I'm not sure if all these old MLB players have been living in a hole or they're just really slow, but there still seems to be criticism over Jose Bautista's bat flip, which happened back in October during the ALDS series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers.
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is the latest MLB veteran to come out and express his discontent with Bautista's actions, which most of the world has generally viewed as awesome.
Schmidt had a lot to say in a first-person account for The Associated Press and here's one paragraph of his thoughts:
"Why do so many players today feel the need to embellish their success with some sort of hand signal to the dugout? What got more attention in last year's post-season than a bat toss by Jose Bautista? Pointing to the sky is child's play compared to that moment in the post-season on national TV. A flagrant disrespect of the opponent like that would have gotten somebody hurt back in the day."
Well, there's still a possibility Bautista gets hurt the next time he faces the Rangers. Nobody would be surprised if he was plunked when the two teams meet next considering he hit that home run in the final game of their series and never came back up to bat after it.
Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage expressed similar views earlier in spring training, although his statements were a bit more blunt: "Jose Bautista is a f--g disgrace to the game."
Schmidt wasn't as critical and actually found the middle ground by saying players "are free to displayer their passion and emotion with certain boundaries" and "without crossing that line."
He's got a point to an extent, but he should be referring to players like Carlos Gomez, Yordano Ventura and others that are known for provoking rather than expressing genuine emotion. Bautista's bat flip was entirely emotion: it was his first playoff appearance, he hit one of the biggest home runs in Blue Jays' history, he sent them to their first ALCS since 1993, and he even admitted to "blacking out" after he sent Sam Dyson's pitch into the stands.
That's the textbook definition of emotion.
Check out this video of Jose Ramirez flipping his bat in front of the Twins' dugout after hitting a three-run homer when the Indians were up 7-1 in the eighth inning. THAT'S disrespect.
Additionally, Bautista isn't known for any out-of-the-blue on-field antics that aggravate pitchers or opposing players. He was simply involved in a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence and he had every right to do what he did as long as he didn't direct his actions toward any one player in bad taste.
If Major League Baseball wants to attract a younger fan base then the sport cannot keep strictly abiding by the unwritten rules that so many have lived by in the past. It makes the game boring for some and rarely does it make sense to ahdere to an extensive, invisible set of guidelines.
Things that are tired: Old-school outrage over player celebrations. New-school outrage at old schoolers who state opinions, however outdated
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 24, 2016
Football players celebrate excessively after EVERY play. Basketball players hang on the rim after dunks and talk trash the entire game. Hockey players beat the crap out of each other and get a slap-on-the-wrist two-minute penalty.
I mean, how bad is Bautista's bat flip if Topps enshrined a picture of it on a baseball card earlier this year?
