Oh, boloney
The game's over, it's in the books. What, are they going to now go back & look at all the close calls in games and make another decision?
MLB should review the call and give the pitcher his perfect game. He deserves it. THEN they should FIRE the umpire. I don’t care how many times he cries!
Incidentally, Jim Leyland is an absolutely class act himself. The decision to have Gallaraga deliver the lineup to Joyce and then shake hands at home plate was absolutely perfect.
Joyce is a dolt. He had to know he blew the call but didn’t ask for help. The guy was out by close to a yard. A yard! He should be fired.
I hope dries the tears before he starts calling bals & strikes. He’s home-plate today.
I know it was a mistake. But I don’t think it is within the spirit of the game to open pandoras box and start reversing plays when games are over. What they need is instant replay for plays down the lines, including 1st base and 3rd base. The argument can be made that the umpires only see a play at first and 3rd from really only one angle. 2nd base and home plate they have multiple views.
but you can’t put toothpaste back into a tube
OTOH, in the spirit of sportsmanship, I'm seeing a whole lot of class from all involved.
there’s no crying in baseball.
Only if situations such as these were our biggest problems.
Some folks don’t understand Baseball.
In Baseball, there is neither ball nor strike, out nor safe, UNTIL THE UMPIRE CALLS IT.
What it looks like to you, me, the players, the guys in the bar, the drunk hanging on a lamppost down at the corner ... is all irrelevant.
(No, I’m not an umpire.)
It was a tough break for both Gallaraga and Joyce. It is also one of those things that Baseball lore is made of.
Harvey Haddix doesn’t have his name on the list of perfect games even though he was perfect through 12 innings in 1959.
Ernie Shore doesn’t have his name on a perfect game even though he recorded 26 straight outs after replacing a pitcher (Baba Ruth) who got tossed after walking the first batter of the game. (baserunner caught stealing was out #1 of 27)
Milt Pappas walked the 27th batter he faced on a pitch that only the ump thought was a ball.
...My heart goes out to all parties involved but stuff happens.....now go play ball!
Incredible video and audio.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8632475&topic_id=8879976&c_id=mlb
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8632475&topic_id=8879976&c_id=mlb
I listened to three X major league baseball players on the way into work today. All said that Joyce was a darn fine umpire. He just blew a call. Now I am sure no one on this forum ever blew a call.
When I was umpiring youth baseball a retired major league umpire was working the plate and I was the field umpire and I reversed one of my calls. He collared me after the game and told me,
"Never, never, never reverse a call."
"You take it to the grave, Kiddo!"
"And it's not just you. Reversing a call you bring into question every umpire from Little League to the Majors."
(Indeed, every close call I had the rest of that summer's season was met with derision.)
"You especially will never be trusted the rest of your life."
"Every close call you do after that call will be questioned and argued."
"And every close call by any umpire in the League will be questioned."
"Even if they have a photo of the play that shows you wrong, you stick by your call."
"You take it to the grave. To the grave!"
First ballgame, actually the game hadn't even started yet we were still in warmups, I ever got thrown out of was by an umpire who apologized to me for a bad call he made the day before.
I was quite emphatic imparting the wisdom I was given many years before.
Can you imagine how dirtbag Ron Artest would've handled a similar situation?