It's Good To Be Human

It's easy to win, and hard not to sometimes. As in a friendship, it can be easy to really fall for someone when things are really good. But you learn a lot about friends, lovers, and family members when things are not so good. That's the separator. Those who can dig deep and handle themselves with class and dignity when it's far easier not to.

That's exactly what happened last night in Detroit when the Indians were playing the Tigers, and the young Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga was on the precipice of pitching Major League Baseballs 21st perfect game ever. To give you some perspective, they've been playing professional baseball well over 100 years. It's only happened 20 times. Then it happened. You saw it. On the games final play, yes or no to history, veteran umpire Jim Joyce missed the call at first base badly, and it was over just that fast. The perfect game suddenly over, and history was put on hold. What a shame - heartbreaking.

I am still as stunned as you are. But maybe what we are stunned over matches up and maybe it doesn't. I am still stunned in this era of "look at me, it's all about me...what about meeeee" by most of our nations biggest athletes and celebrities in general, on the reaction of Armando Galarraga, and Jim Joyce collectively. Both completely understood what had happened, accepted it, manned up and set a fabulous example for young and old alike to follow. It was a breath of fresh air in the arena of taking responsibility, that could use a good and thorough de-stinking.

Joyce through tears in his eyes admitted blowing the call and apologized to the pitcher in person after the game. Galarraga accepted not only the apology, but also what had just happened. Both that he was denied a perfect game, but also that he just pitched one of the great games in the sports history regardless of the stats. After all, this was a kid that in mid -May was in the minor leagues riding a bus to away games and watching the Detroit Tigers on TV. Good perspective. Joyce a 22 year veteran umpire acted like one. He manned up. These are stand up guys.

Maybe the reason that so many have lauded these two is that it's not what we're used to this anymore. What we expect to hear is the whining, sniveling, "it's not fair, poor me, gee whiz I was robbed fix this for me" from these athletes and stars. And it's pathetic. Maybe more should take a lesson from our new hero Armando, and actually become a FAN of the game they are playing and making millions doing so. Because Galarraga spoke like a guy, who loves the GAME. Not just his involvement in it.

And for Joyce. No defying tone, no "Hey I know it all, you didn't see what I saw" attitude. He eventually saw what the rest of us did, and made it as right as he could. Umpires have their troubles, but they do love the game. And as wrong as he got it at 847 pm Wednesday night. He got it more than right at 930pm when he stepped out in front of a blood thirsty press, and made an impassioned statement of his blunder. Both guys refreshing - my gosh.

Now what? My feeling is that today I love the game today more that ever, and we shouldn't mess around with it. It's a game played by humans, for humans and officiated by humans, and as in life sometimes we get it wrong. You want replay or whatever? Go play video games where it's all so absolute. I want to love a game, any game where we talk about this kind of thing, and wonder what if, or can you believe that? That is what holds my interest and gets me cheering as much as the play on the field. The human element. Life doesn't have instant replay, and I'm glad. In the world many times you have to think on your feet, and get it right. And at times we don't. Things are generally more exciting if we don't always know the temperature of he water before we jump in.

Galaraga and Joyce are human, and they did what they should have. Just not what we expected sadly. In the end, they both got it right.... real right. They turned the page. Now, it's time for everyone else, to do the same.