by Jeff McDonald, STAFF , San Antonio Express-News

Yahoo.com's NBA blog had the video up within minutes. Web surfers from Buenos Aires to Beijing have downloaded the clip on YouTube. Ginobili's random act of pest control was the talk of the national highlight shows.

"When you can't dunk anymore, you've got to find some way to make it to the news," Ginobili said.

In a bizarre turn of events, Ginobili - one of the NBA's top trick-shot artists - has re-emerged as an Internet sensation, not for his Basketball chops, but for his extermination skills.

Ginobili, of course, didn't go all Chuck Norris on the rogue bat because he thought it would make good film at 11. He just wanted to play Basketball.

The Halloween night game against Sacramento had already been bat-delayed once in the first quarter. When the animal swooped in again, nearly recording a block of Kings guard Kevin Martin, Ginobili figured something had to be done.

Using his left hand as a tennis racket, Ginobili batted the bat from its flight pattern, then picked up the wounded animal and handed it to an arena worker for disposal.

Perhaps bracing for the inevitable PETA protest, Ginobili swears he didn't mean to kill the bat, and doesn't think he did. He said afterward the bat was still moving when he scooped it up.

"I just stunned him," Ginobili said.

Reports conflict as to the ultimate fate of the bat. Saturday night, multiple arena sources confirmed the animal's demise. Sunday afternoon, team officials reported the bat had actually recovered and flown away.

Whatever its fate, Ginobili's teammates left the AT&T Center on Saturday shaking their heads once more at what Ginobili had done.

"Unbelievable," Tony Parker said. "The thing is, he hit it. He's good at interceptions and stuff. But then he grabs it and puts it in the garbage."

Parker shook his head. "He always does crazy stuff."

It wasn't the first time some Spurs players had seen a bat behaving badly during a Basketball game. Roger Mason Jr. recalls a bat interrupting a pickup game in Las Vegas this summer.

"You had these big, tough guys, like Chauncey Billups and Rudy Gay, running for cover," Mason said. "And then there's Manu, swatting it like it was a fly."

As it is with every great legend, there are skeptics. Without exactly calling the incident a hoax - without accusing Ginobili of being some kind of bat-battering Balloon Boy - a few Spurs players wondered if the whole thing were some sort of fan-generated setup.

"I have a feeling that bat didn't actually get into the arena on Halloween by itself," Richard Jefferson said.

Others figured it was some sort of promotional stunt put on by the team (it wasn't).

"Well, The Coyote was dressed as Batman," Matt Bonner said. "I guess it was just a coincidence."

The way Ginobili sees it, he was just auditioning for a post-Basketball career. He's 32 years old. The NBA won't be an option forever. It's time for him to start considering his future.

"I'm going to be retiring soon," Ginobili said. "If anybody has a pest problem ..."

Manu's Pest Control?

In cyberspace today, streaming on laptops from San Antonio to Saigon, are the makings of a pretty good first commercial.

Athlete vs. beast

Saturday's bat intrusion at the AT&T Center brings to mind past notable incidents involving winged animals interacting with players in professional games.

Winfield beans seagull: On Aug. 4, 1983, Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield, firing an innocent toss to a ball boy between innings, hit a seagull square in the head, killing it on the spot. Animal cruelty charges were filed but later dropped.

Johnson pegs pigeon: On March 25, 2001, Diamondbacks fastballer Randy Johnson hit a bird that flew into the path of his pitch during an exhibition game, instantly killing it in an explosion of feathers.

Midges bug Chamberlain: On Oct.5, 2007, Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain was rattled by swarms of midges during the eighth inning of the ALDS Game 2 in Cleveland. He walked two, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches, the tying run coming home on a wild pitch. The Indians won in 11 innings, 2-1.

Bees swarm Petco: Four months ago today, an Astros-Padres game at San Diego's Petco Park was delayed for 52 minutes when bees swarmed a corner of the field.

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