Staying Alive, and Living Well

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The unreserved catharsis of it was breathtaking. William Contreras didn't hurl his bat into the sky to show up the Marlins; he did it because he needed to. He plainly felt good about the high line drive he smashed to left-center field in the bottom of the ninth Sunday; he stood and admired its flight. But in the close-up replays of the event, you can see that he was also judging the ball, unsure it would go out for the game-winner, willing it to do so—and maybe even praying. Not until after it caromed off a piece of ballpark behind and above the wall did he turn and perform his feat of strength.

As he threw the lumber, he spread his arms to the heavens, and that's clearly where his attention went, too. He had to pause after a moment and judge the flight of a second projectile, because when he threw the bat, for a moment, he ceased to care or perceive where it was. His gaze was fixed on something you couldn't have seen even if you were standing right next to him and craning your neck the same way—something that wasn't up there. Eventually, he had to turn his attention to what really was, so he wasn't thwacked by his own falling club.

Contreras needed that homer, and so did the Brewers. That's an odd sentiment, at first reading, because Contreras just got back from his third All-Star Game, and the team is still comfortably in first place in the NL Central. Life is all about reference points and recency, though, and recently, the Brewers have run into that old frenemy, Trouble, around every corner. Trouble always lurks in Pittsburgh just before the All-Star break. Trouble always lurks in Brandon Woodruff's shoulder. Lately, Trouble has been unyielding in its invasions, and the team is feeling the drag.

Of course, for Contreras and several fellow Brewers, there's also Trouble's big brother, Tragedy, with whom to deal. The earthquake(s) that struck Venezuela last month devastated the country Contreras calls home, the one he represented in the World Baseball Classic and for which he won that championship this spring. When the sad accounting is complete, the death toll will be over 10,000. The damage is catastrophic. Whatever joy there was in Contreras's bat throw, there was also a healthy measure of defiance. He was roaring his refusal to be governed by Trouble and Tragedy.

That's the Brewers in a nutshell. When they seem to be cornered or compromised in a way they could surely no longer survive, that's when they thrive. Somehow, they withstand a parade of injuries and other setbacks and keep winning games, anyway. That has been such a prevailing pattern since Pat Murphy and his devotion to relentlessness took over in 2024 that it feels almost as if this team is invincible. We know that they aren't. We know that the blow of Woodruff being out for the year hurts, and that that comes on the heels of several smaller (for now) injuries that threaten to erode the greatness of this team. We know they're not guaranteed to keep finding this almost-magical success in October, because (to paraphrase Billy Beane) Murphy's **** doesn't work in the playoffs—at least, ot yet.

Still, that bat-launch on Sunday might well be the one most emblematic of this team. They weather the storm, and then they become the storm. They may not defy God, but they're not afraid of him, either. Contreras isn't a slugger who goes deep 30 times a year; Sunday's was only his 10th long ball. But he made it count, and the team and its fans got to celebrate an unexpected triumph, capping a weekend of them, even as they all quietly mourned the losses they share and the ones that are personal to each. Moments like that make it a little easier to imagine another flavor of unreserved catharsis the team hopes to unleash: the feeling of finally bringing a World Series championship back to Milwaukee.

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[Ron750]

I love Wild Bill, but I don’t like throwing bats, or excessive celebration after a HR. I’m sure he was very happy. But the Marlins were gut punched, don’t kick them when they’re down. 
I’m 70. When we played sandlot ball, throwing a bat was an automatic double play. We were only kids, but we knew if you  play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. 

[Ewitkows1]

Flip them bats all day, every day

[torts]

Bat flips for all!!!

[Playing Catch]

2 hours ago, Ron750 said:

I love Wild Bill, but I don’t like throwing bats, or excessive celebration after a HR. I’m sure he was very happy. But the Marlins were gut punched, don’t kick them when they’re down. 
I’m 70. When we played sandlot ball, throwing a bat was an automatic double play. We were only kids, but we knew if you  play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. 

