Another Rant from the Couch
by Bill Ribas
If you have a pulse and you consider yourself even the mildest fan of sports, then you know what the buzz is all about right now, it’s about a perfect game, a blown call, and more opinions than you can shake several sticks at. In case you’ve been in a cryogenic vault, here’s the skinny – umpire Jim Joyce made a wrong call that cost Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga an entry into the record books. But what’s really interesting is the call didn’t cost Detroit the game, didn’t affect the standings, and let’s face it, this game will be remembered more for what happened than for what didn’t happen.
The anger and frustration is all over the place, but where is it directed? Get mad at the umpire? Well, for starters, umpires are viewed a lot like police officers, in that when they’re doing their jobs correctly, you never seem to notice, but when they make a mistake, it’s a whole other story. Let’s put it this way – when was the last time you watched a baseball game and said out loud, “wow, great officiating.” Contrast that to a neighborhood play at second when a team turns two, and as the replay shows the shortstop’s foot skating across the dirt, you say to your buddies, “Man, he was two feet off the bag.” I’m not saying the player shouldn’t get the call at second, but rather the player gets much more leeway than an ump on a per play basis. Fair or not?
Umpires have always been given the short end of the stick, and it’s too easy to criticize a sitting duck. And while the case can be made that way too many calls have been blown this season, is it simply that the umps collectively got worse? I’d point the finger at the reduction of performance drug use as a cause. Really? Yes, that’s what I said. Why Bill? Well, I’ll tell you. Imagine a few year back, you’re an ump in the big leagues with a few years under your belt, and almost every player on the field is capable of a drug induced rage in your direction. Sure, you do your job the best you can, but underlying all of this is a loose cannon with a Louisville slugger at hand, with the backing of tens of thousands fans in a stadium. Think this might affect your job performance (and for all of you with day jobs, just imagine everyone at your workplace a crazed meth head, and then think how easy it would be to get that powerpoint presentation whipped up). Suddenly, the head honchos at Baseball Inc. decide drugs are a no-no, and the players collectively chill out. Now, instead of a razor sharp focus on every call (where each call may cost you your life or livelihood), you’re a bit more relaxed on the diamond. Enter a season with a slurry of missed calls, and suddenly it’s not the players that want your hides, it’s the press.
Now, we can generalize all we want, look for causes (and I know I’m right, so I’m not worried), and there’s no doubt Joyce’s call was the wrong one. But he owned up to it, and that’s good. Look at it this way – ever have a chum at work screw up and not say anything, or point the blame in another direction, like yours? Joyce is human, made a mistake, but we can’t move on. Why not? Because sporting events are 99.9% observation, fan-owned, passive events. Allow me to explain further. Imagine that you were at the Detroit game – it would have been huge for you, and more so if you were seated on the first base side. The further back you go, say, you watched it on tee vee, well, the further away you are from the importance of the game. The difference between watching it on ESPN that night or the next morning is an even greater distance. And if you saw it a day or two later on the internets, well, you are at the back of the line.
Now I don’t mean to suggest you can’t rally up an opinion; only that the distance between you and the event is a measure of importance. Let me put it a different way – if this happened at your office softball game, you’d still be complaining at the water cooler; if it happened to your dad’s softball team, no biggie, just a minor footnote in your life that once in a while comes up. Listen, Galarraga got a Corvette for his performance – what did you get? We all got nothing, outside of the chance to offer up our pearls of wisdom. And this is where you get mine.
Let it go, I say. Joyce blew a call, big deal. Galarraga doesn’t get his name in the books, well, not in the way that he should have been, but he is actually more well known for what didn’t happen than for what did (who was the other guy besides Halladay?). Time didn’t stop, the games move on, the season keeps pushing along, life moves ahead. Baseball, as a game, is such a good reflection of life that we should leave this incident alone. Despite the mountain of statistics, you can lay bell curves on all aspects of the game, hitting, pitching, etc. Now and then you have players that are off the charts (watch Tuesday for that kid on the Nationals), but for the most part, the reason the game is so loved is that we are watching ourselves. From Little League to an Old Timers’ game, it is us, played out on a lovely little diamond of grass.
And so umpires become scapegoats, just like in our lives their are idiot bosses, people behind counters that drive us nuts, bad drivers cutting us off. We all have in our history an almost “perfect” game. Whether it’s getting a A+ on a school paper, winning a game of dodgeball, finding a 50 dollar bill on the ground, we have these minute shining moments (we just don’t get Corvettes for them). And I think this is where the call for instant replay comes in. Remember that girl you tried to talk to, and stuttered like crazy trying to get the words out? Sure, instant replay might help there, but today you’d still be shirtless on the couch in the middle of July watching Milwaukee slug it out against the Padres with a beer at hand because you didn’t want to cut the grass and the kids are crazy and yes honey go shopping please just leave me alone.
