Kuzul

It was two seasons ago in a men’s wood bat summer league game. It is a good league, with great competition and many former (and at least one current) major leaguers as alumni.

I was base umpire, situated behind the pitcher’s mound in a two-man team. Man on first, one out, late in a tied game.

Batter hits a ground ball to the hole in short, throw is made to second for the force out, then the relay is made to first.

Bang-bang play, and I signal OUT! Double play and inning over.

There were complaints from the batter/runner and first base coach, the hitting team’s bench (of course); while the other side let out a couple “All Right’s.”  

A few seconds later, after the batter/runner said, “You blew it,” I headed to the fence to take a break before the next inning started.

I had the feeling I blew the call.

One of the fan’s on the fielding teams side said to me, “It looked like he was safe.” I already realized I blew the call, but the fan’s comment cinched my realization.

The funny thing is that I DID see an out. He looked out, and I called him out. I saw the foot of the first baseman on the bag, ball in glove, then the runner hitting the bag.

I did not have the ability to get help from the home plate umpire, because I saw the foot on the bag.

But Jim Joyce did have the option of reversing last night’s call on the field.

Everyone now knows what happened. Armando Galarraga had a perfect game taken from him by Joyce’s bad call at first base. It was the 27th (and final out) of a perfect game, and Galarraga would have been immortalized in baseball history.

Well, actually, funny thing is that Galarraga IS immortalized.

He is the guy who lost a perfect game in a bad way. Not bad by a final hit like Mike Mussina had happen to him in 2001 , or bad like the ninth inning, one-out hit Tom Seaver had happen to him in 1969 . But it was nearly as bad as Milt Pappas’ perfect game bid in 1972 , when Bruce Froemming (like Joyce, another respected umpire) called balls on two straight two-strike, really close pitches.

This is slightly different than the nine inning perfect game Pedro Martinez had with the Montreal Expos in 1995, who then allowed a double leading off the 10th inning of the 0-0 tie game, or Harvey Haddix’ 12-inning perfect masterpiece in 1959.

But what advantage did Joyce have that I didn’t?

He had the option of asking the home plate umpire for help on the call.

Similar to my situation when I realized a couple of seconds afterwards that I probably blew the call, Joyce must have realized that he might have blown his call, too.

Especially when the batter, Jason Donald, had his hands on his head in disbelief.

But in the time it took Jim Leyland to come out on the field to ask about the call (about 21 seconds; I timed it), Joyce could have said to Leyland that he did not see Galarraga’s foot hit the bag.

Then Leyland could have asked for help on the call from the home plate umpire, and Joyce could have gone to ask the home plate umpire if the fielder’s foot was on the bag.

Many times on close plays, the umpire’s view of the foot on the bag can be obstructed, mainly on wide throws, which pull the first baseman off the bag. Sometimes, you can’t see the foot on the bag.

In the photo above, Galarraga’s foot is not yet on the bag.

That is why on close plays where the pitcher has to cover first, the first base umpire moves into foul territory near the first base coaches’ box to see everything up close. That is the correct position.

In this case, because of Joyce’s incorrect vantage point, it could have been that Galarraga’s body “obstructed” Joyce’s view of the foot hitting the bag.

At least that should have been Joyce’s thought process.

Since he was in the incorrect position for that type of play, Joyce needed to think quickly to save himself.

Joyce could have said to the home plate umpire, “I had a catch on the ball, and did not see the fielder’s foot hit the bag. Did you see the foot on the bag?”  

I bet the home plate umpire would have said, “Yes, I had the foot on the bag.”

Runner out, game over, and perfect game intact.

The home plate umpire’s job in that situation is to come out in front of the plate, and watch the bag to see if the fielder touches the bag with his foot. There have been several times I have umpired games where calls have been reversed on the same exact play.

In that situation, Joyce would have been the hero instead of the goat.

He would have made the decision for safe on what he saw, because he has to make an immediate call, but asked for help to get the call right when asked for an appeal by the manager.

The rules are sketchy but that play (especially in that instance) can be appealed when the umpire says his view was obstructed.

