Posted on 06/06/2010 7:26:51 AM PDT by mattstat
The decks are awash: the tears have already reached the scuppers, and there’s no sign of abatement. The output from the perpetually lachrymose has been prodigious.
Even people who aren’t baseball fans are screaming, eyes bedewed, for justice—justice at any cost!
“They outta let Manager’s have red flags!”
“Why don’t they have instant replay? They have it everywhere else!”
“Oh, hu, hu hu! It isn’t fair!”
Before one more word: I am a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan. Although I no longer live in that shell of a city (and its degradation is truly something worth weeping over), I routinely pay for remote access to the games, and follow the team both on and off season.
Like any fan, I’m happy when the team wins, not so happy when they lose. It might even be true that, in my greener days, my passion was such that the intersection of my metacarpals and phalanges met and breeched the thin veneer of an apartment door in San Antonio after the Tige’s dropped a game in the 1984 series.
(I am enough of a fan to know that the previous sentence does not contain a typo.)
I also wasn’t so happy when Jim Joyce blew the call which changed Armando Galarraga’s recorded game from a no hitter to a one hitter.
My disappointment was almost immediately tempered by my now advanced age, but also by the way Joyce—who is the spitting image of my Uncle Pat—handled his mistake. “I blew it” he said. And he said it over and over, emphasizing and demonstrating that he knew of the importance of his missed call. He screwed up and took his medicine like a man. What more can you ask for?
Turns out, a lot of people are asking for a hell of lot more...
(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...
Personally I’m proud of the way everyone involved in the mess behaved. Even Jim Leyland got choked up over that and he’s a regular old stoneface.
I’m OK with it if they were to overturn it or not. I do think the instant replay for situations like this would be fine. We have it for fair vs fowl balls and it works fine because only the umps can call for it so it hasn’t been abused.
One thing is clear. Gallaraga has assured himself a spot in the history books.
Like lowering the pitching mound,body armor,a tight strike zone,steroids and HGH, and the three morons-Selig,Boras,Fehr didnt already ruin the game!
Baseball rule 9.02 (c) states:
“If a decision is appealed, the umpire making the decision may ask another umpire afor information before making a final decision. No umpire shall criticize, seek to reverse or interfere with another umpire’s decision unless asked to do so by the umpire making it.”
All a player or manager HAS to do, is ask the umpire making a “bad” call to — ASK ANOTHER UMPIRE.
It’s quick and simple, and people normally see it only on checked-swing calls.
I don’t see how they could overturn it. It is like calling a horse an elephant. It was not a perfect game in the real world. For example, what happens to the statistics for the 28th batter who came up after the call? He had an at bat and there were other stats associated with it. You can’t unring a bell.
Wow...one guy loses an AB where he made an out and one guy loses and infield single...the very foundation of the game is in jeopardy.
IIRC...when they decided that the par tine rule was enforced incorrectly in the famous 1983 game, they added a HR to George Brett’s total...the game has withstood that assault and I think it could survive this.
Furthermore it would give license for teams to check videos for all sorts of close situations over the years. How many one-hitters have been pitched since video replay began? I'm sure more than a few of those involved questionable calls concerning the only hit. How about batters whose homeruns were taken away by an umpire miscall. Or vice versa. Once you set that precedence, you open up a Pandora's box. Thousands of situations could be reversed. Sad for Galarraga, but too bad, life ain't fair..
Selig should have used the power of his office to overturn the call. Much like Obama, the man is useless.
This game is better than perfect...28 batters, 28 outs.
It will stand forever, like DiMaggio’s hitting streak.
The only reason the call was even being considered to be reversed was when it was made. It it happened in the 2nd inning, would there be the same outcry?
What option did Jim Joyce have but to admit culpability? A monkey could look at the replay and say...”Wow, he was safe”. Of course he’s going to be very apologetic and contrite...if he were to behave in any other manner the world would be calling for his head.
Armando Galarraga is the guy who deserves credit..he didn’t argue the call or complain about it afterward...he simply smiled, took the ball and got the last out...again. Hats off to him and the rest of the Tigers for not making a bigger deal out of this.
Can you imagine the screeching from Peter Gammons and the “Red Sox nation” if this had happened to Jon Lester?
Upon Brett crossing the plate, Yankees manager Billy Martin cited to the umpires an obscure rule that stated that any foreign substance on a bat could extend no further than 18 inches from the knob. The umpires measured the amount of pine tar, a legal substance used by hitters to improve their grip, on Brett's bat; Brett's pine tar extended about 24 inches. The home plate umpire, Tim McClelland, signaled Brett out, ending the game as a Yankees win. An angry Brett charged out of the dugout and was immediately ejected. The Royals protested the game, and American League president Lee MacPhail upheld the protest, reasoning that Brett's bat should have been excluded from future use but the home run should not have been nullified. Amid much controversy, the game was resumed on August 18 from the point of Brett's home run and ended with a Royals win.
Not quite analogous with what happened here. The umpires ruled initially that it was a home run and then overturned that decision after checking the bat. Brett was the last batter and nothing else followed, which is why they resumed the game at that point.
There were some boos for Joyce at the opening of the next game but not anywhere near what I expected.
Say what you will about Detroit, its still one of the best baseball towns there are. (and the only reason I ever find to go to Detroit)
The only reason this game went on for one more AB was the lousy call. The larger point is that there IS a precedent for overturning a judgment call (and the interpretation of a rule by an ump is certainly a judgment call) after the fact.
I would expect no less of Jon Lester that the excellent display of sportsmanship by Galarraga, and neither should you. I think it is clear at this point that Lester has life’s important matters in their correct perspective.
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