Mr. Bat Flip Vs. Mr. Resin Bag

[DOUGHBOYS]

The players in baseball have changed.
If ever seeing old footage of Mickey Mantle, Harmon Killebrew, or Willie Mays coming across the plate after a home run, you would know that they would shake the hand of the next batter, then head to the dugout and take a seat.
Nothing more.

Now, rituals follow home runs.
There might be a bat flip, a designed low or high five with the third base coach, a point to the heavens before crossing home plate, emphatic celebrations with teammates on base, a high five to the next batter, then a parade of high fives upon arriving to the dugout.
Even after that, there may be a knowing finger point to the camera that the player knows is trained on him.
It's a lot of work hitting a home run these days!
The action of hitting home run takes seconds. The celebration, minutes.

Pitchers don't like hitters homering off of them.
Especially if they bat flip them. Or admire what they've done. Or really, ANYTHING, beyond putting a head down and trotting around the bases.
The pitcher feels embarrassed if a batter enjoys his work of art.
He's not embarrassed that he gave up the homer, he's embarrassed that the hitter enjoyed his own work.
So, the pitcher gets mad.
He'll hit the next batter with a pitch or wait for the hitter that hit a homer off of him to come back up again. Then hit him.
Much like what happened with Brad Keller and Tim Anderson the other day.

I believe that bat flips and other celebrations will proliferate.
Players are choreographing handshakes and touchdown celebrations.
The days of doing something great and being humble about it are long gone.
It's a new generation.
A generation of "LOOK AT ME!" "LOOK WHAT I DID!"

Pitchers are combating this all wrong.
They are hitting a player for a mistake the pitcher made.
They feel showed up.
But I guarandamnedtee you that not one fan in the ball park feels sorry for that pitcher.
The only one feeling sorry for that pitcher, is the pitcher.
And he retaliates like a kid at school being called a name.
SO old school.

Pitchers who feel slighted by these gyrations have it all wrong.
Hitting the batter is old school.
Time to move on.
The only loose object a batter can celebrate with is his bat.
Ok.
In the Keller-Anderson case, Keller should have done his best to strike out Anderson in his next at bat.
After striking him out, go get the resin bag, the only loose object for a pitcher, and throw it high in the air.
Batters are always staring at pitchers after striking out.
Why not have a little celebration of your own after K'ing a batter that has hit a mistake pitch?

Retaliation of hitting a batter puts a runner on base, gets a pitcher kicked out of the game, and hurts his own team.
A mini-celebration results in an out and a message sent back to the hitter that is good for the pitchers team.
Not to mention that it would be as entertaining to fans as the bat flip.
Bat flips are not going to stop.
We live in a 'in your face' world.
Pitchers have to realize that.
If feeling slighted by a demonstration by the batter, reply in kind.