Under ML Rule 9.02 (a), it states that any judgment call such as out or safe at a bag is final. But 9.02 (b) states any umpire’s decision that may be in conflict with the rules can be appealed by the manager, who can ask that a correct ruling be made.

That conflict of rules is the sketchy area but is usually granted by teams in tough situations. This includes cases such as missed calls from being out of position, but also includes cases where something might be missed on a play being too quick.

Think check swing and asking for help, or the same thing if a batted ball hits the batter’s foot.

Those types of plays are extremely difficult for a home plate umpire to make an accurate call, and many times, help is needed.

Then 9.02 (c) states that if an appeal is made by the manager, the umpire who made the call has the right to ask for help and gather more information from other umpires. After this new information is presented, only the umpire who made the original call has the authority to reverse that call.

If Jim Joyce was thinking quickly, he could have said he didn’t see the foot hit the bag, got an appeal, asked for help, and made the correct call.

Like I mentioned earlier, batter out, game over, and perfect game intact. And everyone is a hero for doing the right thing.

I do not think that Jason Donald or Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta would have argued….much.

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Last night, as I was sitting at home, I saw the news come across that Ken Griffey Jr., one of the best players in the game, at least in this era, had retired.

I remembered watching his first years in Seattle and being so awestruck by not only his effortless left-handed swing but also by the speed he had in the outfield. He made highlight reel play after highlight reel play that will continue to be watched by the next generation of fans.

Not only that, but he survived the steroid era and proved that a player can be great without using illegal supplements to do it.

His 22 seasons, 630 career home runs, 11 Gold Gloves and 13 All-Star appearances are evidence enough for what kind of player Griffey was. His numbers spoke to the kind of athlete he was on the field, but the way he went out last night spoke to the kind of person he was off the field.

Instead of going out complaining about his lack of playing time or making excuses for the kinds of numbers he was putting up this season, he told the media in a prepared statement that he didn’t want to be a distraction to his teammates. He said that he had told the Mariners, prior to them signing him this season, that he didn’t want to become a bigger story than the team.

So, with that said, Griffey decided that enough was enough and said good-bye to the game that he had dominated for so long. The unfortunate thing for Griffey is that his constant injuries may have kept him out of the 700 home run club and prevented him from putting up bigger career numbers in other categories.

Griffey rode off into the sunset as the top news story in sports last night. It was supposed to be his night. Fans and the media would talk about and celebrate his career, talk about his Hall of Fame potential and just when that phone call might come.

A few hours later, however, another news story made Ken Griffey Jr’.s retirement back page news.

In Detroit young pitcher Armando Galarraga had a perfect game going against the Cleveland Indians. A perfect game saved in the ninth inning thanks to a spectacular catch by outfielder Austin Jackson, a catch that would have made Willie Mays stand up and cheer.

So, with two outs in the ninth inning, Galarraga got Indians’ shortstop Jason Donald to ground just to the right of first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera fielded it perfectly and flipped it to the covering Galarraga, who beat Donald to the bag.

It should have been a perfect game; it should have been a historic night for the 28-year-old right-hander. Instead, umpire Jim Joyce saw it differently and called Donald safe at first, sending the Detroit fans and players alike into a frenzy.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland, along with Galarraga’s teammates, attempted to argue their case to Joyce but to no avail. The call would stand.

After the game, Galarraga tried to answer questions, but he was unquestionably upset about being robbed. Who wouldn’t be?

Even Jason Donald, when asked after the game, told reporters , “I didn’t know if I beat the throw or not. But given the circumstances, I thought for sure I’d be called out.”

Saying all that, most umpires would try to defend themselves and say they got the call right because they don’t want to admit to being wrong. Joe West, are you listening?

But Jim Joyce showed a lot of class by doing exactly the opposite. In fact, he owned up to being wrong while answering questions after the game.

“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the (stuff) out of it,” Joyce told reporters after the game . “I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

Joyce continued and said he didn’t blame the Tigers one bit for how they felt. “I don’t blame them a bit for anything that was said. I would’ve said it myself if I had been Galarraga. I would’ve been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me.”

In fact, Joyce took it one step further and sought out Galarraga after he spoke with the media.  He gave the young pitcher a hug, admitted to being wrong, and asked for forgiveness.

