Worst call of my lifetime

[reinko]

Can you think of one worst than in the last 30 years?

Feel bad for Galaraga.

[State Street Warrior]

That was not even close, a full stride away from the base (also biased since I am a Tiger fan).  I will until I die swear he threw a perfect game, all 28 outs.

[mwbauer7]

Worst call in the history of the game!

Joyce robbed Galarraga of the greatest moment in his professional career...

[tower912]

Huge tiger fan, currently heartbroken.   From the replay from the centerfield camera, it shows the ball in Gallaraga's glove, and he re-grips it.  Horrible call.   All I can think of is that Joyce thought he bobbled it.    Never been so PO'd after a Tiger win in my life.   

[State Street Warrior]

Huge tiger fan, currently heartbroken.   From the replay from the centerfield camera, it shows the ball in Gallaraga's glove, and he re-grips it.  Horrible call.   All I can think of is that Joyce thought he bobbled it.    Never been so PO'd after a Tiger win in my life.  

ditto, what is worse is that from what I have seen Armando is a good guy too.  I was there this weekend and sitting just behind the bullpen Armando took time to high five the fans and talk to a bunch of kids and sign some autographs as the game was just starting and the rest of the bullpen had already gone into the covered indoor section of the pen.  He stayed there until the game was a few pitches in even.  Add that to the fact that he didn't blow up at Joyce after the call.  Gotta say he did it with class.  (These are just my experiences, outside of them I have no idea what he is like)

not to mention what he is saying on espn durring the Cin-Stl game.

[tower912]

Joyce admits after seeing the replay he blew the call and apologized to Armando.    Doing no one any good at all, but at least he was a standup guy.   

[NersEllenson]

Just another moment for Bud Selig to have to look like an idiot and defend the use of no instant replay in baseball.  Why the stubbornness Bud?  Every major league and college basketball use video for clarification...I'm sure the umpire in this case really wishes there were instant replay at this point, because he is no going to live forever in infamy and shame for quite possibly costing a kid a perfect game.

[spazerak]

Add that to the fact that he didn't blow up at Joyce after the call.  Gotta say he did it with class.

That's what stuck out to me as well.  He would've had every right to blow up but he just "grinned" and that was about that.  I'm sure he was fuming inside but sure didn't show it, he handled it with class.

[4everwarriors]

Two of the worst calls in Warrior basketball history were:

1. The offensive charge on Meminger vs tOSU in Athens, GA in the Mideast Regional in 1971. Play in question occurred around the 5 min. mark. Dean had never fouled out of a high school or college game to that point. Tap city for old MU at that point. Shame was the stars were lining up for a MU vs. UCLA showdown. I'm figuring we would have won that battle.

2. Whitehead's elbow swing that got his heine tossed out of the MU vs. Miami of Ohio NCAA game in 1978. Smack like that just shouldn't happen to the defending National Champs.

[GOMU1104]

"Most important call of my career and I kicked the s**t out of it. I cost that kid a perfect game...I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay." - Jim Joyce

Apparently he also sought out Galarraga after the game and apologized to him.

They are playing again tomorrow, and Joyce is set to work home plate. I think it would be a good idea for MLB to give him the day off and call up a minor league replacement. 

[Eye]

The college basketball spin on this for me is this. College basketball has gotten to the point where a lot of people on here cringe when guys like Higgins, Driscoll, Burr or Hightower are doing MU games. I think baseball's getting close to that point with guys like Angel Hernandez and Joe West. So where are the bad officials worse, college buckets or baseball?

[MU B2002]

MLB umpires have been in the news WAYYYYYYY to much already this season.  A real shame for Galaraga.

[GOMU1104]

The issue with umpiring in MLB right now is the fact that they are initiating too many confrontations. Umpires are going after pitchers/hitters/managers without provocation.

[wadesworld]

The issue with umpiring in MLB right now is the fact that they are initiating too many confrontations. Umpires are going after pitchers/hitters/managers without provocation.

I agree with this.  To be honest, in this situation I feel almost as bad for the umpire as I do for Galarraga.  He messed up a perfect game and it's a huge mistake, but after all it's a mistake.  It's not like he was out to ruin a guy's perfect game.  The umpire is in a ton of pressure in that situation himself.  He knows there the guy is 1 out away from a perfect game and all of a sudden he sees the play is going to be close.  Maybe he blinked at the exact wrong time.  Who knows what happened...for some reason he thought the guy beat the throw, and he made a human error and admitted to it.  He's going to take a ton of crap because of an honest mistake.  Hopefully everyone can handle it as well as Galarraga does, but I highly doubt they will, unfortunately.

