[zybar]

Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers lost his bid for a perfect game Wednesday night with two outs in the ninth inning on a blown call by the first base umpire.  Replays clearly showed that the Cleveland hitter was out by a half to full step - yet he was emphatic that the runner was safe.   

While I understand that umpires are human and make mistakes, a perfect game in the Major Leagues is one of the  rarest achievements and has only happened 20 times in the 135 years of professional baseball.  In real time, you could see that the runner was out...the rest of the umpires should have met and fixed the wrong call.  This was simply just too important and historic to have it end like this.

Very sad...

George

[Freo-1]

I watched that as well.  The MLB SHOULD award the perfect game to the pitcher, and suspend this clown of an ump for the remainder of the season. 

It's about time MLB got these morons umps corraled in.  We watch game for the players, not the umps!!!!

[zybar]

I watched that as well.  The MLB SHOULD award the perfect game to the pitcher, and suspend this clown of an ump for the remainder of the season. 

It's about time MLB got these morons umps corraled in.  We watch game for the players, not the umps!!!!

I don't think we need to suspend Jim Joyce (the umpire), but it does raise the point about being able to correct obvious mistakes (especially in special circumstances).

I like your idea of MLB stepping in and awarding Armando a perfect game, but it will never happen.

George

[satfrat]

Unfortunately, the unpires can't go back and review that call and with the naked eye, it appeared the 1st baseman doubleclutched the ball. It was an honest judgement call on the part of the umpire who had the replay prove him wrong. Happens all the time in baseball, it's part of the game,,, and my heart goes out to Galarraga. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[zybar]

Unfortunately, the unpires can't go back and review that call and with the naked eye, it appeared the 1st baseman doubleclutched the ball. It was an honest judgement call on the part of the umpire who had the replay prove him wrong. Happens all the time in baseball, it's part of the game,,, and my heart goes out to Galarraga. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

Not sure what you watched Robin, but everybody (including the umpire after seeing the replay) is in agreement that the call was blown.  It honestly wasn't a close play and he didn't double clutch it.  FWIW, the umpire was sincerely apologetic after the game and I am sure he feels horrible.  He didn't blow the call on purpose, he simply made a bad mistake at a very inopportune time.

Here is the play:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5244860&categoryid=2521705

Here is some commentary from a baseball writer/analyst I really respect (Tim Kurkjian):

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5244971&categoryid=2521705

George

[mjosef]

Hardly a "tragedy"...a bad call maybe. 
A "horrible tragedy"  continues to unfold down south.

[chadh]

This is so weird.  A horrible tragedy?  Peoples' hearts going out to this millionaire athlete who didn't get a completely unimportant mark in the history books?  I don't think I'll ever understand just how obsessed baseball fans are with statistics and records.

I grew up watching and loving cricket - a game in which  almost as many statistics are kept.  But I didn't know anybody (not even vapid TV commentators) who think that the game revolves around the setting of records.  Anil Kumble, an Indian wrist spinner, took all ten wickets in a test innings about 15 years ago.  That might have been the third time it has happened in Test cricket history.  It was big news, and everybody was excited.  It was even reported on ESPN.  But I guarantee that if he had bowled just as well, but had been robbed of his chance to take the tenth and final wicket of the innings, nobody would think any less of his performance.  People would be talking about his fabulous bowling effort for many years to come, kids would be fantasizing about emulating it, whether he secured the magical "result" or not.  Some of the finest and most magical performances I've ever seen on the cricket field have not put any kind of marks in the record books.  But I know that some of these efforts are treasured by cricket fans all over the world, and will be remembered for generations:

Aravinda de Silva scored 66 in the first innings of the 1996 World Cup semi final: until he got out, it seemed like he hit every ball right off the middle of the bat with a minimum of effort and with sublime timing.
Allan Border scored 62 not out against against England in Melbourne, 1982-82 series, where he partnered with Jeff Thompson for a 72-run final wicket partnership almost to snatch the unlikliest of victories.
Shame Warne's 4 wickets for 51 runs in the first innings of the 93 Ashes test in England, including "that ball" that bowled Mike Gatting.
Brian Lara almost every time he batted.
Even the great Don Bradman insisted that his best batting performance wasn't one of his highest scores - but a score of 252 or so against England where, he claimed, he hit every single ball exactly where he wanted it to go.
 