“You don’t see an umpire after the game come out and say, `Hey, let me tell you I’m sorry,”’ Galarraga said after talking with Joyce . “He felt really bad. He didn’t even shower.”

That’s a real show of class by an umpire who got the call wrong and changed what could have been one of the highest highs for Armando Galarraga into a “what could have been” kind of night.

Still, I give Joyce a lot of credit for owning up as well as for apologizing to Galarraga personally. It’s not often you see an umpire go to those lengths after a blown call like that.

So, a night that started with the celebration of a great player’s career ended with controversy and anger at an umpire.

The one question that will be burning up the airwaves today, especially in Detroit, is whether there is a need for more instant replay in baseball. Though home runs can be reviewed, that’s as far as the rule goes.

Baseball is already looked at as one of the longest sports out there. Adding more instant replay will only further that opinion, regardless of how much it’s needed.

I think of it this way. How often would instant replay really be used? Does baseball know when to stop? Instant replay could have given young Galarraga a perfect game last night, but what if this one hit had led to an Indians come-from-behind victory? In that instant, do you really take a win away and change the course of one team’s season?

This debate is going to be a hot button topic for a long time to come until either baseball adopts full instant replay or comes to an agreement that it can only be used in situations like this.

Either way, situations like this will continue to rear their ugly head.

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By now, you’ve heard about last night’s game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians where umpire Jim Joyce blew a call and cost Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. 

It was a routine call that Jim Joyce blew.  Everyone on the field knew the runner was out at first.  Everyone but Jim Joyce.

After the game, Joyce reached out to Galarraga and apologized, and with dignity he stood in front of a microphone and admitted to the world that he made a mistake.  Listening to Joyce’s voice you could easily hear the pain he was feeling.  He cost Galarraga a piece of MLB history.

Galarraga was gracious when asked about the conversation with Joyce.  He could have easily lit Joyce up and the world would have stood up and applauded.  Instead, Galarraga accepted the apology and took the high road.

So, the next morning we sit and ponder what could have been while both Joyce and Galarraga live with the pain of the mistake that will be discussed for years.

Will anything good come out of “The Blown Call?”

Many will hope that commissioner Bud Selig reverses the call and gives Galarraga the perfect game.  In my opinion, that would be appropriate.  Nothing would be lost by giving Galarraga the perfect game, but justice would be served.

The likelihood that Selig will reverse the call is not good.

That being said, the one thing Selig may no longer be able to control now is the call for instant replay.  “The Blown Call” may serve to finally bring instant replay to MLB, and Selig may not be strong enough to prevent it.

It is time to bring MLB into the 21st century.  Enough is enough; the game is living in the past holding onto supposed traditions to keep the game whole.  Traditions are a good thing until they prevent justice from being served.

Bud Selig—it’s time to exercise your authority and right this horrible wrong.  You may decide to leave this game’s statistic as is, but now we have been given the perfect reason, a blown perfect game, to change the rules and implement instant replay.

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General Motors Plants have been taken away over the years and Detroit has suffered. Detroit has suffered their share of pains by far, and another one occurred tonight. Armando Galarraga, the 28-year-old from Venezula, was one out away from a perfect game against the Indians.

Facing Jason Donald, he was able to get Donald to hit a grounder between the middle of first and second base. Galarraga covered first and received the ball for a Perfect Game. The problem is, the Umpire James Joyce didn’t see it that way. Donald was pronounced safe in a replay which clearly showed he was out. Miguel Cabrera, Jim Leyland and Carlos Guillen argued to no avail. Galarraga could do nothing but smile to the call. He would get the next batter in Trevor Crowe for the 3-0 Win.

Galarraga went the full 9 innings with 1 hit and 3 strikeouts. Fausto Carmona went 8 innings for the Indians and gave up 2 earned runs. It will be interesting to see how MLB goes about reviewing the end of this game.

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After what could be construed as a successful west-coast road trip, the Detroit Tigers came home Friday to face the Oakland A’s.

And lost 5-4.

Miguel Cabrera supplied all of the offense for Jim Leyland’s club.

Yes, all of it.

