Worst call in the history of MLB occured tonight in Detroit.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:43 am

It'll be all over Sportscenter for years to come. This one was even worse than the Don Denkinger call that dicked the Cards out of a WS title in '85.

Unfathomable. There is simply no way that call can be made, not under those circumstances. If an error is to be made there, it at least has to be made with the ump leaning towards preserving the perfect game.

Instant replay will be brought in very soon now, and not just for fair/foul calls and home run determinations. The managers are going to be given a red flag, just like football coaches. Shit like this cannot stand.

This was fucking ridiculous.

mvscal · Post by **mvscal** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:49 am

Does anybody truly give a fuck about anything that happens in Detroit? Detroit is like the anti-Vegas.

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:57 am

Get over it. It was a bang bang play. It's only the scenario that makes it such a bad call. You will see more obvious blown call on balls and strikes at every game.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:57 am

I agree with Van. I saw it live. Completely inexcusable.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:07 am

"I hope they throw things at him. I hope they throw beer at him. I hope they shit on his wife's chest while he watches."

- a disgruntled Tiger fan

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:11 am

Can you imagine if the Tribe came back to win the game after that? Detroit would have booed itself mute tonight. That was just awful.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:11 am

R-Jack, no, that wasn't a bang-bang play, and balls and strikes calls are far more subjective than simple safe/out calls at first base, where there's no gray area or "personal strike zone" preferences for each ump.

The runner's lead leg wasn't even in the picture yet, and the ball was already in the 1st baseman's glove. There was no bobble. His foot was squarely on the bag. There was no discernible reason whatsoever for that to be a tough call. They don't come too much easier than that.

Hell, even the runner acted pissed at the call. That's how bad it was.

For the ump to blow it that badly in opposition to a perfect game, I don't even know how that's possible.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:12 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:"I hope they throw things at him. I hope they throw beer at him. I hope they shit on his wife's chest while he watches."

- a disgruntled Tiger fan

Shit, I expect much better from you than that.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:16 am

Sometimes simplicity and timing is what it's about. Anyway, that wasn't me.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:26 am

Let's sic mvscal and R-Jack on 'em. They could be like our ambassadors of hate, in one-liner form.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:35 am

Wolfman · Post by **Wolfman** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:46 am

I just saw a video of the play and the 1st base umpire certainly blew it and blew it badly. Really no excuse for making a call like that. He was anticipating safe and didn't let the play call itself. I see it all the time in high school softball, but this is MLB !

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:51 am

R-Jack wrote:Get over it. It was a bang bang play. It's only the scenario that makes it such a bad call. You will see more obvious blown call on balls and strikes at every game.

hardly a bang-bang play, cocksucker.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:07 am

M Club, yep, and on the replay they showed during the game they had a closer shot that showed the ball in the guy's glove without the runner's lead leg even being in the picture yet.

If that's a bang-bang play, then they may as well begin flipping coins for half the calls made in a typical game.

Oh well. Galarraga will have to be the guy to pay the price that MLB charged before instituting instant replay.

Even worse is the ump's plight. By all accounts he's a well-respected ump, and he was a properly anonymous veteran of twenty-two seasons in the big leagues. All that's gone now. For the rest of his life he's going to be known as "the instant replay ump," simply because he umped a game in Detroit one year too early. By this time next season that same play would've resulted in a brief conference in the tunnel, followed by a stadium erupting in bedlam when the umps came back out holding up an "out" sign.

As much as Galarraga wishes instant replay was already in effect, I'm sure his desire for it is nothing compared to that poor, dumbass ump's.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:12 am

what's the fucker even looking at here?

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:21 am

Hey, it's totally understandable. It was only the final out of a perfect game. Dude was thinking about pizza.

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:31 am

Upon further review..........

I need a better computer screen. When I saw it on TV it was pretty bad. Sucks for the pitcher.

