Manu Ginobili Catches Bat (VIDEO): Spurs Player Swats Bat, Captures Animal On Basketball Court

SAN ANTONIO (AP)--The Spurs' Manu Ginobili showed off his quick hands-- capturing a bat.

"That was amazing," teammate Tony Parker said after the San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 113-94 on Saturday night. "The legend continues with Manu. Unbelievable. ... He's always doing crazy stuff."

Late in the first period a bat swooped into the AT&T Center and descended onto the court. Players scattered and officials stopped play. The bat circled and left only to return--briefly.

That's when Ginobili performed his Halloween trick, swatting the bat out of the air with a bare hand. He then carried the creature off the court to thunderous cheers.

As the theme song to "Batman" played, a few Sacramento players applauded, too. A trainer emerged to squirt sanitizer on Ginobilil's hand. "When you can't dunk anymore, you have to find a way to make it into the news," Ginobili said. "So that's what I did. I grabbed a bat. I didn't think it was a big deal."

On the court, Parker led the Spurs with 24 points and seven assists, and Ginobili scored 13 points in a reserve role. He ended the first period with a driving layup at the buzzer. Richard Jefferson added 21 points for San Antonio. San Antonio beat Sacramento 113-94.

The only performance anyone wanted to talk about was Ginobili's.

WATCH:

Comments

[phauxtoe]

11:40 AM on 11/02/2009

No Liberals are called Spineless wimps because of the Silly Spin of this Headline!

"...Captures Animal On Basketball Court"

It should say...

"...Kills Animal On Basketball Court"

Speak and Write the Truth, it really is Easy!

[jhallbo]

12:22 PM on 11/04/2009

The bat lived, so your spin on the "liberal" headline is weak. Find something more productive to whine about, it really is easy.

[DoctorWhoDat]

10:17 AM on 11/02/2009

What was Michelle Bachmann doing flying around at a Spurs game?

[smartenoughforthisforum]

10:23 AM on 11/02/2009

It was Halloween. She morphed until the clock struck midnight. How she got to San Antonio, though, guess we'll have to ask her. But don't expect an answer you can understand.

[TXfemmom]

12:09 AM on 11/02/2009

That player should have a rabies shot series. Bats can carry it, and for it to be flying around in the crowd like that, it may well have been ill.

[ShambalaMountain]

11:10 PM on 11/01/2009

He got that critter all right, but only after the referee told him, "Get the bat, man."

(comedy drum roll...)

[NeldaDee]

10:20 PM on 11/01/2009

Probably my number one comment thread, ever.

Liberals are a flippin' hoot.

[HBHB]

08:29 PM on 11/01/2009

The guy kiIIs a bat and everyone thinks it's a joke. The guy he handed the bat off to was so nonchalant about taking it that the bat surely was not alive at that point.

[NoElephants]

09:38 PM on 11/01/2009

Umm, it is a joke. And it was awesome. Comments like yours are exactly why us liberals are referred to as spineless wimps.

[SonofSolomon]

09:58 PM on 11/01/2009

Agreed.

[Jaywalkker]

10:10 PM on 11/01/2009

Something else that was awesome, that time Randy Johnson beaned the dove with his pitch. Except that he felt some bit of remorse in follow-up interviews that the bird died.

[Harvee Wallbanger]

09:53 PM on 11/01/2009

Have you any proof as to the condition of the bat? It was surely stunned. I doubt that he killed it, however. He didn't step on it or anything.

[jhallbo]

12:25 PM on 11/04/2009

The bat lived. Supposedly it flew away before they could test it for rabies.

[sarge311]

08:19 PM on 11/01/2009

So what happened to the bat? Did he kill it when he swatted it? Does anyone know?

[Earl]

07:58 PM on 11/01/2009

Anyone who was brushed by it or had any contact with it at all has something like 24 hours to get their rabies vaccine.

[dim]

11:42 PM on 11/01/2009

Vaccination can be avoided, if they still have the bat.

[stmu]

06:27 AM on 11/02/2009

longer than 24 hours.

[Earl]

07:33 AM on 11/02/2009

Maybe 48.

[ChangeurMind]

07:06 PM on 11/01/2009

Did he get arrested for hitting the governor?

[fratricide08]

06:03 PM on 11/01/2009

ROFLMAO! That's awesome. Poor bat thought he got in free on Halloween!

[shanester]

05:54 PM on 11/01/2009

Time to tell Comissioner Gordon to send out the bat signal

Batman is gonna be pi$$ed!!! LOL

[Blakkwolfe]

04:57 PM on 11/01/2009

Fortunatly for the bat, it Manu Ginobili instead of Ozzy Osbourne...

[bushlies]

04:39 PM on 11/01/2009

Take that little guy to Austin if he's okay. They have a huge colony of free tails there living under a bridge, They are loved there and protected.

[JulieSA]

05:03 PM on 11/01/2009

Yes, and San Antonio has the largest bat colony in the world. Central Texas is Bat Central.

[happycozy]

06:08 PM on 11/01/2009

Loved watching bats feed off insects around my porch light when I lived in San Marcos, TX.

[smartenoughforthisforum]

10:25 AM on 11/02/2009

Are they accepting of outsiders?

[jasev01]

04:29 PM on 11/01/2009

Oh no hear comes PETA to protest him.

[steveinohio]

11:59 PM on 11/01/2009

If they got on Obama over swatting a fly, I'm guessing they'll be all over Manu for this. "You should have called a bat expert!"

[drjasonmd]

04:10 PM on 11/01/2009

I need him to come over to my place and get these critters out from under the roof tiles. They drive my dog crazy!

[smartenoughforthisforum]

10:22 AM on 11/02/2009

Are they driving your dog bat$h!+ crazy?

[drjasonmd]

10:36 AM on 11/02/2009

That's exactly what I call it when he starts freaking out! LOL!