Bud Selig should allow reviews of controversial calls like this one. Let's face it. All fans at home already have instant replay and can tell if the ref is making a correct call. Prior to instant replay via TV ,Baseball was a game utilizing a ref's best guess. That is not necessary anymore.. This is the age of extensive media involvement and the sport and its referees have to adapt to the 21st century.
Marty - 14 years ago
Gallaraga is being asked to suffer for the sins of major league baseball. It's unlikely he'll ever pitch another perfect game but he's taking the hit for an admitted errant call. It is so unethical to crucify him and ask him to bear the pain for the good of the game. The umpire, an official of MLB, screwed up and there is a way to make this right. Declare the batter out, as he was, restore the no-hit perfect game to the young man that earned it (it's HIS) and deal with whatever the consequences are to the game. It's the moral and ethical thing to do.
jon good - 14 years ago
Nothing is more compelling then the truth the game of baseball will clearly benefit by baseball up holding the truth . Baseball has the tape to prove it!
robert freyer - 14 years ago
mr. selig integrity of the game? we have ball players who have been convited of drug abuse, felony arrests, marriage infedelity, ang god knows what else. they have all been given a second chance. in this instance, the umpire and batter have both acknowledged that he was out. the way that the young pitcher handled himself after the call, and the way that the umpire handled himself after the game are examples of true men. we want role models in this society, here are two examples, one that can admit he made a mistake, and the other that knows a mistake was made, yet continues to go out and do his job, without complaining. how refreshing, how unusual, how unamerican? change the call, if not, this game, and you, sir, have no credibility.
Bruce Nye - 14 years ago
Come on folks, this is Bud Selig we're talking about. He's going to form a committee to study whether the call should be reversed. The committee will report back . . . . some day.
sammie Robinson - 14 years ago
Ojectively the play was the wrong call and the game should have been played under protest and Selig should have to make the correct ruling.This is important to the legacy of Galaraga.
Carrie - 14 years ago
The call should be overturned because of the following extenuating circumstances:
-The replay clearly shows that the call was wrong.
-Jim Joyce saw the replay and fully admitted he was wrong.
-The runner, Jason Donald, saw the replay and acknowledges that he was out.
-The outcome of the game would not change.
Can anyone remember another controversial play where the key people all acknowledged that the wrong call was made?
jonathan Jacobs - 14 years ago
he called the way he saw the play.if he called out and the play was safe the integrity of the umpire and the game would be called into question. Joyce made the call he believed was correct without predjudice or pressure from the situation. long live live umpires free from instant replay.
DaddyOh - 14 years ago
The pressure is now on Bud Selig to make baseball whole or not. If I were the umpire or the batter I would want MLB to "make the situation right." No-one would want to go through life knowing they did not get a legit hit, or made the call that changed history. We have the ability to make this right and we should do so.
Nick - 14 years ago
Jeff, your argument is completely flawed. Overturning this call would set precedence in one, and only one, instance. If there is ever another occurrence where a pitcher recorder a perfect game through 26 batters, the umpire blows a call, and then the pitcher retires the 28th batter; then the commissioner "would be besieged to overturn" the call.
If the call were overturned, it would not affect which team won, nor would it affect the winning margin. Overturning the call would do more positive for the game. It would rightfully give Galaragga his title. Furthermore, it would help ease the embarrassment and legacy of Jim Joyce, a celebrated veteran umpire.
The commissioner reserves the right to change rulings when it is in the best interest of the game. He should have done so.
This is a great example of being dragged screaming into the 21st century. Baseball is owned by a group of curmudgeons who would prefer returning to a 'simpler, happier time...' However, this game will signal a sea-change in the history of baseball.
1): The call MUST stand. Integrity of prior non-calls and wrong calls in games long ago played, suffered and rejoiced MUST stand;
2): Some form of instant replay should be instituted. The laughter against baseball in this case will be humiliating to the point of rules changes. It isn't about the result of the game; nothing about the official outcome was affected EXCEPT for the perfect game, the record, the extremely rare event which automatically grants admission into the MLB Hall Of Fame. It isn't even about the money--and, there is some debate about whether the pitcher will now be MORE FAMOUS instead of less famous because of this game. Not only did he not get a perfect game, he is one of maybe two pitchers in the history of baseball who have lost a perfect game on the last out because of a botched call at first base (give you an example: anyone even remember the perfect game pitched by Doc Halladay, just last week?);
3): After the replay is instated, THEN and only then can the call be reversed by the Commissioner. There will be precedent, evidence and concurrence on the part of the Umpire Joe West. This will then be the missed call heard all 'round the world of baseball, and Gallaraga will be enshrined forever for his perfect, 'Imperfect Game'.
jeff h - 14 years ago
He cannot overturn this call; otherwise, he would be beseiged to overturn 1000's of close calls that have affected the outcomes of not only games, but world series, playoffs etc etc. He should make an announcement however, that in his opinion and the opinion of other 'experts' the call was missed by the umpire so at least there is a record supporting that the pitcher did in fact get 27 straight outs.