All I'm saying is in the pantheon of "worst evah", Tim McClelland is going to have to be erased from existance Men In Black style before this sorry little episode enters the discussion.

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:36 am

M Club wrote:what's the fucker even looking at here?

He's looking for Cabrerra to lead the pitcher and throw to the bag like he's supposed to. If that greasy douchebag knew how to play his position, this probably isn't an issue and the perfect game in 2010 gets more watered down than Van's cocktails.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:38 am

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:42 am

Just consider yourself lucky. That ump could be mixing your Shirley Temple.

Van · Post by **Van** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:17 am

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:29 am

R-Jack wrote: He's looking for Cabrerra to lead the pitcher and throw to the bag like he's supposed to. If that greasy douchebag knew how to play his position, this probably isn't an issue and the perfect game in 2010 gets more watered down than Van's cocktails.

donald reached the bag by the time this photo was taken, which means joyce was already sure galaragga handled the ball clearly and should have been looking at the bag. regardless, it was such a "bang-bang play" that joyce should have been eyeing the bag rather than checking to see if galarraga caught the ball cleanly.

Go Coogs' · Post by **Go Coogs'** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 5:05 am

Nothing can be said or done to remedy this situation. Joyce feels like shit and dude will forever be known as the guy who cost a pitcher a perfect game. No matter how reputable his career is/was, dude will always be known as that guy who changed the game....in a good way, but with an unforgiveable botched call.

I feel for Joyce. Gallardo may be known as the guy who was fucked out of a perfect game, but Joyce will always be known as the asshole who took it from him. Instant replay will now emerge as a heavy topic during the offseason. This needed to be done 10 years ago, but the umpire's union was just too stubborn and prideful to better the game and it has now come to fruition. Fuck the MLB for bending over all these years. They are the real ones to blame here. Not Jim Joyce.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:04 am

a few hours on and i'm hardly pissed anymore. guy threw a perfect game + 1. like any of us need mlb to certify it as official considering, as far as they're concerned, barry bonds holds the single-season and career hr record. on one end of the mlb spectrum we have a guy who doesn't get credit for his accomplishment even though the world knows he did while on the other we have someone who gets credit even though we know he didn't. cleveland players should present galarraga with a ball they all signed.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:20 pm

Tigers were robbed.
Sorry, not even close.

Wolfman · Post by **Wolfman** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:35 pm

Gallaraga got jobbed, no doubt, but do we really want to head down the road where the game is called by electronics like some giant human played video game ? I certainly would not want to be the umpire at his next game. One positive point: other than Don Larsen's perfecto in the World Series, this will probably be the only other one people will remember.

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:09 pm

When it's all said and done, Galaraga is going to be just a much a footnote in the annals of mlb history for this incident as he would for getting the perfecto. Possibly more.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:14 pm

R-Jack wrote:...annals...

"All over that like a dirty shirt! IN!"

Sincerely,

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:40 pm

Wolfman wrote: I certainly would not want to be the umpire at his next game.

shit, i can't wait till tonight's game: joyce is behind the plate. maybe porcello will take his own perfect game 26 men deep so joyce can call one right down the middle ball four.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:59 pm

M Club wrote:26 men deep

Too easy!

Sin,

:friday:

and Gobbles McFucktard

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:32 pm

RJ makes a good point. Would any baseball fan know who the fuck Harvy Haddix was if he didn't lose his no hitter in 13 innings? No. Most baseball fans can't even remember the last 5 guys to throw perfect games. Galarraga will be more famous for an ump blowing a very easy call on the 27th out, than if he would have actually gotten the perfecto.

What I posted in the MLB forum:

I guess I consider myself a baseball purist, but after a nights sleep I realized that last night was why I love baseball so much. Of all the things that separate baseball from other sports (only sport where the defense controls the ball, no time limit, etc.), a perfect game is the one that stands out the most. There is no equivalent in the other major sports. Not only do you, the pitcher, have to be perfect, but so does the 1 guy in front of you, and 7 guys behind. And now, we were painfully reminded that the 4 guys in blue do as well.

