We’ve all seen it. We can’t un-see it. And because we’ve seen it — and because we’ll watch it over and over again for the next 48 hours or longer — we know it’s wrong. But baseball won’t see it. Not officially. Baseball has decided against the expansion of instant replay beyond home run calls.
Why? They had some reasons. Some of them even sounded reasonable. I can’t remember them though, because they all disappeared during the step and a half it took Jason Donald to touch first base after he should have been out number 27 in tonight’s non-perfect game.
Because there is no replay, Jim Joyce’s obviously blown call stands, Armando Galarraga lost a perfect game, and I can’t for the life of me think of any justification for that. It would take too much time? Hell, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks played a four hour and sixteen minute game this afternoon. We all handled it. Some of us actually enjoyed it. Because of umpire egos? Sorry, between Joyce’s blown call and everything else that has happened in the last couple of weeks, they’ve lost the right to complain.
It is absolutely imperative that baseball implement some form of replay now. This season, before the playoffs. The best way, in my view, is to simply station a fifth umpire in the official scorer’s box. Give him the same feed the broadcast guys have. Give him a buzzer and, when an obviously bad call like this one happens, have him call down to the crew chief and overturn the call. In practice it won’t take long. In function it will be no different than an on-the-field conference in which calls are changed every day. There is no reason this can’t work and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be implemented.
Take your “human element” and stuff it, mister. The human element got it wrong. The human element cost Galarraga his place in history. The human element just thrust Jim Joyce into infamy. I don’t think either of those fellows are where they want to be right now, and there’s no human reason on Earth why it has to be this way.
Bud Selig: you have no choice. You have the power. Implement instant replay now.
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- Professor Dave - Jun 2, 2010 at 9:50 PM
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Amen.
How does an umpire make that call if he’s not sure? That’s what baffles me.
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- john - Jun 2, 2010 at 9:50 PM
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amen
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- Real Vikings fans wouldn't cheer for Favre - Jun 2, 2010 at 9:52 PM
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AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- Bill@TDS - Jun 2, 2010 at 9:54 PM
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Amen.
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- Judi - Jun 2, 2010 at 9:56 PM
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Disgusting really, this kid’s chance at history blown. I know everyone is saying Jim Joyce is a good umpire, but this is inexcusbale. If I were him and saw that replay and realized what I’d done, I would resign.
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- Kevin S. - Jun 2, 2010 at 9:56 PM
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That’s exactly the plan I’ve been advocating since last year. Unfortunately, we knew it would take something drastic to shake baseball from its complacency. Armando Galarraga paid the price.
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- YankeesfanLen - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:01 PM
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Holy Kenesaw Mountain Landis!!!! How can this stand? Like everyone else, I saw it live and will have to live through replays ad nauseum and can’t believe this was EVER the call in the heat of the moment.
This is destroying the credibility of the game. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
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- Ditto - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:03 PM
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They should put it in right now, but they won’t. Pitiful.
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- Liz - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:03 PM
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I agree…but you can’t IMHO have it carte blanche…I say NO to replay for balls/strikes, that’s still based upon an umpire’s set strikezone. I think baseball should do what football does, give the Managers say two red flags (challenges) per game, and once they are gone that’s it. I don’t think Managers are going to argue every call, and they also need to have someone up in the booth who can right an OBVIOUS wrong (again not balls and strikes) like should’ve been done tonight. The Detroit kid was robbed, by a lousy umpire who BLEW the call. He was flat-out wrong, and for that ONE call to cost the kid a perfect game, it just isn’t right.
Who knows, the Detroit pitcher may never pitch in the bigs again…not that I wish it to happen, but he could suffer some career ending injury, and to KNOW that he could’ve gone in the record books with a PERFECT game but was DENIED by a CRAPPY umpire’s call, its just not right.
So yes to replay, on a limited scope, but more scope than what they are using it for now. Why have it if you can’t truly right a wrong….
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- Phil - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:05 PM
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1) Horrible call, at one of the worst possible moments.
2) Yes to instant replay. Yesterday wouldn’t be too soon.
