Lets Celebrate Manu Ginobili's Career By Reliving The Time He Caught A Bat With His Bare Hands

So Reags blogged about Manu Ginobili retiring earlier today, which is usually the case when news breaks in the basketball world. That story has led to people #embracingdebate about if Manu is a Hall of Famer and caused us to relive Manu’s career/hairline with some highlight reels.

But for my money, the greatest thing Manu ever did was slap down that bat. It’s the first thing I think of when I think of his career. The rings, the playoff performances, the longevity, the crazy lefty moves, etc. all come after that. Not running away from a mouse with wings that could have been rabid or even a vampire if you believe in that sort of stuff is incredible. But Manu having the guts AND quickness to slap a flying creature down barehanded was probably the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen on a basketball court and I watched MJ and LeBron in their primes. Not to mention Manu made PETA sad online.

To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one—with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn.

Bats always try to avoid contact with humans, and there are plenty of easy ways to keep bats out of a basketball arena (or your home). We hope that the next time someone’s life is on the line, Manu Ginobili will take just a few seconds to think before he acts.

Oh yeah and he picked up the nickname Batmanu at a time when NBA nicknames were original like The Answer and Half Man, Half Amazing instead of just the guy’s initials. Best of luck for whatever post-NBA life has in store for you, Manu and thank you for the memories (mostly this one though).