It's now been 2 days since Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed of what would have been his first perfect game of his career. And Major League Baseball isn't doing anything to fix it.
The MLB has been neck deep in scandals and controversy, especially in the last decade. Wednesday night's scenario (watch video below) presented MLB Commissioner Bud Selig with the opportunity to take a public stand for integrity and fairness. He chose neither.
It's not every day that you have an umpire brought to tears by a mistake he made. Jim Joyce indeed made the wrong call, but showed an immeasurable amount of class by admitting that he missed a big call. His humility is an excellent example of the way an official should be in the world of sports and if he had the ability to make the decision, I'm convinced he would overturn his ruling.
The problem is that Joyce is the one who has maintained integrity more that the MLB commissioner. Every angle of every replay has clearly shown that Detroit recorded the 3rd out to preserve the perfect game. If Selig were to overturn the call, he has very strong grounds to do so for the evidence is irrefutable. This is not a typical situation.
If the issue is following a rulebook, then it is time to change that rulebook because when a 100 percent inaccurate call has been made, players and managers should have the opportunity to appeal in order to have the ruling overturned. It's amazing that while Selig wants to be firm on not overturning the ruling in Galarraga's situation, he is not equally as firm when it comes to the steroid issue. How is it that players who have admitted using steroids during their greatest seasons do not have an asterisk by their stats and yet a young pitcher who legitimately pitches a perfect game has it wrongfully nullified? Is the MLB really about what's right and what's fair?
Only 20 pitchers in history have thrown a perfect game. There should be 21. Selig still has time to make the right choice. Yet if he still chooses to decline, it just adds another black eye to the sport that has been long touted as "America's Game." One of Superman's most well-known lines is that he fights for "truth, justice and the American way." The catch is that truth and justice are supposed to be the American way. Apparently not for the MLB.
The MLB needs a spark. With declining attendance, declining ethics and declining popularity, the league needs a clean-up hitter. Selig was recently up to bat but just swung and missed for Strike Three. Maybe next time.
With baseball being one of the most popular sports in Claremont, feel free to post your thoughts about this particular story.
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