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Blue Jays Podcast: Celebrating ALDS and The Bat Flip

By Shaun Doyle

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Episode #41 of the Jays’ Nest Podcast comes in the wake of the Blue Jays’ huge win in the ALDS against the Texas Rangers. We discuss our “Where were you when…” moments as we relive the euphoria of  Wednesday’s game. You’ll hear us chat about our reactions to the 7th inning, which will go down a the oddest inning in Blue Jays history. Unfortunately, it was marred by the behaviour of a few fans. We talked about the shift in momentum in the series and which players stood out to each of us. We also go into THE bat flip. You’ll hear our take on it and we get the insight of a Dominican baseball player playing for Carleton University.

LISTEN HERE:


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Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS will go down as one of those once in a generation “Where were you when…” moments. Everyone has a story. Some were out partying with friends while others were watching at home or listening on the radio in the car. Our stories vary widely. We’d love to hear your “where were you when…” story. Let us know in the comment section below.

You know we couldn’t talk about the ALDS without talking about the 7th inning. It’s funny, if you just say “the 7th inning” folks will know what you’re talking about. It was both the most frustrating and joyous inning of baseball we’ve ever seen. We went from the low of facing possible defeat and elimination to “OH, YEAH, BABY!” in one inning. The emotions were intense.

Which led us to the discussion of the behaviour of some who attended the game. the behaviour was certainly over the top, but so was the reaction to said conduct. All in all, it was unfortunate that it took away from the magic of what was actually happening on the field. Though, one could argue that it added to it. Did the sheer energy and anger of the crowd cause 3 Rangers’ errors? Did it shake them enough to allow Jose Bautista‘s big blast?

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays /

Toronto Blue Jays

Speaking of which, we chimed in on where we stand with the whole issue of Bautista’s bat flip. Generally, Blue Jays fans loved it! Most of those condemning it come from outside of Blue Jays Land. And, after much discussion, that is what it comes down to: if it happens for your team, you’re cool with it If it is against you, you can’t stand it.

Or, so we thought. When we brought in our guest, we gained a bit of a different perspective. We were joined by Carleton University shortstop, Eugenio Matos. He’s a Dominican born baseball player playing in Canada. We wondered what his perspective was playing in North America. Due to recent comments (about the bat flip and celebrations) and their underlying subtext, we wanted to explore this further.

Notably, KC Royals reliever, Ryan Madson, commented about how the game has changed. It was shared by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com:

It was the “type of players there are” that got us thinking. So, we asked Matos to describe Latin players, specifically Dominicans, and how they play the game. Perhaps, the way they play the game comes across differently than some would expect to see on a traditional diamond. He described the passion with which Dominicans are taught to play.

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Matos also has trained with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion in the offseason and describes them as passionate guys who care deeply about the game of baseball. Perhaps, that comes into play when some folks complain about the way baseball is changing. There have been several discussion about Dominican players being too flashy or exuberant. Are we just being culturally insensitive?

None of this is to say that anyone is being discriminatory toward a certain “group” of players. But, there does seem to be an underlying expectation for the conduct of baseball players in North American that seems to judge players who play differently or outside of the stoic “respect for the game” approach.

It was a great conversation with Matos, who is heading to Fredericton, New Brunswick to play for Carleton University as they compete in the Canadian Intercollegiate National Championship. Be sure to follow them on Twitter as they compete.

Next: Blue Jays Announce ALCS Rotation!

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