This is actually my method for dealing with most things in life. 
I thought bats were mostly just carriers, not usually infected.
I also heard that bats don’t necessarily have to display weird behavior to be carrying the disease. They kinda LIKE it.
I always thought that was a myth too. Until I watched a show honoring one of the first guys who went out and did nature documentaries for the BBC. I can’t remember his name right now, but he was in a huge cave with thousands of bats flying around.
He just got done saying how accurate their sonar is and that they avoid collisions three times a second (or something close to that) and then a bat flew right into his head.
So I busted two myths in one episode: their sonar is apparently not enough to ensure that they won’t collide with you, and if they contact your hair, they don’t always get entangled. Plus I disabused myself of the belief I had about my composure: I thought that in an event as unexpected, sudden and revolting as my bat encounter, I would “soil my armor”, or lose it in some other ignominious way, but I didn’t.
Thanks to all who replied (especially those who combined to convince me to see my doctor). Before this one dies, did anyone recognize the source of my thread title without Googling?
Isn’t the question whether or not they can avoid colliding with a tennis racket? 
True enough, but since I caught this one with an awkward fish net with a five foot handle, I’m pretty sure my tennis stroke will be quick enough to stun the next one.
well you did find it in the batroom.
If it’s not a *Fantasy Island *reference, you lost me.
Very few bats, less than 1% in the USA, carry rabies. ASSUME THIS BAT WAS RABID. I’ve got a dead bat in formaldehyde on my shelf. The wound inflicted by a common staple or a slip of a common sewing needle is worse than one caused by a bat tooth. They’re tiny, and sharp. Assume any wild mammal you come in contact with is rabid. Go get the shots. If there is no news of an outbreak in your area, AND YOU ARE CERTAIN OF NO PHYSICAL CONTACT I’d say catch and release is fine.
Re Echolocation
Bat echolocation is indeed a remarkable thing. The problem is that they act like ferrets. For those without ferret experience, think of a three-year old who has just been given a five minute shopping spree in a combined toy and candy store, and then injected with espresso. Bats can avoid you, but may be busy spazzing out and paying attention to other things. Sure Timmy can see my leg, but he’s busy thinking of videogames and looking at a chocolate bin, and will collide with me.
Re Entrance
If one bat got in, more will. In many cases, nailing a mesh covering to the entrance in the right way will allow all bats out but keep them from re-entering.
Bat Conservation International can answer all your questions. www.batcon.org
Not Fantasy Island, but thanks for playing. I should have done this: It’s the title of an old song by Carly Simon.
Definitely follow through on this. From Wikipedia:
That thing was near your face. Bleh.
“Near”?
Can you say chin guano?
I may finally have to edit an article. (I haven’t read it yet, as I wanted to post this before I started yelling at my monitor) There are two cases pointed to as possible aerosol transmission. Both occured in caves with about 30 million bats in close quarters. According to CDC reports, one man had a skin condition (IIRC psoriasis) on his neck and was experiencing an outbreak. The other man in question had an open sore on his face. In both cases, contact with bats was certain. In both cases, infected saliva could easily have come in contact with an open sore, or area where the top layer of skin was missing. Occam’s razor shreds the aerosol transmission hypothesis.
DocCathode, thanks for the link. I like bats just fine, outside. Heck, I even put a bat house in one of my trees. The up close and personal aspect of this encounter wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, though. From the site, I would guess that my visitor was Eptesicus fuscus - the big brown bat. Most bats I’ve been close to (mostly in Maryland) were much smaller (smaller than a sparrow) than the one last night, who was closer in wingspan to a robin.
Remember folks, there is a disease that can be transmitted just by breathing the air near bat roosts. Bat guano feeds a certain kind of mold. The spores of that mold are tiny and can be breahed in without your being aware of it. The spores florish in warm, damp conditions even in an open environment. Most people will experience no illness, or mild fever, sore throat etc. But, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, the immunocompromised etc may be at risk.
Keep in mind that pregnant women are also at risk of disease from the feces and urine of cats and ferrets.
Here we go http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320262&
http://www2.us.elsevierhealth.com/scripts/om.dll/serve?arttype=full&article=a121521
Interesting stats on rabies in Ohio:
http://www.ohiowildlifecenter.org/research/rabiesrevisit.asp
“Under exceptional circumstances, in a bat cave, bat rabies was highly suspected of being transmitted through an aerosol mode to humans, and has been proven in laboratory animal studies.”
The lab accident in question involved concentrated rabies virus used to make vaccine. I don’t see how such an event could be replicated in the wild.
The Google ads want to sell me a tennis racquet. It looks like rabid bats are not common in my neck of the woods, but not unheard of either. When I presented the facts (brief skin contact, no blood, no apparent wound) to my doctor, she scheduled an appointment for me for tomorrow. I’m not sure what she’s going to do, but I guess the seriousness of the disease requires caution, as all here have advised.