3) Bud Selig should award him the perfect game. It is the right thing to do, umpires feelings be damned. If Jim Joyce is a true professional, he should be asking for this now, privately and publically.
4) Whatever is causing the umpiring to be so far below their usual standards need to be addressed. Now. Send a couple down to AAA, and bring a new crew up. There’s at least a perception of unaccountability on the umpiring crews, and it needs to be fixed.
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- Luis - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:05 PM
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Yeah, that’s some scintillating frisson there.
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Disgusting. Just disgusting.
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- Charles Gates - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:06 PM
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Quote: ‘The World Series that was decided by a blown call, summed up in one occult instant of unmitigated horror. What could be more classic?‘
Here’s a toast to, hopefully, buyer’s remorse.
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- Philip Tortora - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:13 PM
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Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig absolutely has to apply common sense here, and award Armando Galaragga a perfect game. Selig must use his authoritative powers and overrule the blown call by Jim Joyce
http://philiptortora.blogspot.com/2010/06/major-league-baseball-should-reverse.html
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- dan - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:17 PM
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hey he blew the call on damon hit damon should have been the 3rd out may be it should have been 1 -o= perfect game????
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- RichardInDallas - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:17 PM
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I kind of agree with Liz’ proposal that managers get to challenge calls. But not two challenges. That COULD encourage frivolity. Just give each manager one. When they use it, if they are right, give them another one. Every time they are right. No limit. If they are wrong, they are done challenging for the day. Do that in addition to Craig’s suggestion of the “eye in the sky” fifth umpire. I think you’ll see about a 90+% reduction in bad calls BEFORE the replays are even consulted…
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- OslO - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:17 PM
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Get the call right…….that’s all anybody wants. I watched the game……and couldn’t believe he missed the CALL…….He could have asked for help….but BLUE was so pig headed that he got it right that he wouldnt ask for help. He wasnt out of position……..he just made a terrible call…….and now with the re plays……everyone has seen it and wants his head for screwing the pooch!!
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- Harold Gorovitz - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:27 PM
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It is undeniably necessary to write a wrong and overrule the blown call. Galaragga may never again pitch a perfect game and his place in history will be forever lost. Human decency demands it be done to correct a grievous wrong. The umpire who blew the call will sleep nights and we can all say amen. It is ethically and morally right to not let this mistake take a permanent place in te history books.
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- JimmyY - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:35 PM
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If we can see the play on TV within 30 seconds and determine it was a bad call instant replay can surely be implemented without that pathetic statement delaying the game, or, the human element. Getting it right and undoing an injustice, that’s what matters not some lame excuses.
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- H. Perez - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:38 PM
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Games are becoming faster & faster. We need Re-Play NOW! in Baseball like Tennis did….
Give every team 2 chances to call a review in the game.
Sport must evolved like Tennis did, let follow the good examples!
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- brian - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:43 PM
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baseball has been around for over 100 years. i doubt this is the first bad call that has cost a guy a perfect game, and it probably wont be the last. unless you propose we go back and instantly review every almost perfect game (impossible), then the human condition to err is THE part of the game that can’t and shouldn’t be changed. Sorry for gallaraga, he had a hell of a game, but this is baseball.
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- j. mejias - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:45 PM
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George Brett had a home run taken away because of too much pine tar. He was called out. The commissioner of baseball overturned that call and credited Brett with the home run.The present commissioner should overrule this bad call.
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- CJS - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:50 PM
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MLB should overturn the call. It’s thew only right thing to do.
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- Ron N. Helena, MT - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:51 PM
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If Bud Selig does not want to go down in infamy with Jim Joyce, he will overturn this BLOWN call immediately.
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- david - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:58 PM
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Only been 20 in history. I would bet this is the first time an ump blew such a blatent call on the final batter of a perfect game. in 120 years there has been 20 total and this would have been the third in a month record setting in its own right.
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- Josh - Jun 2, 2010 at 10:59 PM
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If I were an umpire, I would be begging for this. Who wants to be the next Jim Joyce / Don Denkinger?