Why doesn't anybody pop into the sports bar and say, "My that Galarraga pitched an excellent game.  It was really a masterful display.  I feel lucky to have seen such a great performance, because I don't watch baseball for the players, I watch baseball for the BASEBALL???"

Why feel sad?  Why not feel ecstatic?  The guy must have played his ass off.  And all that merits is some whining about poor umpiring?

Baseball fans are weird.

Chad

[satfrat]

Not sure what you watched Robin, but everybody (including the umpire after seeing the replay) is in agreement that the call was blown.  It honestly wasn't a close play and he didn't double clutch it.  FWIW, the umpire was sincerely apologetic after the game and I am sure he feels horrible.  He didn't blow the call on purpose, he simply made a bad mistake at a very inopportune time.

Here is the play:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5244860&categoryid=2521705

Here is some commentary from a baseball writer/analyst I really respect (Tim Kurkjian):

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5244971&categoryid=2521705

George

The 1st baseman coned the ball, then flipped it into the pocket. Easily could have been mistaken for a flub in real time. It only took a slowmo replay to show that it indeed was a blown call. But only in slowmo. That's what I saw George. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[lonewolfny42]

I thought someone had died when I read the title....

Glad that's not it.

[satfrat]

I thought someone had died when I read the title....

Glad that's not it.

Well I just witnessed a real tragedy on The Colbert Report tonite when 1 of Spain's premier bullfighting matadors got gored by the bull. Steven showed a repeat after repeat with slow motion of the bull delivering a horn-delivered uppercut thru the bullfighter's throat with the horn exiting the poor guy's mouth. Shoulda heard the crowd moan,,, time and time again with each repeat. It was 1 of the most brutal things I've ever seen on TV.    Guess Steven felt it was OK to show the repeated scene as the matador not only survived but is expected to fully recover.
 
Repeat at 2 am est on The Comedy Channel for you curious sicko's. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[drphoto]

Hey Chad, while I agree with your sentiment.....no one knows what the hell you are talking about!

Cricket is about as mysterious to people in N. America as.......well quantum physics.

The the only thing I know about cricket is the phrase....."that was a googly!" from one of my top 10 favorite movies, John Boorman's "Hope and Glory".

I take it a "googly" is either an illegal pitch or one hard to master. Or is it a bowl rather than pitch?

Maybe when I move to NZ in a few years I'll learn all about it.

Sorry....a bit of a tangent to the thread at hand.

To get it back on track. Interesting that we've had 2 perfect games this season already, and now, almost a 3rd?????

I'm suprised the hitting for the cycle isn't far more rare than it is. That seems like something highly unlikely.

[lonewolfny42]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPK_2dq5Ybo

[mjosef]

Repeat at 2 am est on The Comedy Channel for you curious sicko's.

I might just stay up to see that...yeah, Ima sicko...


A "googly" is a spinner released from the back of the hand( lil' finger side), I forgot which direction it spins away after hitting the pitch( being the surface they play on). Its the trickiest spinner a spin-bowler can bowl.
Seeing that 5-day Test matches does run for 5 days straight(8 hours per day) no wonder it never caught on in the US...

[satfrat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPK_2dq5Ybo

Yep, that be it. But I watched it in High Def. 

[lonewolfny42]

Yep, that be it. But I watched it in High Def. 

Oh....you wanted to see the blood...

[mjosef]

woah,,, give that bull a medal of honor. 

[satfrat]

Oh....you wanted to see the blood...

Wasn't the blood,,, it's just that I'm always ~horny~. 

[chadh]

Hey Chad, while I agree with your sentiment.....no one knows what the hell you are talking about!

