Here’s some crappy news from the Los Angeles Times regarding Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, a favorite around these parts:
Puig said recently he intends to cut down on his trademark bat flips, if only because he is sensitive to how they might be perceived.
Though acknowledging that some fans are entertained by his theatrics, Puig said in Spanish, “I want to show American baseball that I’m not disrespecting the game.”
The official Deadspin stance on bat flips is that they are awesome. A bat flip is what a player does when he is triumphant and feeling himself, and sports are a lot more fun to watch when the athletes on the field are openly triumphant and feeling themselves. The fact that Yasiel Puig, one of the most exciting players and best bat-flippers in the game, now feels the need to police his own bat flips is evidence that the humorless goons still wield far too much influence over today’s game. Baseball should be ashamed of itself.
Here’s Yasiel Puig bat-flipping a stand-up triple. Never forget: