab, and rolled out with just one wheel on the runway. In still wind. Then he got me to repeat it. You have to be very fast on the rudders, and I'm not suggesting that anyone try this without an extremely experienced tail-dragger instructor on board - but it proves that these aircraft will only bite you if you don't know how to handle them.
Have fun!
FFF
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