Armando Galarraga And The Impossibility Of Perfection
"I told him, 'Nobody's perfect.' What am I going to say?"
-Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga discusses his conversation with umpire Jim Joyce, whose botched call on the final out of last night's game against the Cleveland Indians robbed Galarraga of what would have been the 21st perfect game in baseball history. Joyce apologized profusely, Galarraga and his teammates and manager reacted with a remarkable degree of equanimity; apart from the fact that there was a terrible call that deprived a man of the greatest achievement any pitcher can hope to attain, everyone involved reacted rather well. You can almost see the bright side of it for Galarraga: 20 pitchers have perfect games; only one has "the perfect game that wasn't." He's got his own place in history now. Besides, the way things are going this season there will probably be another perfect game pitched at some point next week. It might even come from Galarraga. God knows the guy's earned it.
Pardon the sportcentric intrusion, but:
What the fuck is the big deal with simply correcting this? Don't give me that "purity of the game" or "slippery slope" crap. This is a unique on unique situation–last out, call clearly blown, not outcome determinative (next guy was out, game that was over was over, again), in the rarest of rare (well, least till the last month) situation in baseball.
Bud Selig, you pimpled troll: anoint the game into the record books. The play was an out–the CALL was safe–and wrong. The true "purity" is restoring what happened in play.
All right. I feel better, and will return to cockassed critique of matters of Some Importance.
apparently a meeting at 245 park on this topic is imminent…
I tend to agree, but unfortunately it would STILL taint the effort. He'd still be The Guy Who Got The Perfect Game Via Replay.
Well, the FIRST one, anyway.
As insufferable as he is, I typically agree with Olbermann. Except with his idea that Selig should step in. *
Jason Donald ended up advancing to third base. What happens to his stats? Are they erased? Asterisked? Galarraga threw 28 pitches. What about his stats?
It sucks, but life ain't fair.
* Speaking of not fair, had this been a game where a mfy pitcher missed a perfect game at the 27th pitch, I'm quite sure Bud Lite would revise the hi$tory book$.
Olbermann blog: http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/06/youre_blankin_out_give_him_the.html
"Galarraga and his teammates and manager reacted with a remarkable degree of equanimity…"
Dude, they're THE DETROIT TIGERS. Getting fucked by the world is their middle name.
I'm sorry but this is chicken feed compared to the Cuzzi blown foul call in the twins yanks playoffs game last fall. If THAT didn't force changes why should this?
I have two words: Don Denkinger. Mother fucker.
After what the cards did to the brewers a couple years earlier I choose to ignore bad things that happen to them.
After the Yankees won that series, I took a Crying Game shower because of that foul call. Even reading it mentioned months later fills me with shame and regret.
Still pissed at Don Denkinger. Fucking Royals.
Anything that pisses off Cards fans is awesome.
@Captain: Come here and sniff some pine tar, bro.
someday children will not believe there was a period in America where teams like the Royals and Brewers contended for and played in World Series games.
@Abe: "someday"?! How about "today"!
M.L.Baseball Umpiring sucks. Just replace all those black blazers with MACHINES. Machines are intrinsically INCAPABLE of ERROR.
Add lasers and I'm on board.
hmm… how about… female umpire-robots with Lazertits!. Listen, I'll just go ahead and forge your signature.
@Art – Well I don't know what I was expecting to see at that link.
I love the heartbreak in the announcers' call:
"Oh no, Jim Joyce!"
"Jeeze Louise!"
"Jim Joyce!" may just be the new baseball announcer expletive.
Is the Slate article about how Joyce made the right call up yet?
a+, will lol again.
Listen to the radio interview with Joyce. He's trying to keep it together, but by the end the reporters are trying to talk him off the ledge.
Also: three perfect games in a month? Do we need to lower the mound to flat?
Remember those quaint April days when we got excited about Ubaldo Jimenez's mere no-hitter? We were so young, so naive.
A white house beer summit might smooth things over. America just wants her life back.
You don't make a call like that in the 209.
it's so cold in the D
@brknyc: Good one.
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