It Made Me Angry...I Wanted to Cry

Okay. If you read this you read it because you are a sports fan. You go to games. You appreciate athletic achievement. You deal with losses. You expect controversy. It's all part of being a fan.

What happened at Comerica Park last night, June 2nd, 2010, was more than a "controversy". A controversy, as defined by Webster's, is a misunderstanding where an objective bystander can see both sides of an argument or opposing views and can ultimately understand why such a dispute began.

This, this mistake, was not a "controversy". This was one of, if not the worst call in MLB history. I don't know all the bad calls so save me the education; but I saw this one. I saw what everyone esle in the stadium saw and both teams saw. I saw an umpire make a mistake that was so horrendous that an adjective to describe how bad it was escapes me. At first we were bewildered...Then I got angry. So angry at realizing the injustice of it all and how something that has happened in this sport, once a call is made, simply can't be changed.

Good luck with the huge push for baseball instant replay. If it hasn't happened yet, my guess is that it never happens. It's a tradition in baseball to simply not have replay. And here's what all the fans should really be focusing on: This play didn't need it. If the umpire is even close on the call, it's a no brainer. Why on earth would they need replay for a call like this? There should be a democratic process where the umpires can gather and over rule a bad call immediately, but that would mean admitting human error is inevitable, something umpires are taught doesn't happen. It's sad...Sad to the point that I almost hate being a fan that gets wrapped up in situations like this.

There is a solution. A perfect game is 27 outs, no walks. Bud Selig, based on the evidence, should make an announcement today and allow the record books to show that the first 28 Out Perfect Game was pitched by Gallaraga on June 2, 2010 in Comerica Park that included a 4 out 9th inning. That would be just, and justice is more important in this instance than getting the call right.

Even if it doesn't go down as the 21st perfect game in history, at least it goes down and is recorded in history as something very special that everyone will remember.

In the meantime, I better get back to work before my boss catches me and I get "Joyced".