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03 June 2010
Although I grew up loving the game, I've fallen out of love with baseball in recent years. I still watch some games, still follow the storylines, still can hold my own in a baseball discussion, but my heart just isn't in it like it used to be. Perhaps I've been jaded by the steroid era, or turned off by the seemingless endless stream of new statistics and metrics that, to me, take away from the pure essence of the game. Let's face it, when we have stats that measure a pitcher's effectiveness on plays that do not involve fielders (known as DIPS), we may be making the game a little too complicated.
So it may seem odd that the perfect game that wasn't, and the ensuing discussion, struck a cord with me. I didn't see the game live, and I'm not necessarily a fan of either team. Thats not say I have anything against Armando Galarraga. In fact, to be honest, I had never heard of the guy until about 9:30 last night. So while I didn't exactly lose sleep last night over the abysmal call at first base that cost Galarraga the perfect game, it's not as if I was rooting against him.
But with all that being said, I'm glad the MLB Commissioner Bud Selig decided not to overturn that call and award Galarraga a perfect game. The official record will show that there were zero perfect games thrown on June 2, 2010. And that's exactly how it should be.
This isn't so much an instant replay issue. We can all agree that the call was missed, and perhaps, with the use of instant replay, the crew would have been able to reverse the call on the spot to get it correct. I'm all for anything that helps the umpires or officials to get the call right, and with all of the technology available in sports, there's really no excuse for not taking advantage of every resource to make sure the games are called as fair as possible. While "official reviews" and challenge flags and all of that can be irritating at times, I can't really say the extra minute or two has ever drastically affected my viewing experience. And let's face it - baseball games typically don't hum along at a rapid pace anyway. So if they can enact instant replay in more situations in baseball to add a degree of accuracy to the game, then go for it.
No- this is an issue of integrity. Yes that's right...integrity in baseball. The same sport has spent the better part of the last few seasons under a cloud of steroid allegations, subpoenas and investigations. Yet believe it or not, there's still a sanctity and dignity to the sport. And changing a call the next day in order to preserve an individual accomplishment or to highlight a specific player would just be, for lack of a better word, wrong.
I understand that perfect games are rare. In fact, rare doesn't even do it justice. In 135 years of Major League Baseball, there have been only 20 perfect games thrown...and that's including two in the first two months of this season. That's an average of one perfect game every 6.75 seasons, or once approximately every 1093 games. Additionally, no player has ever thrown two perfect games, and only six pitchers with a perfect game have ever also thrown a no-hitter. So the chances of Galarraga ever getting the chance to throw a perfect game again are, to say the least, very slim.
But is it more rare then some other sports feats? What about a running back rushing for 2,000 yards in a single season? There have been only six backs in history who can claim that distinction, dating back to the formation of the NFL in 1920. Even if we only count records since the NFL/AFL merger in 1966, that's still only six backs in 44 years, or one back every 7.3 seasons. If Tennessee's Chris Johnson ended last season with 1,999 yards, would it be okay to review a spot the next day in order to get him that extra yard? Or let's say an NBA player finishes a game with 98 points, just two short of becoming only the second player ever to score 100 in a single game. Should it be okay for the commissioner announce the next day that, since an official missed a goaltending call, that the player should be awarded two points?
I understand these are extreme examples. But the principle is the same. No matter how egregious the call, or how rare the feat that was denied, you simply can't change things the next day just to secure an individual record or accomplishment. Doing so would open the door for all kinds of loopholes, exceptions and unique cases that could soon mean we would have to wait 24 hours after the outcome of a game to learn if, in fact, that outcome stands, or if any records may have been broken.
Besides, what kind of message does that send about the game? The Tigers won the game last night. That should be the most important thing. It shouldn't be about a player's individual performance. Whether Galarraga threw a perfect game or a one-hitter, whether you believe he got 27 outs or 28 outs, the biggest thing is that his team won. Reversing calls the next day, especially when that call didn't affect the outcome on the scoreboard, sends the message that the player is more important than the game itself.
It also helps that Galarraga has handled the entire ordeal with a great deal of class, never complaining or disparaging umpire Jim Joyce. Joyce also has done his part, owning up to his mistake and apologizing to Galarraga and the Tigers personally. That kind of accountability is all too rare in sports (maybe more rare than a perfect game), so it shouldn't go unnoticed. It doesn't change the fact that he did cost Galarraga a likely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he has handled the aftermath as well as could be expected to help make up for it.
It's certainly unfortunate that Galarraga missed a chance at history. And here's hoping he gets another shot someday. But make no mistake - this was the right decision. For once, Selig made the right call.
Perhaps there's hope for baseball after all.
