Yeah.
Unlike my right-wing contemporaries, I do admit when I'm wrong, or when I go too far, and yesterday night, I went too far, RE Umpire Jim Joyce.
Don't get me wrong - it was still the worst, and most significanlty bad, call in MLB history.
But Joyve showed a lot of class after the game, and at today's game. And Galarraga himself showed a lot of class both on and off the field. No dramatics, no whining. Hey: HE knew he threw a perfect game, so what does the rest of it really matter, huh? But I would be remiss to continue to rant and rave about Joyce after he had admitted his mistake, apologized to - and was forgiven by - Galarraga. My anger was REALLY aimed at the umpires of old that I remember, who would stedfastly refuse to acknowledge even the most nboneheaded calls as mistakes. So I have been shamed by the class and sportsmanship displayed by these two men. And as pationately as I feel about this, it just goes to show that you shouldn't go writing anything - that anyone else will see- when you're REALLY angry. This is the third time in my life that I've broken that rule and each time I've written something that I've regretted.
And while I would have reversed the call, I'm not surprised that
Plus, I'm sure Joyce will love the fact that for the rest of his life, he'll be known as "the guy who screwed up the perfect game." LOL.
So every now and then, there is SOME justice. :)
We're (as in, the sports media) basically praising the guy because he admitted to the existence of reality (i.e. the obviousness of the videotape). I have nothing against him, and plenty against a world that feels the need to single that out.
ReplyDeleteIt's like when we praise the media for doing a substantial factual story. That should be the norm. Praiseworthy work is supposed to be past that.
And there's no excuse for failing to overturn it. If you do that and someone asks "what's next" (as in should you now overturn this or that), you simply answer "nothing".
Steeve,
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. But there have been too many arrogant jerks over the years (Dale Evans, Don Denkinger and Tim Tschida all come to mind) who failed to do even that for me to maintain my outrage at the MAN. The PLAY maybe, the CALL certainly, but not the MAN. And in any case I'm not really PRAISING the man. If merely saying that the tirade I posted last night wet a bit too far comehow constitutes "praise," then either you didn't read it or you are one of the toughest critics I've ever come accross. (And I live outside of Detroit!)
Thanks for your comment.
Maybe I'll do a post on instant replay in baseball. I'd love to see you and Craig going at it! LOL