The Toronto Blue Jays are playing in the 2015 American
League Championship Series in part because of a deep and powerful offense and
timely pitching. However, much of that has been lost in the recent furor
over an emphatic
bat flip made by slugger Jose
Bautista after hitting an Divisional Series-clinching home run against the
Texas Rangers. Somehow, this display of emotion following a play that not only
capped a furious rally but also put his team in the driver’s seat for the
series was seen as not playing the game “the right way.” Not only was the bat
flip no big deal, there are plenty of examples from baseball history of similar
displays where not only has nobody batted an eye, they have actually been
celebrated.
First of all, it’s fair to say that even the positive
reaction to Bautista’s disposal of his lumber following his big jack quickly
veered into the ridiculous. Toronto’s mayor went on television and attempted to
recreate
the moment. At least one fan immediately rushed out and commissioned a tattoo.
Twitter also naturally had quite the reaction, with Craig Calcaterra of
NBCSports.com perhaps having the best and simultaneously most ridiculous
reaction when he tweeted
that the flip was so manly that it had “made everyone pregnant.”
Undoubtedly, being on the receiving end of a bat flip is not
much fun. The Rangers and their home run-yielding pitcher, Sam Dyson,
saw their October dreams slipping through their fingers like so many handfuls
of water. However, does that mean Bautista was in the wrong? Baseball is a game
of competing wills. That moment in sports when dominance is asserted over another
not only defines a major reason why there are so many fans but also harkens
back to our more primal instincts as humans.
Unwritten rules in baseball are dumb. Just plain stupid. The
only rules (besides those in the actual rule book) should be playing as hard as
you can, and by God, if you have a little fun while doing it then all the more
power to you. Opponents who don’t care for such displays of exuberance should
try harder to win the particular matchup themselves instead of hoping that
everyone will adhere to baseball’s unpublished version of Miss Manners.
The negative reactions to Bautista are uninformed at best
and in some cases, possibly related to something trickier like race, at worst.
One would be remiss to not at least wonder if his Latino heritage (he was born
in the Dominican Republic) contributed to any of the vitriol. Anyone who might
say there is no need to bring race or ethnicity into this need to look no
further than Game 1 of this year’s ALCS, where at one point, Kansas City
Royals’ fans could be heard chanting “U-S-A” when the Blue Jays were batting
(which was a bit laughable since their team’s pitcher at the time was Edinson
Volquez (himself a native of the D.R.).
As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of historical
examples suggesting that this bat flip, if anything, should be remembered
fondly as a part of baseball lore:
New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth
famously called a home run he hit during the 1932 World Series against Charlie Root
and the Chicago Cubs. Once thought to be myth, historians have gone out of
their way to successfully prove that this actually happened.
Carlton Fisk
hit a game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World
Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Known simply as “the home run,” the dramatic moment was made
even more famous by his passionate waving of the ball to go fair, followed by him
practically dancing around the bases to officially end the game.
In Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, a lamed Kirk Gibson
hit a game-winning home
run for his Los Angeles Dodgers against the Oakland Athletics and their
star closer Dennis
Eckersley. The slugger did so much fist pumping while circling the bases
that nobody can say for certain that it wasn’t the genesis for the craze that
would eventually sweep the Jersey Shore.
Joe Carter
ended the 1993 World Series by giving the Blue Jays the championship over the
Philadelphia Phillies by virtue of his walk-off home run. Much like Fisk, he
practically cha-cha-ed around the bases to reach the waiting embraces of his euphoric
teammates.
This list could go on and on. In addition to over-the-top
reactions to big moments, the other commonality these all share is that they
are all fondly remembered as some of the greatest moments in the history of the
game. Yes, there were winners and there were losers, but such is sports. If one
cannot experience and express joy during such monumental times then what is
really the point of playing? Baseball is largely an escape for fans. The highs
experienced from big plays and wins are balanced by disappointments.
Some may say that a bat flip is in poor taste, or not
something they would personally do. That’s fine. Jose Bautista came up huge in
a pressure-packed situation and reacted spontaneously. There can be no
choreography in such a situation. It’s what he felt. It’s what he did. Get over
it. Better players than him have done far worse and are remembered fondly for
it. Let’s stop the inane sermonizing and give the man his due for his special
and memorable accomplishment.
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