Bats have a long history of attending San Antonio Spurs home games. The most memorable encounter with the winged, nocturnal creatures at AT&T Center came in 2009 when Manu Ginobili used his flair for daring and notoriously quick hands to knock a bat out of thin air as it terrorized fans, players, coaches, and officials alike.

The future Hall of Famer, who retired after last season, was nowhere to be found on Thursday, though, when the job of bat wrangler fell to multiple team employees armed with nothing but white towels. A net was finally used to corral the animals, which caused a several-minute stoppage of play in the Spurs' win over the Brooklyn Nets.

But San Antonio apparently should have been a bit more diligent. Why? Bats reared their ugly head again in the first quarter of Saturday's tilt with the New Orleans Pelicans. Fortunately for everyone in attendance, the Spurs' mascot came prepared this time, wearing a mask and cape while wielding a massive net.

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The haste with which The Coyote caught the bat begs a question: Just who is it behind the mask and mascot head? Could it be Ginobili? Social media places the Argentinean star in Buenos Aires two weeks ago. Perhaps he made the trip back to San Antonio, anticipating a return of his furry friend?

Let's hope so.