Odor Punching Bautista

There are some people who are pretty happy about this. These people are mostly Texas Rangers fans, or people from Texas in general. 

'Odor punched Bautista! Screw that guy! He shouldn't have flipped his bat!'

Shouldn't have flipped his bat LAST YEAR? People have to go back and watch that game. Did Odor punch Andrus when he dropped those two easy outs? Maybe if he Odor would have smoked Andrus after he dropped the first one he wouldn't have dropped the second.

'Hey, Andrus!'

'Look, Odor I apo.... JESUS! Right in the teeth!'

'You're not gonna drop the next one are you?'

'... No sir.'

Andrus makes those plays, Bautista never gets up.

And for a second let's talk about Texas last year. Dyson, the hero that he is, tapped Tulo on the ass when he struck him out. Is there no unwritten rule on that? There's no, 'Hey, pitcher, if you strike a guy out don't go over and gloat in HIS FACE' rule? NONE? No, it would have been SUPER COOL with Texas if Price had struck out Beltre then went up and tapped his pockets. They would have LOVED that. 

ALSO, I'm not sure who this pitcher for Texas was, I want to say Holland but I could be wrong, but one of these dominant forces of sportsmanship was warming up in the bullpen. A Toronto fan dropped their play off towel and it floated beside this level headed individual. He picks it up, looks at the fan, and fake wipes his ass with it! Then throws it on the ground! This was a game or two BEFORE the bat flip. Now, if that there isn't reason enough to THROW A BAT IN THE AIR AFTER CRUSHING A HOMERUN AND DRIVING HOME THREE, not sure what is. 

Bautista talked at length after that game, saying the bat flip wasn't directed at Texas. It was an in the moment thing. And, after how insane that game was, it was perfect. Wasn't AT anybody.

So this year, in the last game of their series, Texas, still angry at Bautista, decide to 'get even.' They hit him with the ball and walk him. When he runs for second, he takes out Odor so that he can't make the double play to first. Odor pushes him, then smashes him in the face. Hero. Just a full hero. Taking out the second baseman has happened many times in baseball. Happened many times even by the good doctor ODOR HIMSELF. Was HE punched in the face? No. But, fine. 

Look! There's that hero! Doing EXACTLY what Bautista did. He's great! No punchings. 

Texas fans say 'Bautista got ROCKED! He lost that battle!' Now, the man DID get rocked. That punch was huge. Bautista said so when interviewed after. He said 'He got me good, I have to admit. But I guess it takes a bigger man than that to knock me down.' WHY did he say that? Because BAUTISTA DIDN'T FALL DOWN. Man was ROCKED in the jaw, and did not fall. Texas fans seem to think that doesn't matter.

'But he got ROCKED! Look at the punch!' 

Yeah. Look at it. Keep watching the video. Bautista does not fall, and is held by Beltre (who I like) while Odor is grabbed by a bunch of people. Kevin Pilar runs down from center field just swinging. But Bautista, does not fall. Which DOES STAND FOR SOMETHING. ANYwhere else it would. Boxing match, UFC fight. Brawl between two angry men outside of a bar. If a man outside of a bar ROCKED another man and that other man DIDN'T FALL, people around would go 'Woa. HOW did that man NOT fall?' For Texas fans though, that doesn't matter.

And, that's fine. Keep your non baseball baseball highlights. Get it on t-shirts. Reply Odor punching Bautista a thousand times and stop it directly after so you don't see Bautista catch his balance. Remember though that more people were knocked over by Bautista's bat flip then Odors punch. 

Blue Jay BandWagon Jumpers

The Blue Jays are doing great, bringing the 90's feeling back to the city. Most people are really happy about this. Some people? Some people who were fans when the Jays were not doing great are PISSED that the Jays have gotten new fans. The same way that people who are upset that the  band they were a fan of who used to play under a bridge, finds huge success and reaches a mass audience gets mad.

'What? YOU didn't love 'Bucket Of Garbage' like IIIIII did. I saw them play in a swamp. A swamp! I rode a gator... alone! I have a ticket stub from that show they did in a dumpster behind Sizzler! What right do you have to like them? What right?!'

