Jose Bautista's bat flip has drawn so much attention it's staggering. What's been all the fuss about? There is something we all resonate with in this act; something nebulous, but very much a part of who we are. Sports athletes are models of our ideal selves; they have the characteristics we envy, which turns marvel into adoration.
One of the greatest bat flips of all time...
So what did Bautista embody with the bat flip. Well, here's a crack at a few things:
1. The Underdog: No, he is by no means an under-dog in our world (of course being one of the most exciting players in baseball right now), but he played the role of the underdog with his at bat: bottom of the 7th, down by a run, and having to truly step up.
We all face the underdog role at times in our lives; and we wonder if we can muster up the courage to step into the challenge. Bautista showed us how it's done, and with it exemplified what winning is.
2. Admiring the Accomplishment: With the crack of the bat, he knew it was a home run. Instead of running to the base, he stood and took a moment to admire his accomplishment.
This is an important learning: when you step up as underdog and perform smashingly under duress, it's important to take a moment, step back, and admire your accomplishment. We don't do this enough: we skip our graduations, sit at home on our birthdays, miss our anniversaries, forgetting that those are the moments of our lives that need celebrating. We celebrated Batista's home run and bat flip because deep down we yearn for celebrating our own accomplishments.
3. The Milestone: What was that gesture anyway? Was it to communicate, "In your face Texas!" or something else? It was a moment of ecstasy; a moment of pure elation; a moment when all the hard work, sweat, pain, anxiety, and white knuckling your way through all the hurdles leading up that moment pay off.
It's the milestone you've just reached. It's a point at which you've made it farther than ever before; and with that bat flip, Bautista set his flag in the ground, made his mark, said, "Here on this ground I have reached a pinnacle of my career. Are there others on the horizon? Most certainly. But right here, right now, I have made it!" It had nothing to do with Texas, but rather, as a true competitor understanding that he is his greatest opponent, had all to do with his own accomplishment, reaching that milestone.
We valourized the bat flip as something we all want in our own lives. We all have those places in which we yearn to post our flag in the ground, mark the milestone, flip the bat to the heavens--all of us. We celebrated Bautista because his bat flip became all of ours; his overcoming himself became our own self-overcoming; his celebration of the milestone became our perennial celebration.
But here's the kicker: that was then, this is now. The bat flip lasts for that one moment, but then life goes on: challenges arise; new milestones are perceived; we dawn the bat of the underdog, scuff the dirt with our feet getting the best hold possible, we pine tar the bat, stare hard at the pitcher, and wait for the throw.
We move on--we must; all of us...
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