PETA WATCH

US Basketball star Manu Ginobili swatted a hovering bat on court in San Antonio last week prompting violent vegan lobby People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) into an hysterical rage.

The incident occoured in a game against Sacramento with the bat delaying the game once in the first quarter.

When it swooped again later in the match Ginobili batted the bat from its flight pattern with his left hand and then picked up the animal and handed it to an arena worker.

He said afterward the bat was still moving when he scooped it up. “I just stunned him,” Ginobili said.

Despite not being present at the match and reports from players to the contrary the lobby has hysterically claimed that the bat was killed:

'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.'

But NBA website Hoops World believes it is PETA who needs to show it has brains:

'PETA is the worst. They are worse than the radical right and left combined. We may go out and buy a really nice and expensive fur coat tonight just to spite them. Even if we can’t afford it.'