Bud Selig should allow reviews of controversial calls like this one. Let's face it. All fans at home already have instant replay and can tell if the ref is making a correct call. Prior to instant replay via TV ,Baseball was a game utilizing a ref's best guess. That is not necessary anymore.. This is the age of extensive media involvement and the sport and its referees have to adapt to the 21st century.
Gallaraga is being asked to suffer for the sins of major league baseball. It's unlikely he'll ever pitch another perfect game but he's taking the hit for an admitted errant call. It is so unethical to crucify him and ask him to bear the pain for the good of the game. The umpire, an official of MLB, screwed up and there is a way to make this right. Declare the batter out, as he was, restore the no-hit perfect game to the young man that earned it (it's HIS) and deal with whatever the consequences are to the game. It's the moral and ethical thing to do.
Nothing is more compelling then the truth the game of baseball will clearly benefit by baseball up holding the truth . Baseball has the tape to prove it!
mr. selig integrity of the game? we have ball players who have been convited of drug abuse, felony arrests, marriage infedelity, ang god knows what else. they have all been given a second chance. in this instance, the umpire and batter have both acknowledged that he was out. the way that the young pitcher handled himself after the call, and the way that the umpire handled himself after the game are examples of true men. we want role models in this society, here are two examples, one that can admit he made a mistake, and the other that knows a mistake was made, yet continues to go out and do his job, without complaining. how refreshing, how unusual, how unamerican? change the call, if not, this game, and you, sir, have no credibility.
Come on folks, this is Bud Selig we're talking about. He's going to form a committee to study whether the call should be reversed. The committee will report back . . . . some day.
Ojectively the play was the wrong call and the game should have been played under protest and Selig should have to make the correct ruling.This is important to the legacy of Galaraga.
The call should be overturned because of the following extenuating circumstances:
-The replay clearly shows that the call was wrong.
-Jim Joyce saw the replay and fully admitted he was wrong.
-The runner, Jason Donald, saw the replay and acknowledges that he was out.
-The outcome of the game would not change.
Can anyone remember another controversial play where the key people all acknowledged that the wrong call was made?
he called the way he saw the play.if he called out and the play was safe the integrity of the umpire and the game would be called into question. Joyce made the call he believed was correct without predjudice or pressure from the situation. long live live umpires free from instant replay.
The pressure is now on Bud Selig to make baseball whole or not. If I were the umpire or the batter I would want MLB to "make the situation right." No-one would want to go through life knowing they did not get a legit hit, or made the call that changed history. We have the ability to make this right and we should do so.
Jeff, your argument is completely flawed. Overturning this call would set precedence in one, and only one, instance. If there is ever another occurrence where a pitcher recorder a perfect game through 26 batters, the umpire blows a call, and then the pitcher retires the 28th batter; then the commissioner "would be besieged to overturn" the call.
If the call were overturned, it would not affect which team won, nor would it affect the winning margin. Overturning the call would do more positive for the game. It would rightfully give Galaragga his title. Furthermore, it would help ease the embarrassment and legacy of Jim Joyce, a celebrated veteran umpire.
The commissioner reserves the right to change rulings when it is in the best interest of the game. He should have done so.
This is a great example of being dragged screaming into the 21st century. Baseball is owned by a group of curmudgeons who would prefer returning to a 'simpler, happier time...' However, this game will signal a sea-change in the history of baseball.
1): The call MUST stand. Integrity of prior non-calls and wrong calls in games long ago played, suffered and rejoiced MUST stand;
2): Some form of instant replay should be instituted. The laughter against baseball in this case will be humiliating to the point of rules changes. It isn't about the result of the game; nothing about the official outcome was affected EXCEPT for the perfect game, the record, the extremely rare event which automatically grants admission into the MLB Hall Of Fame. It isn't even about the money--and, there is some debate about whether the pitcher will now be MORE FAMOUS instead of less famous because of this game. Not only did he not get a perfect game, he is one of maybe two pitchers in the history of baseball who have lost a perfect game on the last out because of a botched call at first base (give you an example: anyone even remember the perfect game pitched by Doc Halladay, just last week?);
3): After the replay is instated, THEN and only then can the call be reversed by the Commissioner. There will be precedent, evidence and concurrence on the part of the Umpire Joe West. This will then be the missed call heard all 'round the world of baseball, and Gallaraga will be enshrined forever for his perfect, 'Imperfect Game'.
He cannot overturn this call; otherwise, he would be beseiged to overturn 1000's of close calls that have affected the outcomes of not only games, but world series, playoffs etc etc. He should make an announcement however, that in his opinion and the opinion of other 'experts' the call was missed by the umpire so at least there is a record supporting that the pitcher did in fact get 27 straight outs.