Class Still Exists...In Some Places

I'm not much of a baseball fan.  Never have been, never will be.  For one thing, I find the game boring.  It also drives me nuts how these guys go on the injured reserve list for 15 days because of a sore pinky toe while pulling down $50 million a year.  Excuse me?  If you're being paid that much money to perform at a professional level, I think you can gut through the *ahem* pain.

Nevertheless, this week saw a moment in baseball that is something we should all acknowledge as the epitome of class:

Last night Armando Galarraga did everything perfect in a baseball game between Detroit and Cleveland. Nine innings, "twenty-seven outs", no runs, no hits, and no walks. The only problem was umpire Jim Joyce missed the call on the last out. To be honest, the call was close, but I've seen closer calls made correctly. Joyce, a veteran umpire just simply made the wrong call, and what should have been the third perfect game (this season), finished with a 3-0 Detroit victory and a "one hit" shout-out. 

While sportswriters and the news media will tell the story of the one that got away, and all the reasons why more instant re-play should be instituted into the game, I think the real story is about how both professionals handled the "event". To the enormous credit of both the umpire and player, it was the class and sportsmanship that followed after the game that should be remembered. 

Rarely does a veteran umpire personally apologize to a player for his errors. Jim Joyce took his "mistake" to a higher level by letting Galarraga know just how sorry he was:

 Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said Joyce asked to speak with Galarraga. Denied the first perfect game in Tigers history, Galarraga appreciated the gesture."You don't see an umpire after the game come out and say, 'Hey, let me tell you I'm sorry,' " Galarraga said. "He felt really bad. He didn't even shower." 

 Joyce went on to make this statement to the sportswriters:

 "It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the [stuff] out of it," Joyce said, looking and sounding distraught as he paced in the umpires' locker room. "I just cost that kid a perfect game."  "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay," he said after the Tigers' 3-0 win.  "I don't blame them a bit for anything that was said," Joyce said. "I would've said it myself if I had been Galarraga. I would've been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me."

 Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci also recognized the level of class between these two: 

It was a classy move by Joyce, who also apologized to Galarraga personally. The pitcher told a Venezuelan reporter that Joyce was crying when he offered him his apology. 

"He really feel bad. He probably feel more bad than me," Galarraga told Fox Sports Detroit. "Nobody's perfect, everybody's human. I understand. I give a lot of credit to the guy saying, 'Hey, I need to talk to you because I really say I'm sorry.' That don't happen. You don't see an umpire after the game say 'I'm sorry.'" 

In a game where you will rarely see a veteran umpire cry—let alone apologize, both Joyce and Galarraga showed the kind of class that would make one proud to call this America's Greatest Pastime.  Isn't is sad that this lesson can't be passed on to our government leaders who also sometimes make bad calls?

It's nice to see this kind of class displayed anywhere.  Major, major kudos to both of these guys!

Now, if only we could get the Left to act and speak with this kind of class...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

No, seriously, if they could even display some class even occasionally...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Okay, okay, sorry.  Wishful thinking.

Unfortunately, our elected politicians have also revealed their complete lack of class through this incident:

Michigan politicians are practically falling over themselves trying to make sure Wednesday night's effort by Tigers' pitcher Armando Galarraga be recognized as a perfect game.

...

After Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm issued a proclamation declaring Galarraga's effort a perfect game, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat, weighed in, urging Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to invoke his authority to do what is the best interests of the game and declare this one perfect.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. John Dingell, Dearborn Democrat, said he will introduce a resolution in Congress calling on MLB to overturn the call on the field that spoiled the perfect game on the last out in the 9th against the Cleveland Indians.

*sigh*

Aside from the rather obvious idiocy of dealing with something like this rather than any of the actual crises going on in the nation and world today, there's also the question of just why these morons feel the need to stick the government's hand into the situation and force the outcome that they feel is correct based on nothing more than their own momentary whims.  Boy, is this illustrative of how they approach everything, or what?

*sigh*

There's my two cents.