The human element is part of the game of baseball when it comes to officiating. Although the rules put in black and white definitions of what the strike zone should be, each ump has a different one. On the bases, some umps will give more leeway at second when turning two, and some are known to go one way more than others on bang-bang plays. Players learn each umps tendencies, and try to adjust accordingly.

Last night was awesome. I got the first text message after the fifth inning to turn the game on if I wasn't already watching. I got some more animated texts during the 7th. I finally flipped over to see the last out of the 7th and heard Mario and Rod talking about how Galarraga had set down 21 in a row. I then started to franticly text my other Tiger buddies. It was funny to see them all respond with something to the effect of "shut the fuck up". Baseball people are a funny, superstitious lot of which I gladly admit I am a member. The catch by Jackson was nothing short of amazing, seeing him come all the way from right center to catch the ball over his shoulder on the left center warning track. Everyone knew they had it. And then Joyce blew the call.

Jim Joyce is one of the best umpires in the major leagues. He knew the magnitude of his choke job, and you could hear it in his voice after the game. He was inconsolable. He knows that this is the worst call in regular season history. He stood there and took it like a man. He apologized to Galarraga and Leyland publicly and privately.

Perfect games are the rarest of rare when it comes to baseball. It's a shame that it was taken away, but in a weird way, it made me love baseball even more.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:49 pm

If they can retroactively allow George Brett's "pine tar" home run, the league President can retroactively call that runner out.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:51 pm

BSmack wrote:If they can retroactively allow George Brett's "pine tar" home run, the league President can retroactively call that runner out.

No, they can't. Brett's homerun was a rule dispute. This was not. It was just a choke job.

Smackie Chan · Post by **Smackie Chan** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:07 pm

Killian wrote:
BSmack wrote:If they can retroactively allow George Brett's "pine tar" home run, the league President can retroactively call that runner out.
No, they can't. Brett's homerun was a rule dispute. This was not. It was just a choke job.

Additionally, play didn't continue between the time of the final ruling on the field and the upheld protest in the pine tar incident, since McClelland's ruling ended the game and gave the Yankees a (temporary) win. There was nothing to go back and undo as far as deleting any at-bats or pitching stats. Such would not be the case here. But ultimately, what you said is all that matters - a rule dipute can be protested, but not a judgment call.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:21 pm

according to this article, selig has the power to reverse the call:

http://detnews.com/article/20100603/SPO ... igers-game

as far as deleting stats: eh, not much of a mess to untangle, just the single batter.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:32 pm

I would be very surprised if Selig decided to overturn a judgement call. He would have the umpire union all over his back, and he would be opening pandora's box when it comes to situations where judgement is involved.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:39 pm

i'd be surprised to, but this situation is a special circumstance considering it should have been the last out of a perfect game; nothing pivoted on the call. he retired the next batter and everyone booed. it's not like the call came in the fifth inning with half the game left.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:45 pm

I agree with your overall point, but I think he would be starting down a slippery slope. I can just see something happening in September during a pennant race and a team who is trailing in the standings getting boned on a call to end the game or negate a run, running to the commish saying "overturn this! It means something in the standings, it's not just a no hitter!"

And honestly, getting it after the fact is very "meh". You don't get to celebrate in the moment with your teammates, and you don't get to celebrate on the field. It almost takes on the feeling of pity.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:51 pm

ja, i know: lots of slippery slopes here. 88 touched on the first one considering how many double plays are turned without even pretending to tag second base.

Smackie Chan · Post by **Smackie Chan** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:07 pm

M Club wrote:according to this article, selig has the power to reverse the call:

http://detnews.com/article/20100603/SPO ... igers-game

as far as deleting stats: eh, not much of a mess to untangle, just the single batter.

True, and stats have been modified long after the fact before. I'll be very surprised if the call is reversed, though, especially since Detroit didn't protest or call for a reversal.