Matt Holliday may have won this season's bat flip contest without even trying

Taking ball four and heading down to first base is usually one of the more mundane aspects of the game -- the key word there being "usually."
There was nothing ordinary or uninteresting about Matt Holliday's sixth-inning walk in the Cardinals' 11-2 win over the Padres on Saturday night, however, thanks to his bat getting stuck in his hand as he tossed it aside after drawing the base on balls.
As a result of the quirky scenario that played out at Petco Park, Holliday wound up pulling off one of the more unexpected bat flips we've seen in quite some time -- and it took a heads-up play by home-plate umpire Tim Timmons to avoid being struck by the bat as it spun around in the air: 

If there's a lesson to be taken from this, it probably has to do with remaining alert at all times on the diamond -- even during moments we otherwise take for granted.