Some people who were Jays fans even when they had that AWFUL angry 'Blue Jay' as a logo, are mad at newcomers. I went to some games when they had that logo, and always thought 'Blue Jays aren't angry. Why do they have this bird flying through lightning in these promos? This is baseball! Not the Gulf War.'  What was that logo? Who came up with that? Was that designed after Wrestleman 18 when Hollywood Hogan fought the Rock?

'Hey, you see that? These fans LOVE Hollywood Hogan. They're cheering for him more than they do the Jays!'

'You thinking what I'm thinking?'

'Hiring Hulk Hogan as the mascot?'

'... Not bad, but no. Making the Jays logo and entrance match his pants.'

'Woa, woa, woa! Hogan just leg dropped The Rock! I'm coming unglued! What did you say?'

To some degree, I get people being mad at bandwagon jumpers. I GET it, but I don't get it. 

Last year, I was doing shows in October in a small town with barely anything to do. The comedian I was with is a big baseball fan and he watched every World Series game that he could. I watched with him and really got into it. Understood how exciting it can be. I could never watch baseball on TV before. I always loved going to games, I played as a kid, but watching on TV? Couldn't do it. Just thought it was so boring.  Basketball sucked me in pretty easily. It's fast, it has music I like, cheerleaders are everywhere. 

'What are you guys watching?'

'A person with ADD's dream! Look! Fast paced, bouncing ball, tits, rap music, horns, tits! I can't stop!'

Baseball is a little different, but watching the World Series, I got into it.

I've always loved going to games. Baseball is one of the best sports to see live, because there's so many things happening. You want to watch a game? Go ahead. You want to sit and drink? Done. You want to sing songs loudly and play weird stadium games all night? They have that. You want to just scream at people? Okay. 

'What do you guys want to do tonight?'

'Whatever the hell I want? I might get drunk and tell a nine year old to suck it.'

'... Baseball?'

'Oh. Yeah. I'll get my 'Suck It' sign.'

I have four Blue Jays hats. One was bought after they started playing well, the others were  bought solely to represent Canada. The maple leaf logo is great. Just a Canadian simple on a nice hat? I'm in. I can't buy a Calgary Flames hat for Canada. I can't get a Vancouver Canucks Jersey to represent where I'm from. 

'Oh, sweet. Senators fan?'

'No. Just from Canada and I love it.'

'Why not just get a hat that says 'Canada' on it?'

'Because those hats are sold at Irving gas stations for twelve dollars and I don't like them.'

'Ah.... I'm a Sens fan. Ever been to Ottawa?'

Again, I GET why some people would be mad at newcomers, but why would you not want people to get excited? It's the only team in the country! All we have! When they are doing well, the entire country SHOULD jump on board. In the MLB, it is basically Blue Jays vs America. We are the only team represented for Canada. That is it. I've started watching because I live in NY, and I miss home. It's great to see them doing well, and it's great to see just Canadians getting excited about it. I met a guy from Calgary on the train in NY who saw my Jays hat, and started talking about what a fan he is. It's making people across the country happy. 

People who are mad are going to be mad regardless. Do you know how mad fans would have been if NO ONE had jumped on board? They would have been livid! The teams doing well and nobody cares? 

'Edwin hits 75 homers in a game and there's only six thousand people here?! This is ridiculous! How could people not get behind this team?! Where the hell are the fans!? Out there just sucking themselves? Christ.'

New fans show up.

'Oh, what the HELL. YOU weren't here when Bautista was out there wearing shorts and just laying down in the field. You can't come in here when he actually puts pants on and starts playing! I used to use your seat to put my beer on. Where am I going to put my beer now? My dumb hand?! Christ.'

Growing up, a friend of mine had tons of Blue Jays posters on his walls. Shots of the Skydome, Joe Carter, banners. Everything. We played Ken Griffey Jr's baseball on Super Nintendo and were always either Jays or Expos, OR the Mariners, just to sock dingers with Griffey. People were excited as hell about the Jays at the time, and it's great to see that happening again. Get mad at people for cheering if you want, but for me, I'm cheering for Canada. 

Twitter @nathanmacintosh