You can’t take the umps out of the game. Period. Sure they make mistakes, but they’re human. As a matter of fact, so are the players. And if umps are human and make mistakes, then players, who are also human, make mistakes too. Huh, imagine that. And there are more umps than players. Wow, never thought of that. And the stadiums are filled with people who make mistakes. Now this is getting heady. Before I start contemplating how many universes there are under my fingernails, let’s just leave it at this – don’t allow instant replay. Well, maybe for foul balls and homers during the series, but that’s it. It will change the game, and not for the better. Because we’re all told this from the time we’re little – we all learn from our mistakes. In this instance, let’s learn we make mistakes, accept it, and move on. Because unless there’s a brand new Corvette in my driveway, my life hasn’t changed one iota, and that’s okay with me.
Please remind me of this piece if I consider supporting instant replay.
“Baseball, as a game, is such a good reflection of life that we should leave this incident alone.” Great stuff!
Thank you, sir.
At the risk of taking this discussion in a direction which is what not intended – that is a sweet ride Galarraga received for his misfortune. Not exactly a fuel economizer, but still worthwhile. I have a soft spot when it comes to Vettes – especially the Stingrays of the 70s. Oh man. Whenever I see one driving down the street, it makes me pause for a moment.
Oh, all right enough of that….
I am still most impressed with Joyce, who chose to actually watch replays and then readily admitted he blew it. Umps/refs will make mistakes. They usually want to let it drop as soon as it happens and certainly don’t want to admit failure. Joyce took the high road. I give him kudos for that. If he truly made that call independent of the game situation, I give him kudos for that as well. That is what a game official is supposed to do, but human tendencies often carry us elsewhere. Like Bill said, baseball is a reflection of life, and this situation shows us how we should live; doing the right thing regardless of circumstances, regardless of cost to us, and with an eye for learning from whatever decisions we make. I hate that Galarraga lost a perfect game on a mistake, but he too handled it with aplomb, and benefits of gifts and attention have come his way. He has achieved some celebrity, but either way, that would have been fleeting. His career will hinge on what he does from now on, regardless of whether his fleeting fame was for perfection, or near-perfection stolen. And that too is life. We are what we are, not what we did once!
Hey Casey, there’s a 70’s vette for sale around the corner in these parts. Heh heh.
Bill – please do not tempt me.
I echo Pete’s comments! Actually, a lot of good has come from this incident: 1) Jim Joyce has handled this with terrific grace and class while under extreme fire … and he may very well be remembered for this display of great character instead of the call itself. 2) The same can be said of the pitcher, Gallaraga. What a terrific display of sportsmanship! (I’m sure the car helped … jk). 3) Finally, if this incident is the ignition source for a move to some sort of instant replay system in baseball, terrific!
As the NASA Commander in Apollo 13 said when things appeared bleakest: “Gentlemen, I believe this will be our finest hour”. I think this is the theme that will prevail when this incident is recalled in the future.
Blackhawks better loosen their collars and start playing with more confidence. They’re not playing that badly, it’s just that they really tend to screw up with the puck in their own zone. Way too many stupid giveaways leading to easy goals for Philly. It’s like the Hawks defensemen are playing with wet, rolled up newspapers instead of hockey sticks … their failure to clear the puck WHEN THEY HAVE IT ON THEIR STICKS ALREADY and get it away from the front of net is really costing them. Niemi let in a softie last night … rare for him.
Kane, Toews and Bufflen (I know I butchered that spelling) need to start having an impact and rise up to be the “stars” they were all season.
I’m infuriated by all the cross-checking Pronger gets away with … one of the reasons Philly has come back and tied this series. Pretty big power play discrepancy.
For a short moment today I thought I might be talking about the feel good sports story of the year, but uptowncharlybrown’s move on the rail fell short at the Belmont and 5th place was his destiny.
