Do bat flips encourage bad behavior, too much celebration in baseball?
Danny Kanell argues against 'excessive' home-run celebrations, while David Samson welcomes the fun
We've gone less than a week since the latest on-field kerfuffle stemming from a bat flip, so it's no surprise that the debate over whether or not there's too much celebration in baseball is raging on.
Long crowned as the sport with "unwritten rules," baseball has seen its fair share of "unorthodox" behavior this season, from Bryce Harper's emphatic bat flip following his first home run against his old teammates in Washington, to Tim Anderson's aggressive toss toward the Kansas City Royals dugout. If you ask Danny Kanell, it's all a bit much.
"The road we're headed down by encouraging bat flips is followed by pitchers fist pumping and acting a fool after every strikeout," Kanell tweeted this week. "Then we've got everyone jumping around like idiots in the third inning. Who wants to see that?"
For one, David Samson does. Unlike the "Off The Bench" co-host, the former MLB executive is all about celebrations in baseball and thinks the players are, too.
"I view you as a guy who's unwilling to understand the difference between situations," he told Kanell, pointing out that not all bat flips are done at meaningless times.
Kanell, meanwhile, thinks there are other ways to express yourself on the diamond -- ways that don't involve immediate antics after a home run.
Catch the entire discussion on bat flips, celebrations and behavior in baseball right here, on "Off The Bench."
Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Spotify, Stitcher or iTunes.















