MLB Considering Awarding Tigers Pitcher Perfect Game- UPDATE: Selig Says No

Above The Post Update:

Selig does the right thing

MLB Commissioner says he will not reverse umpire's call that cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game

Original Post:
If you haven't heard about this, here's the post from late last night.

Before we get to the idiocy of changing the call read this series of Tweets via someone at the game

Det Tigers Class Act. Gallaraga hands Jim Joyce line up card at home plate. Joyse is sobbing!

Det fans applaud ump Jim Joyce as he sobs. Makes me so proud of baseball and fans

OMG! Det tigers class act! Pitcher hands ump line up card at home plate. Ump is sobbing. Makes me cry!

I just saw video of this on SportsCenter. Absolutely amazing.

Added: Here's the video

Now baseball commissioner Bud Selig is considering making it an official perfect game.

Bud Selig is in discussion Thursday regarding the blown call that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game Wednesday night, but according to sources close to the situation, the feeling is that the always-deliberate Selig will be hesitant to overturn the call.

"It's a precedent I'm not sure anybody would be comfortable with," one MLB person told the Daily News.

An MLB spokesman, meanwhile, said Thursday the commissioner's office had no official comment on the situation.

By invoking the "best interest of the game" power that comes with his job, Selig could make such a decision and award Galarraga the perfect game. And there is some clear sentiment among MLB people for him to do that, since Jim Joyce's blown call at first base would have ended the game, and because Joyce admitted his mistake.

No, no, no, a thousand times NO.

Bad things happen in life, there is no escaping it. What matters is how you react to them. Both Joyce and Galarraga handled this situation with a grace and dignity that most of us could only hope to achieve.

Before yesterday, Galarraga was an average pitcher with a 20-18 record in 3 plus seasons. He would have pitched the 21st perfect game, the 3rd this season. People always say if you pitch a perfect game you are a part of baseball history. Well how many of those 21 players can you really name? Off the top of my head I can think of 5 (I honestly don't remember the guy who did it on Mother's Day of this year for Oakland).

Now, how soon are you likely to forget Galarraga and the example he is setting with his reaction?

No one was hurt or killed, no fortune was lost. Hell, he got the next batter out and the Tigers won the game.

As for the inevitable calls for more replay in baseball, here's what I wrote last night....

How can any self-respecting conservative support replay in baseball?

Conservatism is based on the idea that life isn't fair, people aren't perfect and there's nothing you can do about it in this lifetime. We shouldn't be about trying to make sure bad things never happening but in dealing with them well when they do. I have no idea what Gallaraga thinks about HCR but his reaction to his misfortune is a perfect example of a conservative temperament.

Replay in baseball? It's positively Whiggish!

The imperfect game is turning out to be a perfect story. I really hope Selig doesn't screw it up.

The Tigers Tweets are via Major Garrett and the Selig story was from Ben Smith.

posted by DrewM. at 01:39 PM

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