Monday, June 7, 2010

Final Impressions on the Botched Perfecto

After a number of days after the botched call by Jim joyce during the potential perfect game by Armando Galarraga and answering questions by many of my friends, here are my final impressions.

Jim Joyce
I stated in my prior post that after his bad call at first Jim Joyce shouldn't umpire a T-Ball game. I have to admit it, I was wrong. Sure he made a bad call, but give him credit for making that call and sticking by it "IF" the runner had been safe. Sure he could have called the runner out automatically and the game would have been perfect, but "IF" the runner was truly safe and he'd call him out then it would have been a bad call. He swore it was safe until he saw the replay. To further give Joyce credit, once he saw the replay and realized he made the wrong call he was man enough to step to the forefront and apologize personally to both Jim Leyland and Galarraga. In all my years of watching baseball I have never seen an umpire apologize for making a bad call. Granted, the situation wasn't a routine grounder during an ordinary game, but Joyce's apology shows that he is a class act. Plus, firing him for his mistake is easier that his having to live with his mistake for the rest of his life just like Leon Durham and Bill Buckner have because of their on the field error.

Armando Galarraga
I have to admit that I was really surprised at how Galarraga took the loss of his perfect game. If he got mad and cursed and kicked the dirt for losing the perfecto, no one would blame him. I would actually expect it. But his stance that no one is perfect and accepting it for what it was has gained many new fans for Galarraga.

Commissioner Bud Selig
Commissioner Selig has taken some heat from people who disagree with his decision to not overturn the call and give Galarraga the perfect game. I agree with Selig. How many bad calls have been made throughout baseball history including those that cost teams championships and were not overturned. Granted, this was a perfect game, of which only 20 have ever been thrown in over 130 years but if you overturn that bad call, then why can't a call during the World Series which is worth 10 times more than the 27th out of a potential perfect game be overturned. When I mean that it is worth more during the World Series its because that decision can alter championships and affect the whole team while perfect games though celebrated by the entire team, tends to be a personal achievement. In addition, the human element to the game is something that differentiates Baseball from other sports that overturns decisions by methods of bureacratic decisions and/or instant replay. Before I go into instant replay, I don't think any pitcher would accept being given a perfect game due to an overturning of the call by Selig. It wouldn't be the same as actually winning the Perfecto on the field.

Instant Replay
I'm already hearing the calls for expanded instant replay, which I think would be a major mistake. Why? Sure, as it is there is instant replay for homeruns. Then if you add instant replay to decisions made by umpires, when will it end. Balls and strikes? Foul balls? Balks? Check Swings? Fan Interference? Runner Interference? See what I mean. If you open instant replay to certain scenarios then you may have to open it to all scenarios, then at that point, Baseball loses its human aspect. Why bother having human players, you can just simulate games on a computer or play it with robots.

So there, what do you guys think. Agree, disagree. Let me know.
FH

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