Bat flipping has been a particularly hot topic of late – though, to be candid, it’s never bothered me at all – and I bet it will continue to be into 2016. Baseball purists call it showboat-y, bush-league, something “the greats” would never do.
Welp … one of the all-time greats, and most beloved baseball icons, Mickey Mantle, flipped his bat. And he flipped his bats hard:
Yep, Mickey Mantle used to flip his bat too. (via @hfield07) pic.twitter.com/lmXkSzP5yZ
— Big League Stew (@bigleaguestew) January 5, 2016
Another Mickey Mantle bat flip. (via @hfield07) pic.twitter.com/gz3GL5ULXj
— Big League Stew (@bigleaguestew) January 5, 2016
Those are some serious bat flips right there, the second one in particular, and they even come with some obvious attitude (in the best possible way). There’s nothing wrong with celebration – it is a game after all, and that goes double for when you’re winning.
If Mickey Mantle doesn’t change your mind on what it means to play the game the right way, check out this article from John Baker at Fox Sports. Baseball means a lot of different things to a lot of people. The most important thing to remember, though, is that baseball is supposed to be fun.*
*(See what I did there?)