It's All Fun And Games Until Someone Needs Rabies Shots

On Monday we recounted the harrowing battle between Manu Ginobili and a bat, with the Spurs’ big man the apparent winner by TKO in the first round. But in a stunning reversal, it’s now the bat who is claiming victory (tiny mammal victory dance here).
Ginobili, it is revealed, will have to undergo a month-long series of rabies shots after having swatted the winged creature and then handling it during the Spurs’ game with the Kings on Saturday at the AT&T Center. Point: Bat. But now, another shocking development:

The bat is alive! At least according to the Spurs’ PR department. From the San Antonio Express News:

As if playing a bizarre game of handball, Ginobili sized up the bat as it fluttered near, then slapped it to the ground with his left hand. He then scooped up the wounded animal and dispatched it to an arena worker for removal.

In retrospect, Ginobili wishes someone would have kept the bat. It might have saved him about a dozen rabies shots.

“We asked to see if it was dead,” Ginobili said. “They told me it flew away.”

So the arena worker either released it outside … or the Spurs are saying he did to avoid the wrath of PETA. Could the entire rabies vaccination scenario be an elaborate hoax to keep animal lovers at bay? What are the odds of a bat attack inside an NBA arena on Halloween, anyway? The whole thing stinks of a sham.
More probable: Texas bats are a lot tougher than varieties in other states.