Joyce misses one

[GA Umpire]

Originally Posted by archangel

Well, I think we all can agree on 2 things:
- we all make mistakes
- thank god it wasnt me

Exactly.

[GA Umpire]

I find it funny with all of the reasons given of why Joyce didn't call him out. Such as "no secure possession". Joyce said he thought the runner beat the throw. That's it. Nothing more. To speculate is useless b/c he didn't say that is why he called the runner safe. He did and then basically told Cabrera to get lost during the game.

He defended it up until he saw the replay. Then, he realized he missed it. At this point, the game is over. The issue is over. It didn't happen and can't be changed regardless of what Selig decided to do. Life goes on and Joyce is still in MLB. He is umpiring another game. He has moved on. Why can't the rest of the baseball world? If it wasn't a perfect game issue, they would have.

Next topic.

[dash_riprock]

As far as I'm concerned, the kid threw a perfect game. It's just not in the books.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by jimpiano

By the end of the game the entire Tiger bench had seen the replay.
Joyce got slammed and deservedly so.
How can anyone blow a call that obvious under those conditions?
What an embarrassment to MLB.
The calls for replay will now reach a crescendo.
Joyce's fifteen minutes of fame will now be a week of infamy.

Originally Posted by jimpiano

The idea that the first baseman somehow contributed to the confusion by fielding the ball and throwing out the runner on a pitcher covering is the most ludicrous defense I have seen on here.

It was a simple play and it was the 27th out of a perfect game!
I played first base.
That is a routine play for professionals who practice pitcher covering all year long.
No first basemen with an ounce of experience would let the ball go to the second basemen with the game or a perfect game on the line.

Originally Posted by jimpiano

Except, of course, the first baseman made a routine play to the pitcher and got the runner by a step.

I mean this argument is a frigging joke.

All of your comments are spoken like someone who has never umpired a friggin' tiddlywinks contest. You've never umpired before, have you Fanboy? an embarrassment to MLB? You're out of your mind! Sure, I played first base all through my baseball life but I've umpired over 3,500 games on top of it, and you seem to have the mindset of someone who thinks umpiring is easy. Jim Joyce is a fine umpire, and everyone misses calls once in a while. His miss just happened to coincide with a near-perfect game. As Kurtis Blow would say, these are the breaks.

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

We could have had two perfect games in a week and three in a month. Nice job of altering history. Thanks for busting to get a good angle with a guy's once-in-a-lifetime achievement on the line.

Sleep tight.

I'm surprised by this reaction from you. Sounds like Joyce did this to you personally, as you say "we" could have had two perfect games in a week. Really? Who cares? Galaraga will get more mileage out of this than he would out of a perfect game. History will forever talk of the "perfect game that wasn't." The first thing I thought of when I heard this (listening to a talk show that was reporting live) was not to selfishly think how I was deprived of a perfect game, I thought about how badly Jim Joyce must feel right now.

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Every umpire's hat should be off to Jim Joyce today.

The guy has handled the single most glaring call in over a generation with dignity and class. We should all be proud of the guy for the way he has taken this on.

Magnificent.

I'm telling you, when the red-eyed Joyce wiped his eyes and rubbed the tears off on his shirt, and turned and tapped Galarraga on the shoulder, it made you weep. This whole incident has elevated this pair of true professionals to an even higher level than completing the perfect game could have. Tom Verducci mentioned something like that and it's true.

What an amazing event.

This is more along the lines of what I would expect out of you. The other comment was more like a fanboy. Jim Joyce is a stand-up guy in my book. Instead of being arrogant like many umpires would have been, he felt genuinely bad for Galaraga and the Tigers, and for history as well. Umpires who care about the game don't like it when they blow a call. Whenever it happens to me, I beat myself up about it for quite sometime.

Originally Posted by DLH17

Speaking of Denkinger, he must be loving the fact he's off the hotseat now after 25 years.

Not in St. Louis.

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

Longtime Minneapolis sports writer Sid Hartman calls Jim Joyce a "Stupid imbecile."

Videos from Minneapolis, St. Paul, the Twin Cities area and Minnesota I StarTribune.com

Seems a bit harsh in my opinion. Easy to talk about umpiring from the press box.

It also proves that Sid Hartman is a stupid imbecile.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I'm surprised by this reaction from you. Sounds like Joyce did this to you personally, as you say "we" could have had two perfect games in a week. Really? Who cares? Galaraga will get more mileage out of this than he would out of a perfect game. History will forever talk of the "perfect game that wasn't." The first thing I thought of when I heard this (listening to a talk show that was reporting live) was not to selfishly think how I was deprived of a perfect game, I thought about how badly Jim Joyce must feel right now.

