What Should Bud Do?
Last night was one of the most emotional events I've ever covered. A perfect game would have been incredible, but what happened instead is something that will go down in baseball history.
Originally, the mood was anger toward Jim Joyce for blowing the call and costing Armando Galarraga the first perfect game in Tigers history. After Joyce's emotional meeting with reporters - probably the most gut-wrenching interview I've ever done - and his apology to Galarraga and the Tigers, things changed in the park. By the time I left last night, the feeling was more deep sympathy for both of them.
That hasn't changed, but now people want to know what Bud Selig is going to do to fix this travesty.
I think the answer is simple.
He shouldn't do a thing.
As I see it, he has two options. The first is to overrule the official scorer, Chuck Klonke, and change the call from a hit to an error. That would be a joke. Calling it an error would say that either Miguel Cabrera or Galarraga made the mistake that allowed Jason Donald to reach first base. They didn't - the mistake was made entirely by Joyce.
The other option, proposed by Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi, is to overrule Joyce. Declare that Donald was out, erase Trevor Crowe's subsequent at-bat from the record books, and rule that it was, indeed, a perfect game.
I actually have more sympathy for that than I do for the first option, but I still don't think it works. Jon Paul's argument is that it is a one-time exception, and since the game ended with the next batter, you have the chance to fix history. He's right, but what if Crowe had singled, the next batter had homered and the game had gone to extra innings? You couldn't wipe all of that away, could you?
My wish is that baseball would use this as a reason to expand instant replay. Let each manager have a challenge, just like they do in the NFL. It wouldn't slow the game down that much, and you'd get big calls right.
But you know what? Everyone I've talked to today, including Galarraga, both managers and players from both teams, hates the idea. No one in baseball wants more instant replay. They are willing to deal with events like Wednesday night as "just part of the game."
I disagree, but I'm not going to win an argument against an entire sport.
So, Commissioner Selig, please do what you do best.
Nothing.
June 3rd, 2010 - 21:03
I agree – the game should stand as is, and it will be remembered forever for both the call and the grace and maturity of all involved.
That said, what came to mind for me as a justification of maybe changing the call was the infamous George Brett pine tar game – a game where an umpire’s ruling was overturned, runs were put back on the scoreboard, and the game was resumed from that spot. Regardless of the causes and rulings, it was the ultimate one-off.
I’d like to see replay on balls in play only, perhaps as a challenge for each manager and at the crew chief’s discretion. Or, possibly, have a replay official.
The Joyce call last night had no effect on the outcome, but there was a game last night that was lost on a bad call. The Twins clearly got an out at second base in extra innings last night to retire the side, but the call was blown and the Mariners scored the “winning” run on the play.
June 3rd, 2010 - 21:06
(and, personally, I think the reason the Brett call was overturned was because Billy Martin was, and was being, an ass by challenging the bat in the first place, and no one wanted to see the little weasel take a game like that.)