On the subject of bat flips...

by iron duke75 on Apr 23, 2006 9:06 PM EDT

Did anyone else notice Joke Jones with the cocky little bat flip after hitting the HR off of Marquis in the 4th? A guy who stepped to the plate hitting .189 with a .244 OBP? As I recall, he did the same thing when he homered off of Ponson at Wrigley. At that time he was 0-13 on the season.

Both bat flips looked the same, so it leads me to wonder if it might be a signature HR thing for him (I've never watched him play before this season, so I don't know). Regardless, I thought it was pretty ridiculous for a guy gazing upwards at the Mendoza line.

I don't know, maybe I'm making too much of it. But perhaps a little more humility would be in order for someone now tied with Bronson Arroyo in the HR column...

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Jacque 'the Joke' Jones

That's pretty much Jacques signature move, sorta like the Reggie Sanders skip. I tend not to make too much out of this type of stuff. It does annoy me, but I guess it is pretty much part of the game these days, regardless of the player or game situation.

Look at me! I homered! Insert attention drawing move here.

A proud member of the Steve Bartman Fan Club.

by TheFranchise9 on Apr 24, 2006 12:29 AM EDT reply actions

J. Jones

had been doing the bat flip thing during his tenure in Minnesota. Players on about every team do this sort of thing now, so I wouldn't make a huge issue about it. It's not like Jones is doing the Jeffery Leonard "one flap down" routine while circling the bases. http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0210/15/s12.html

Personally, I wish everyone did it the Mark McGwire way and just ran it out without all of the showmanship.

If J. Jones had done that vs. Nolan Ryan back in the day, Jones would be wearing a fastball in his back the next time up.

Peace.

A Cubs fan just visiting

by brianp88 on Apr 24, 2006 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Who cares,

Stuff like this makes the game more fun, whether it's Rolen's sprint or One Flap Down or the Reggie Hop or whatever. (And yeah, I count Rolen's sprint among the home run celebrations; if he really wanted to not make a big deal out of it he'd trot like everybody else.) I never got this desire to have players be as stoic as possible when they've done something good.

And hey, if you were hitting .189 and you just popped a home run wouldn't you be happy? I'd be doing cartwheels.

by DanUpBaby on Apr 24, 2006 2:18 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed.

I'm always amused by those [few] curmudgeonly fans who seem to be genuinely OFFENDED by Jim Edmonds' actions, body language, etc. Baseball is show business. Is grim conformity what we really want out of entertainers?

by MdRedbirdFreak on Apr 24, 2006 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Gimme a break...

unless they're purposely flipping the bat towards the pitcher, or the opposing dugout, who cares? My god, it's just a bat flip.

by cardsrul on Apr 24, 2006 10:37 AM EDT reply actions

Baseball is entertainment, but . . .

when was the last time one of these entertainers got into the hall of fame for what they do with the bat after a hit? Never.

No siree, they become famous for their playing ability, not their ability to showboat.

We are all entitled to our opinion, and as for me, I like a guy who everyone knows is going to kick ass, goes out and does it and when he's finished, acts like he has been there before (see e.g. Walter Payton, Albert Pujols).

When I was a kid, I remember spending my time copying major league players' batting stances/swings (George Brett lets go of the bat with one hand on his follow through, Ricky Henderson practically lays down in the batter's box, etc.) I cannot remember anything special anyone ever did after a hit (Note: the Kirk Gibson/Carlton Fisk homers/Pujols shuffle-step on the walk-off against the Reds fall into a different category which for me entertaining).

To me a hitter's swing and a pitcher's wind up is that player's signature, watching that is the excitement, anything they do after that in my opinion is bush league.

Bottom line, there is nothing better than watching Pujols look out to the mound with his squint and his bat moving up and down like a slow-motion piston and then seeing him get a hit, anything extracurricular after that (for me) is boring.

"Going to trial with a lawyer who considers your whole life-style a Crime in Progress is not a happy prospect." -- Hunter S. Thompson

by secretweapon on Apr 24, 2006 1:04 PM EDT reply actions