I appreciate your candor and respect you for it.

I was infuriated at first as a longtime close follower of this great game. (I think that describes me better than fanboy, even though I came off that way.) I couldn't hang with this whole thing. Sure, by the time I slept on it, I felt horribly for the guy---far more so than for Galarraga. By the time Joyce strode through the tunnel for the next game all red-eyed, I wept right along with him. Good heavens, it was one of the most stirring scenes in baseball history hours after being one of the most infuriating and dumbfounding.

When I was blowing off steam, my chiding Joyce for his not busting to his angle got interpreted as my calling his angle a bad one. And my praise of him for standing up like few have ever stood up before, and turning the whole debacle into one of the most meaningful and memorable chapters in the history of umpiring was blasted and exaggerated into something else again. (The exaggerator's exaggeration got deleted.)

Thank you for a mature, honest response. It's a refreshing change from some others' responses.

[nopachunts]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Thank you for a mature, honest response. It's a refreshing change from some others' responses.

That's because SDS's advanced age gives him more of life's experiences to pull from. LOL

Happy Birthday Steve

[rinbee]

Originally Posted by jimpiano

By the end of the game the entire Tiger bench had seen the replay.
Joyce got slammed and deservedly so.
How can anyone blow a call that obvious under those conditions?
What an embarrassment to MLB.
The calls for replay will now reach a crescendo.
Joyce's fifteen minutes of fame will now be a week of infamy.

Joyce seemed to be a bit out of position IMHO. Does anyone know if he talked to the other umpires? No one on base, history about to be made, you know everyone is staring at the play. It's possible U2 might have seen enough to convince joyce he was wrong, but I don't even know if the crew discussed it. I have no problem conferring with other umps. These guys make too darn much money not to swallow a little pride now and then.

[jicecone]

Originally Posted by rinbee

Joyce seemed to be a bit out of position IMHO. Does anyone know if he talked to the other umpires? No one on base, history about to be made, you know everyone is staring at the play. It's possible U2 might have seen enough to convince joyce he was wrong, but I don't even know if the crew discussed it. I have no problem conferring with other umps. These guys make too darn much money not to swallow a little pride now and then.

Not too many officials I know concern theirselfs with the score and statistics during the game. He missed a call, get over it.

It was a routine call to him and therefore a discussion was not necessary. Do you have a group hug after each one of your calls just because someone complains? I bet not.

You imply that your an official but, it is obvious that experience is something you just hav'nt achieved yet.

[rinbee]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Not too many officials I know concern theirselfs with the score and statistics during the game. He missed a call, get over it.

It was a routine call to him and therefore a discussion was not necessary. Do you have a group hug after each one of your calls just because someone complains? I bet not.

You imply that your an official but, it is obvious that experience is something you just hav'nt achieved yet.

Your sarcasm is not necessary. A true official is one who wants to get at the right call, not obnoxiously defend a call regardless of the outcome. Yes, I will consult with other members of my crew if someone raises a legitimate question about a call. (If you prefer hugs, that's your choice.) I consider that doing my job to avoid what Joyce did -- ruin a game because of pride. What you call lack of experience on my part I consider arrogance on your part. The game, regardless of level, is for the players, not the umpires. Joyce blew it as we all do at times and we move on. But there is nothing wrong with doing everything possible to make it right when you have the chance to do so.

[UmpJM]

rinbee,

This was not the type of play that it would be appropriate for the calling umpire to get help on.

Your post reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how a crew officiates.

I agree with jicecone's comments.

JM

[BaBa Booey]

I've read a few times in this threat that people think Joyce was out of position...can any of you please articulate what you believe to be the proper position for a play like this and why?

[PeteBooth]

It's amazing that Denkinger gets blamed for that call YET Jak Clark's miss pop-up off the bat of Steve Balboni that prolonged the inning goes un-noticed.

Pete Booth

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

It's amazing that Denkinger gets blamed for that call YET Jak Clark's miss pop-up off the bat of Steve Balboni that prolonged the inning goes un-noticed.

Pete Booth

All too typical.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Not too many officials I know concern theirselfs with the score and statistics during the game. He missed a call, get over it.

Well, we don't "concern" ourselves, but you can't tell me that Joyce didn't know that the pitcher had a perfect game going. There is no way anybody that was paying one iota of attention could have not known, including the umpires.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by nopachunts

That's because SDS's advanced age gives him more of life's experiences to pull from. LOL

Happy Birthday Steve

Thanks Jay!

Yes, my advanced age is beginning to take its toll.