Each of the four runs the Tigers put on the board were due to Cabrera’s heavy bat. The three-round-tripper contest was the first for a Tiger since Dmitri Young did it against the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day in 2005.

After the offensive spectacle that was the opening game of the Tigers’ Memorial Day weekend series with the Athletics, Cabrera is the current RBI-leader in Major League Baseball with 44. He is tied for third in the bigs with 13 home runs.

We’ll have to see what Texas’ Vlad Guerrero ends up doing against the Twins tonight in regard to most runs driven in.

Dontrelle Willis was again inconsistent. So what’s new?

This is his third consecutive quality start. Those words are used in jest, of course.

The D-Train that is Willis gave up nine hits in just over five innings, and was pelted for three earned runs.

The Tigers’ bullpen wasn’t much of a help either. Phil Coke has been nearly automatic for much of the season, but he had a rough two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits to leave Ryan Perry in a predicament.

Perry then pegged Oakland’s Mark Ellis to load the bases. It was game, set and match after that.

On the bright side, Detroit’s resident-DL second baseman Carlos Guillen has made his triumphant return. Danny Worth, who played just eight games for Leyland was sent packing to Triple-A Toledo to clear a spot on the roster for Guillen.

Guillen, who is coming off a hamstring injury, looked like the player of old. He was quick, his glove and arm were strong, and he even managed to turn two a couple of times.

He adds another potent bat to the lineup, something that the Tigers are in desperate need of right about now.

Brandon Inge has been on a month-long slide, and catcher Alex Avila and shortstop Adam Everett can’t buy a hit.

They’re suffering from a virus that tends to strike clubhouses when a team is a race for first. It’s diagnosis can be tricky, but physicians have dubbed it “can’t-hit-for-crap-itis.” Hopefully Leyland gets his boys vaccinated.

And soon.

The Tigers are 25-22, and two games behind American League Central leading Minnesota Twins.

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Zach Miner…..does that name even ring a bell to anyone? Certainly not in 2010. Ok, you might remember him from such exciting shows as Imploding ‘Pen 2009 and Fail ‘Pen 2008. 

Miner is an everyman reliever and sometime starter most notable for not being notable. The story is always the same—average stuff, below average strikeout rate, above average walk rate, never an exceptional outing, and usually pitches as if he belongs on the trash heap.

I could never understand why manager Jim Leyland had such a man-crush on Miner. Yes, perhaps it was because after 2006 he did not have much else to be excited about. Joel Zumaya spent most of the time injured, Fernando Rodney was wild, and Todd Jones stole most of his energy. 

Leyland always loved Miner in late game situations because of his “sinker” ball and ability to get ground balls with runners on base to try to turn double plays.

That “sinker” ball was usually the one that couldn’t be thrown for strikes, was smacked into the outfield, or deposited into the seats. 

Let’s face it, I’ve got close to no love for Miner. He is at best a mediocre pitcher whose value has always been overstated by management. Then again, criticizing Leyland and his use of the bullpen is something I could write a volume of articles about. 

Well, no one has to worry about Zach Miner this year. That is, except for whoever is putting him under the knife on Friday.

Miner’s season is over, he is having elbow ligament replacement “Tommy John” surgery on Friday. 

Miner was shut down during spring training due to discomfort in his elbow. He finally resumed throwing at the beginning of May, in extended spring training, before being shut down again.

Did anyone miss him?

In an unrelated note, the Tiger bullpen has been phenomenal in 2010. Ryan Perry had a rough outing against the Mariners today, but one melt down can be forgiven in the light of how great he has been this year. 

I eat more potatoes than ever, wash them down with Coca Cola, and wish I drove a Mazda. What’s better, Miner has been replaced by someone who is actually good.

Not just average so far, Eddie Bonine has been great. #mce_temp_url#  (I’m just leaving this disgusting looking link sitting here in the middle of my article since I still can’t figure out the link changer after seven tries).

So Miner can take all the time he needs to recover. Believe me, he is going to need it. This is “Tommy John” surgery we are talking about. Miner’s 2010 season is done and his 2011 season is now in jeopardy. 

Yet, the Tiger’s bullpen continues to destroy opposing hitters. Maybe Miner does his best pitching from the DL.

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