As Paul Harvey used to say “The Rest Of The Story” (for anyone under 40 he was this old dude on the radio that used to tell the part of a famous story that everyone missed, kind of like the “Stuff You Missed In History Class” Podcast).  Well the rest story has  been told Sunday in Texas.  What happens when someone has a huge bat flip, sooner or much much later you are going to get drilled.  Not today, but some where down the road you are going to wear it.

When the Bat Flip Heard Round the World happened I was one of the few who came out and said No Bueno.  You can’t show the other team up in baseball, it’s not cool.  But in the echo chamber of media talking heads on TV, bloggers and radio hosts, I was out in the wilderness.  No, in fact many said people like me were old and out of touch, this is a new generation that likes flash and style. Let’s have players celebrate and show some personality, it’s good for the game.  Times have changed and you are yesterdays news.

But there was something in the back of my mind that has been bugging me months.  The team that got shown up, the Rangers, were they going to take this perceived transgression laying down?  After all the majority of people talking about it were ok with the bat flip, it was cool.  the kids were going to dig baseball again, right?  Sorry folks but you where wrong, and I told you so.

Baseball is game of respect and intimidation.  When you are standing there facing a man throwing a ball in your direction you better not show any signs that someone can back you off the plate. If that ever happened, the book about you would be written in about two seconds, and everyone would bust you up and in.  Your career would be over before it starts, pal.

If you are a pitcher and someone tries to show your club up, you better be able to right the wrong soon, or you will lose respect from your teammates you won’t be long for this world.

So when Joey Bats decided it was ok to flip is bat, not every agreed.  Someone in the Rangers dugout was not going to allow him to show any disrespect to them, because once I show any weakness it’s “Lord of the Flies” and everyone will see that I can be pushed around.

But that’s where most media folks need to get an error, score that E-Media.  They were taking about kids and fans and how they see the game.  Not the men that play the game itself.  See they might be millionaires with huge homes and fancy cars, but at their core, they are competitors.  They have to have heart and bravado to stand in there and face a pitcher throwing 95 MPH and not flinch.  If you push someone like that hard enough or push the right button they will not back down.

Baseball players have long memories and pick their spots to get back at someone.  They will not take any gruff from anyone.  Some guys wait years to right a wrong.  This time while all of us had moved past the Bat Flip, the Rangers had not.  They waited and waited and when THEY decided it was time they took their revenge.  It was coming some day some where of their choosing.  The old saying “revenge is best served on the tip of a steely cold knife” well there you go.

So for all my friend’s who say let’s make baseball fun again.  What is fun to you might not be fun for someone else ,when that fun comes at your expense.  When you bat flip and celebrate at my expense, I might not find it so amusing.  I wonder for all those “would be bat flippers”, how they feel if the pitcher in your next at bat strikes you out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.  How would you take it,  if the pitcher and catcher stood there at home plate and did the John Cena you can’t see me wave to celebrate the punch out to win the game.  Good for the Goose, eh?

It’s funny on the same day the fight happened, the Raptors beat down the Heat to advance to the NBA conference finals.  Their center had a monster game with dunks and rebounds over a beat up centerless Heat squad.  Throughout the game Bismarck Biyombo stood in the paint after scoring a basket for a moment and flexed and showed off, while his teammates got back on defense.  No one said a word, not even the Heat who were trounced 116-89.  Why, because its a different game with different rules of conduct and a different culture.

Baseball is a unique quirky game with it’s own set of rules.  That’s the rest of the story.