[MUEng92]

Just saw the play on MLB.com.  That wasn't even close.  The runner even put his hands on his helmet in amazement because he knew he was out.

If the Bears can put an asterisk in their record book about the Instant Replay game, MLB should put an asterisk in the record books for this game.  It isn't like there was only one or two outs in the ninth.  That was the last stinkin out.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Can you think of one worst than in the last 30 years?

Feel bad for Galaraga.

I feel bad for the umpire, too.  He knows he blew it, he's devastated about it.  He manned up and admitted it.

Terrible call, very unfortunate.  Three Perfect Games in one months time and the previous 18 took over 100 years.  Crazy

[TallTitan34]

Wow watching that makes me sick to my stomach. To take something like that from a guy is devastating.

There is some talk of Bud "awarding" him the perfect game. While I hope he does I have mixed feelings about it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Wow watching that makes me sick to my stomach. To take something like that from a guy is devastating.

There is some talk of Bud "awarding" him the perfect game. While I hope he does I have mixed feelings about it.

Can we have Bud award the Royals the World Series?  Terrible call, but if he does do this, talk about a Pandora's box. 

[tower912]

There is a simple solution to all of this that can partly rectify the situation.   And there is even precedent.    Have the official scorer change the ruling on that play to either 'E-1', or 'E-3'.    Give the ump cover by making the official cause the sno-cone in Armando's glove.   Hit/error calls have been changed after the fact before.   He gets a no-hitter.    BTW, I hope that fans can be as classy about this as the umpire, the pitcher, and the rest of the Tigers (after they had 15 minutes to cool down.   They were kind of pi$$ed on the field immediately after)

[chapman]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Bud-Selig-must-overrule-call-that-wiped-out-perfect-game-060210

Agree with this 110%.

Looking back, probably not right to change the scoring from the middle of the game to give CC Sabathia the no-hitter for the Brewers in '08 on a judgment call.  But this doesn't affect the rest of the game, it ends the game.  It's not a judgment call, it's a clear-cut obvious one.   

[Henry Sugar]

Posnanski is the best

http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/06/02/the-lesson-of-jim-joyce/

[MerrittsMustache]

Can we have Bud award the Royals the World Series?  Terrible call, but if he does do this, talk about a Pandora's box.  

If this is a reference to Don Dekinger (sp?), I think you mean that Bud should award the Cardinals the World Series. KC benefitted from the blown call.

Awarding Galarraga the perfect game would be a joke and a disgrace to the game and it would totally undermind the umpires. Are they going to go back and overrule every missed call throughout every game after the fact? What if a blown call actually costs someone a win? Should they overturn those calls too? It's a shame what happened and Galarraga should have had a perfect game...but it didn't work out.

In 1972 Milt Pappas of the Cubs had retired 26 straight and had a 2-2 count on the 27th batter. The next two pitches were over the plate but called balls by Bruce Froemming and he lost the perfect game (but finished the no-no). Should Selig review the tape using Ques-tec and award Pappas a perfecto if appropriate?

In Kerry Wood's 20 K game, the only hit he allowed was a bleeder that was botched by Kevin Orie but ruled a hit. Should they go back, call it an error and award Wood a no-hitter 12 years after the fact?

I realize those aren't exactly the same, but if you overturn one call, like Chico said, it really opens up Pandora's box.

[drp108]

Huge Tigers fan myself and was extremely angered by Joyce's call (along with everyone else). One minor detail though (that really doesn't matter but I'm curious) , how did "the play" go into the books as a hit and an error? 

[GGGG]

MLB umpires have been in the news WAYYYYYYY to much already this season.  A real shame for Galaraga.

I agree with you, but by all accounts, Joyce is a real good umpire.  He admitted a mistake.  It's time for everyone to calm down and move on.

[StillAWarrior]

Huge Tigers fan myself and was extremely angered by Joyce's call (along with everyone else). One minor detail though (that really doesn't matter but I'm curious) , how did "the play" go into the books as a hit and an error? 

No error.  Just an infield single.  According to the ump (before he watched the replay), the hitter beat the throw.  This is not an error.