David Ortiz Talks Bat Flips, Hypocritically I May Add

If you ask 100 people and baseball fans around the country you’re likely to get a pretty good divide on where they stand as far as bat flipping goes. Some fans will be all about it, remember hitting a Major League pitch is one of the hardest things to do in the world and hitting a big home run in a big spot is about a million times harder, while some will look down on the players who do it. That’s what makes the game so much fun as a fan, you have the traditionalists and you have the progressive fans all thrown into one ballpark with one common goal and prize that we’re all rooting for, winning. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, including today’s receiver of my latest rant Mr. David Ortiz, but all I ask for personally is some consistency. 

Ortiz did an interview with the Boston Globe on the subject of bat flips and was quoted as saying this:

“Whenever somebody criticizes a power hitter for what we do after we hit a home run, I consider that person someone who is not able to hit a homer ever in his life. Look at who criticizes the power hitters in the game and what we do. It’s either a pitcher or somebody that never played the game. Think about it. You don’t know that feeling. You don’t know what it takes to hit a homer off a guy who throws 95 miles per hour. You don’t know anything about it. And if you don’t know anything about it, [shut up]. [Shut up]. Seriously. If you don’t know anything about it, [shut up], because that is another level.”

Ortiz continued to say this:

“Of course as a pitcher you’re not going to like it if I take you deep, but after I do it, suck it up, man. Take it like a man. I don’t mind anybody doing anything when you strike me out or get myself out. You’re never going to see me criticizing anybody, because you know what? Whatever you do out there, you just motivate me. You just motivate me. If I take you deep and I pimp the [expletive] out of it that should be motivation for you to try to get me out in my next at-bat, instead of just talking [expletive]. That’s the way I see it.” 

Now this is where my issue comes in. Ortiz did later say that pitchers are allowed to fist pump and shoot fake arrows and all that stuff, and he’s right, but he also said there was “no babysitting” and “no crying” in baseball. Really? Like Ortiz has done for years every time someone has thrown him inside or he struck out on a pitch he didn’t agree with? Come on Papi, really? You’re telling people not to cry? Seriously? I don’t even have it in me to rant about this, this one wrote itself.

What are your thoughts? Leave them down below or tweet me @GreedyStripes.