PETA takes swing at ‘BatManu’

Fans roared recently when Spurs guard Manu Ginobili became "BatManu" on Halloween and swatted a pesky bat out of the air during a game between San Antonio and the Sacramento Kings.

But PETA, predictably, didn't think it was a laughing matter and issued the following response: "To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one -- with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn."

Incredibly, PETA linked part of its response to "BatManu" to its files on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who served prison time for running a dogfighting ring. It's sad for PETA and a gross injustice to Ginobili -- who said the bat survived -- for it to compare the heinous act of killing countless defenseless dogs to knocking down a bothersome bat that was causing a delay in a game.

But, then again, this is the organization that discourages people from eating fish because it claims they feel pain.

Regardless of who's right, Ginobili appears to be the loser in this incident, so break out the tofu, PETA. It's party time.

Because team officials couldn't locate the bat and test it for disease, Ginobili must undergo a series of shots -- 16 overall in his arm and hip in the next 30 days -- to protect against rabies.

"It was pretty funny at the time. Now, it's not. I have to get like a million shots," he said. "It wasn't so much fun. The bat survived. I'm fine. I'm not going to have rabies. The bat won."

• ODOM OFF CANDY? -- Newcomer Ron Artest has had a huge effect on the life of Lamar Odom, his Los Angeles Lakers teammate.

First, Artest hosted a party where Odom met his wife, Khloe Kardashian, and now it appears he is helping Odom kick his candy addiction, which was chronicled last season by the Los Angeles Times in an essay by Dr. Daniel Amen entitled "Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play."

"Ron-Ron got me into eating oranges," Odom said. "It's funny, because we started to get it going (Sunday in a 118-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks) and we looked up and we're up by like 20 ... and he said to me, 'How about those oranges?' I just started laughing. You never know what to expect from my man."

In other offbeat Lakers news, Slam magazine reported the reason coach Phil Jackson's left index finger is heavily wrapped in gauze and bandages is because he sliced the end of his finger completely off with a kitchen knife last week and couldn't find the small, severed piece to stitch back on. Insert own joke here about where it landed and what became of it.

• PLAXICO JUNIOR -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla was treated at a Nicaragua hospital for a bullet wound in his right leg after reportedly getting accidentally shot by his bodyguard.

If only former New York Giants star Plaxico Burress had a bodyguard willing to take the fall for him like that, he could've still been catching passes in the NFL instead of avoiding unwanted ones in prison.

COMPILED BY TODD DEWEY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL