PaulPowered.com » Commissioner of Baseball http://paulpowered.com A Blog... Powered by Paul Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:09:22 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Blown Call and the Baseball Purist http://paulpowered.com/2010/06/blown-call-and-the-baseball-purist/ http://paulpowered.com/2010/06/blown-call-and-the-baseball-purist/#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:07:32 +0000 Paul Martinez http://paulpowered.com/?p=401 I woke up this morning to several questions about what I thought about a blown call. I consider myself a bit of a baseball purist so, for that reason, I immediately thought, “A call is a call.” I then took a look at the play in question. Not only was I astonished while looking at the play, I was heartbroken as I heard the reactions from the announcers. The umpire Jim Joyce is a 22-year veteran major league umpire that clearly blew a call. There have been blown calls in the past but, none that had the potential historical significance as this one. As I thought more about it, if I were to write to Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Baseball, I would offer some criteria for making a call eligible for reversal. Some of the calls that have been blown in the past have met some but not all of the following criteria.

The criteria are also a few reasons why I believe that the call should be overturned by the Commissioner of Baseball:

  • The game took place early enough in the season that it would not materially impact a pennant race for either team
  • The call did not take place during a playoff game
  • The call would not impact who would win the game
  • The call would alter the historical significance of the game
  • The umpire would admit to making the incorrect call

On a closing note, Galarraga would deliver the lineup the following day to a tearful Joyce who will never forget his blown call. This is not a plead to let instant replay into baseball. You will never hear that come from me. I hope that all baseball fans would agree that an overturned call in this instance will not be an example but an exception. Ultimately, it is a call for the Commissioner to exercise his authority to change the call that blew this perfect game. If overruled, the game will be perfect in the books but will forever be the imperfect in the eyes of many.

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