Armando Galarraga threw a perfect game against Cleveland on Wednesday. He knows it, his teammates know it. We know it. Umpire Jim Joyce, who blew the call, knows it. Everyone who saw what should have have been the the 27th consecutive out live or on video knows it. But the Detroit pitcher wont even get an asterisk beside this one.
9th inning, Galarraga was one out away from perfection. It would have been the third peerless performance on the season and the second in a week. Galarraga was covering first for the final out, planted his foot, caught the ball making him a flawless phenom. But Joyce called the runner safe. He was wrong. He later admitted it publicly and appologized to the Tigers and to Galarraga.
Now, the principles did the game proud. Joyce accepted full responsibility. Galarraga wouldn't call the ump a chump. Mistakes happen. In a rematch today Joyce could have pulled himself from the game to avoid what some thought would be a reaction from the fans comparable to anarchists at the G8 Conference. There had been rumours of death threats directed at Joyce. Hate mail was pouring in. But Tiger's manager Jim Leyland had Galarraga come out of the dugout with the lineup card and had to Joyce to show everyone in the park...no hard feelings. Crap happens.
What could have been an ugly situation turned into a forgive and forget festival. Because crap happens. But today baseball dropped the biggest meadow muffin of this episode. Bud Selig, the boss of all things baseball had the opprotunity to over turn the call, make things right and award Galarraga what was rightfully his, the perfect game he pitched. Selig has the power to go above and beyond the rules...in what they call "the best interest of baseball." But Bud Light wouldn't bight.
The purists agree with Selig. Once the call is made it's in the books and nothing, not even an act of an all knowing, all powerful, absolute being not named Bud, can alter it. But that's not what has my knickers in a twist. The game has the technololgy to avoid situations like this and it even uses it now and again. It's called video replay. Wednesday night, game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, Philadelphia scores a goal. The goal judge put the light on but play wasn't stopped because the on ice officials didn't see it. So what did they do? Not allow the goal? No. When play stopped the reviewed it and declared it a goal. If this had been baseball, no goal, no tie game, no over time, no Flyers win and instead of a 2-1 series, Chicago would have been up 3 games to none.
Baseball is full of fungo fundamentalists who wont pull their noggins out of their collective butts. Traditon, that's what the game is all about. Tradition? Baseball is a summer game. You're playing the World Series in November. Tradition? Explain designated hitters? Tradition? How many teams play their games on plastic instead of grass.
This is a sport that turned a blind eye to 2 decades of rampant steroid use. Never mind that players who have been caught using steroids, caught lying about using steroids or suspected of using steroids have their numbers in the record books. Teams have won world series with admitted steroid users in their lineups. Baseball has done nothing about it.
Listen, sometimes there are exceptions to the rules. Armando Galarraga's perfect game that was stolen from him because of an honest and an admitted mistake is one of those exceptions. In the long history of baseball, which more than any other sport is driven by records, there have been 20 pefect games. In the best interest of baseball.....it should be 21.
Rick,
Ya, no doubt he blew it.........he knows it and we know it. However, all part of the game of baseball. In seeing replays of Don Larsen's perfecto, the final pitch sure seemed up and away and not the third strike that was called. Fortunate call for Larsen, not so for Galaragga.
Hey Rick,
I heard some of Jim Joyce's press conference after the game and he legitimately felt bad about the missed call. He acknowledged his mistake and went to Gallaraga personally after the game to apologize. He did everything his power to make the situation right on his end and for that he shouldn't continue to be beaten down for that call.
Every sport now has some form of instant replay , and though baseball sometimes uses it for homerun calls that simply isn't enough. I realize they want to keep the human element in the game but now that the technology is there they should take full advantage of it. Fans would be fine with the extra 2 minutes as long as the proper call has been made.
Hope you're doing well. Take care.
The last thing baseball needs is to make the games longer with video replays, but with so much on the line (playoff spots, gambling) and the technology available, it is time for change.
TV Cameras never lie today. If there is not clear evidence to overturn the call, the on-field call stays.
Each manager could be given ONE challenges. Throw the flag, check the replay and get it right. Lose the challenge, sacrifice an out.
Yes, this takes away the human element that is the "tradition" of the game, but I bet umpires and in this case case, Jim Joyce would suppor the help.
In a way, this reminds me of all the phantom assists Gretzky was given in his Oiler days.
Way to go Rick. A great post. You are absolutely right on this one.
Baseball needs to wake up and get with the times and technology. If it is OK to use video on one call then why not on such a key play as this one was??
Rick - What is your take on The Fan suspending Mike Wilner for the weekend?
Jim: That's an interesting situation. I don't know if Wilner works for The Fan or The Blue Jays. If he's an employee of the Jays, and I assume he is because hes part of the broadcast crew, then I understand why they did what they did. I don't agree with it but I understand it. What broadcast crews have become are shills for the teams. I heard Buck Martinez go at with Bob Mc Cowan last week on the same subject, how Cito was using the bullpen. Buck made some great points and he was very emotional in defending Cito but when you know he's pulling his pay cheque from the team it still comes across like shilling.
For the most part Jack Armstrong defends the Raptors. It gets blurry when these guys cross the line and become journalists or reporters. That's not what they're paid to do. Of all the guys to get nailed I figured Wilner would be the last one. He drives me crazy some times when I hear him with Hogan defending everything the Jays do so this suprised me. I heard him talk about it last week and It didn't sound like he was trying to embarass Cito. It was more like a debate on how Cito was using his bull pen. If he worked for the Fan, even though Rogers in the parent company, he didn't cross the line. If he works for the Jays he bit the hand that feeds him.
Next to Beeston, Cito is probably the most powerful person with the team. So you don't cross him. What I would like to see is Mc Cowan get Beeston on the show tonight and have him explain what happened and why.
Rick, thanks. Agree, Beeston should man up and tell us what the deal is with this.