Longer chainstays prevent the front wheel from lifting on in-the-saddle climbs. They also give you a more stable ride at speed.

Those other bikes look nice, but those prices approach what I'd be looking at if I went with an ANT, so it doesn't really help me with my dilemma.

Call me plain jane, but personally I like the look of a bike that's ready for heavy duty. Eyelets and brazeons don't make you go slower and don't make the bike handle differently, so why not have them except for silly aesthetic fetishism?