Cricket is about as mysterious to people in N. America as.......well quantum physics.

Sorry about that.  I got carried away - I get to talk cricket so infrequently these days.  My recommendation for anybody who is interested in what cricket is all about:  find an Indian friend and get him to tell you about it.

I have met very few Indians who wouldn't drop absolutely everything in order to talk cricket for hours on end.  And they do it with both a passion and an encyclopedic knowledge of the game.  Growing up, I'd watch Australia play and would maintain a fair idea of how other teams around the world were performing.  But so many Indians I've met could tell me details about games played 27 years ago that  they had no right to know were even played!  Trust me - if you talk to an Indian cricket enthusiast, you won't be able to stop yourself from being fascinated.

The the only thing I know about cricket is the phrase....."that was a googly!" from one of my top 10 favorite movies, John Boorman's "Hope and Glory".

I take it a "googly" is either an illegal pitch or one hard to master. Or is it a bowl rather than pitch?

Maybe when I move to NZ in a few years I'll learn all about it.

Yes, the "googly", or "wrong 'un", or "Bosie" (what a lot of colorful names!) is a very difficult delivery to master.  Remember, cricket bowlers aim to make the ball hit the ground and bounce before it passes the batter.  If you impart spin on the ball it will deviate from its line when it bounces.  A right handed "wrist spinner" produces spin typically by dragging his fingers across the ball from his right to left.  The ball spins counter-clockwise (from the bowler's perspective) as it travels towards the batter, and when it bounces will leave the right-handed batter.  This is known as the "leg-break."  The "wrong 'un", however, goes the wrong way.  It's delivered with the same action, but the hand is twisted around so that the bowler's wrist is pointing towards the batter, and the fingers pointing backwards.  When he drags his fingers across the ball in the same way , the ball will loop out the back of the hand and is now spinning clockwise as it travels towards the batter.

Alas, it's unlikely that you'll learn anything of the art of wrist spin bowling in New Zealand.  I can't recall a single wrist spinner of note to come from the Shakey Isles (which probably explains why their batters don't play well against wrist spin bowling).  But a recent NZ captain is a fine finger spin bowler (these guys drag their fingers the other way across the ball - the more "natural" way for most people, sort of like throwing a slider).

Sorry....a bit of a tangent to the thread at hand.

I'm sorry too.

To get it back on track. Interesting that we've had 2 perfect games this season already, and now, almost a 3rd?????

I'm suprised the hitting for the cycle isn't far more rare than it is. That seems like something highly unlikely.

Sounds like something to be excited about!  Runs are so much more valuable when they're hard to come by.  Then again, I understand as much about baseball as people here understand about cricket.

Chad

[TheChairGuy]

Galarraga wuz robbed.  So few pitchers actually toss a no-hitter, let alone a perfect game

Umps get caught up in the emotion of a game, too.

I hope the young man summons the goods to pitch another one in his life...otherwise, this will will nearly guarantee to haunt him for perpetuity

John

[cujobob]

I'm a Tigers fan and watched this game...I was happy that Galarraga showed so much class, first off.  A perfect game is the rarest achievement in baseball...it's much more rare than winning a championship.  The umpire choked...it was the last out of the game.  Umps can't choke.  That's unacceptable.  With that said, Joyce should probably be disciplined somehow...because an ump simply cannot choke.  He said he had the angle and it was a slow-developing play so it was not difficult to really see.  Joyce is human and it's unfortunate...baseball needs to award this to Galarraga, the Tigers, and the city of Detroit.  I can understand not overturning a no-hitter...but no-hitters are even quite a bit more common.  The Tigers and Galarraga may never again have a perfect game achieved.  It's bigger than a blown World Series call because those are series ..AND because there's a World Series every year.  There have been a few Perfect Games this season, but that has nothing to do with the fact that it's historically an extremely rare occurrence.

If nothing else, give him credit in the books as the only pitcher to throw a 28 out perfect game and call the play an error.