I don’t know you guys ( assuming guys) who posted these comments but I read this with amusement. “Joyce handled himself great” ; ” Gallaraga handed himself a plumb” Really? Really? The guy pitches a perfect game, gets screwed, doesn’t blow up and we all go around patting ourselves on the back. Pathetic. Everybody wants a cookie for something their supposed to do. Major league athletes bust there humps everyday of the year. They run, they work out, they pitch and pitch and pitch. The field ground ball after ground ball after ground ball. They take BP, and take BP and take BP. And this is during the winter months! And after leaving it all in the weight-room, to get screwed by an umpire for whatever reason and we should be OK with that? “Well, that how Honus Wagner played the game and if instant replay wasn’t good enough for , then it aint good enough for us “. Amazing! We have the technology. Embrace it ! What are you afraid of? We use it in football. This isn’t your grandfathers game. If you wanna be a traditionalist, stop watching the game on TV and go tot he town square and watch the ticker tape readout.
I am on the way to go watch the ticker tape.
Embrace it!
It’s a game.
It’s a job.
I appreciate your comments, and I would add, that by your point of view, there should be no doubt that say, Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. He busted his hump far longer than anyone I can imagine, but because he bet on a few games, he’s denied that slot. Alas, technology is no help for him. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this issue.
As for the call and non-entry into the record books, would instant replay have changed the call? Sure. He would have got his perfect game, he still would have received his Corvette, and everyone would have forgotten about it, just like by now they have forgotten Halladay’s and that other guy.
Baseball and football are different animals. Baseball in a way replicates life because of the whole process. The plate is in one spot, all balls must pass over the spot to be called a strike, all players must hit the ball while standing near the plate. Football, while aspiring to a certain rigidity, fails this aspect of the game. How? Well, for starters, where does the ball get placed after every play? Smack dab in the middle of the field? No, wherever the ref places it, to the right of center, to the left of center. And is the ball placed exactly, that is, is the center line of the ball placed exactly at the center of the line it’s placed? Well, that’s a gray area too. Football needs a replay for a few reasons – one, because the players are fast, and it’s hard to see both feet in bounds on a pass, for example, and two, because the majority of its fans are drunk. And you can never argue with a drunk, so it’s better to deliver information in black and white. he was out, or he was in. Touchdown or not. Hit the ground or not.
Football plays a handful of games over a season. Baseball covers half a year. The question you pose, of using technology, shouldn’t be viewed as whether or not we can, but whether or not we should. Of course baseball can, and already does as far as reviewing homers and foul balls. You can call me a dinosaur if you’d like (and it won’t hurt my feelings, I’ve been called worse by my kids), but the imperfections of baseball, such as allowing for errors on calls and decisions, is something I love about the game. Ultimately, sports are meaningless, so trying to impose a better system of regulation is a waste of time. You know the kid pitched a perfect game. Everyone else does too. Is it the fact that he doesn’t go into the books that bothers you, that he’s been cheated in a sense, or are you incensed that he got a free Corvette for doing nothing, since, as we know, he’s not in the record books? What advantage does technology offer in this case? I’d like to hear more of what you think.
Ain’t technology grand. It just kinda cleans up everything for us humans. And to think I used to get my paycheck, drive to the bank, make a deposit and get some cash back to head over to my favorite record store. Now I don’t have to worry about the lack of parking spaces or the couple of spots at the end of the decline that filled with water. Sure don’t have to worry about that anymore. They used to have the new releases at the front of the store and in the back all the older stuff. During the day, the guy at the cash register (at least when his band wasn’t on tour) knew where to find the albums I wanted. Or, if something wasn’t in stock, he knew off the top of his head when it would be in. Yeah, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Heck, I rarely go there nowadays. Don’t need to. In fact, last time I went I was looking for some old stuff, and I couldn’t find it. One of the young punks gave me a smirk and told me I could easily get what I wanted on ITunes. How about that. I can get all the music I want right on my computer. If I want, I don’t even have to buy the whole release. I can just pick the songs I want. Isn’t that grand? I don’t need to talk to any human beings. No waiting in line. That is so cool.
I kinda miss talking to that guy at the cash register. He used to know me by name. Wonder if he remembers me? BTW, maybe I’ll send him a text message that tells him I’ll brb. IMO, I could really confuse my dad with all these ditties. Ain’t technology grand.
Hey Bill! I love the Chinchillas. Maybe you guys could start putting all your shows online. That way I can watch at home. What the heck? I got the Canadian Club soda in the fridge. This way I don’t have to worry about the cherry tops or anything.
Do you think we can hook up our bodies to a re-charging system? This way I could stay up ALL night and not have to sleep? Wouldn’t that be just grand? You know what just get rid of umpires altogether. Hook up some robots and let them do the work. Get me a virtual seat at all the stadiums. Let me dictate which sounds I hear and which smells I smell. Yeah, I want everything perfect for me. After all, it is a job out there.
ttyl
I wonder what our pal Opey has to say about technology in sports.