Your recollection makes me wonder if a lot of the old school, unwritten rules about baseball developed out of a culture where players had to police themselves --- just like on the playground. Whereas for over a generation, now, kids learn to play in highly structured environments where childhood rivalry, and the emotional responses they can evoke/provoke, aren't emotions that need to be as developed while playing baseball.

They learn the sport through increasingly structured, safe environments, where those behaviors can be discussed openly with adults and contextualized through the adult lens of competition.

Additionally, however, the younger generation of players grew up in less "safe," environments, or perhaps, less structured spaces, like the classroom/hallways/cafeteria/neighborhood/home, and of course with their online interactions. Online interactions that often include being the target of observation.

I assume that this impacts the generation's willingness to push boundaries/step out of line, both due to the polarizing response demanded by their social networks, but also with an eye toward future royalties earned with having a top-notch K-score*.

The whole generation can "respect" chasing eyeballs with celebrations, while acknowledging that there are still "rules" (e.g. acts of celebration involving teammates are okay, gesturing toward the opposing dugout, not okay). Rules that have been established through learning from the youth levels on.

*Unless you are like Bryson DeChambeau, and your K-score is directly related to challenging convention.

[Snoebird]

6 hours ago, Ron750 said:

I love Wild Bill, but I don’t like throwing bats, or excessive celebration after a HR. I’m sure he was very happy. But the Marlins were gut punched, don’t kick them when they’re down. 
I’m 70. When we played sandlot ball, throwing a bat was an automatic double play. We were only kids, but we knew if you  play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. 

Not only did the Marlins get gut punched, but let's put a face on it. Pete Fairbanks is a Milwaukee native who likely had an assemblage of friends and relatives on hand. He blew what might have been the Marlins' best pitching performance of the season -- two hits allowed through eight innings. 

But there's a flip side. The Contreras brothers are very passionate. Willson is prone to bullying and displays of anger, but of late has broken down on the field over the plight of his fellow Venezuelans. William is the peacemaker who wears his sentiments on his chest protector. He's been slumping but holding back his feelings on the field. Until the cork popped Sunday. He had to let go. 

[gregmag]

A player’s expression of joy doesn’t have to be an affront or offense to the opponent. You can choose to see it that way; you can just as easily choose not to. Flipping off the opponent or yelling “In your face!” — that’s an affront. I also don’t understand why some people get worked up over one kind of celebration but not another. Contreras threw his bat, and then a half minute later his teammates mobbed him on the field while the understandably dejected Marlins trudged off. Why doesn’t that violate the “unwritten rules”?

[baseball101]

9 minutes ago, gregmag said:

A player’s expression of joy doesn’t have to be an affront or offense to the opponent. You can choose to see it that way; you can just as easily choose not to. Flipping off the opponent or yelling “In your face!” — that’s an affront. I also don’t understand why some people get worked up over one kind of celebration but not another. Contreras threw his bat, and then a half minute later his teammates mobbed him on the field while the understandably dejected Marlins trudged off. Why doesn’t that violate the “unwritten rules”?

Agreed. Don’t say or direct it to the other player or team. 2nd, These guys are pros, this is entertainment. Not the local sandlot. 

[Stealofhome]

I was just thinking that throwing a bat 500 feet in the air with 18+ people running around underneath it is unsafe.

[rickh150]

How about running out a ground ball? He put more effort into the bat flip and choreographed actions rounding the bases.  

Glad he is on the team.  Want to keep him through 2027, yep.  Seems to be selfless with the pitching staff and good for their development.  And he takes a beating well and plays through injuries.  I have no doubt many catchers would have called it a season last year when his thumb was messed up.

But I'll continue to roll my eyes just like I do with other chest pumping 12 year olds playing baseball or basketball.   

[thebruce44]

I like to show my kids the walk offs the next day since they like seeing the celebration and Gatorade bath, but don't have the attention span otherwise to watch more than an inning when Bluey could be on instead. I won't show them this one though, because I had to drill it into the 5 year old this last t-ball season to not throw his bat when he swings.

Other than that, I don't really care.