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My stomach churns...

Gladiator

Gladiator

PMA Member
Did anyone see the blown call last night by the umpire that cost my friend a Perfect Game? Armando Gallaraga and I came through the same organization for 3 years together - he's a great kid. My stomach churned for him this morning...but I was extremely proud of the way he handled himself after the umpire cost him a chance at history... This is what umpire Jim Joyce said:

I would've been the first person in my face, and he never said a word to me
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I would have responded in the way he did knowing only 20 pitchers previously had done what he was attempting to do. A lot of guys would have lost it, but he kept the big picture in mind - "everyone makes mistakes." I think it was amazing that the umpire (although hard to hide from a camera), handled himself in the manner that he was VERY upset he blew the call.

This got me thinking about a situation (or something similar) that could happen to us in the deer woods: you're hunting some private ground that butts up against some public ground. That 187" double drop tine monster approaches on November 5th. As you come to full draw, a 4-wheeler comes out of nowhere off of public ground and drives on the private. The young boy honestly has no clue he is where he shouldn't be (although you don't know that). You watch as he drives off and so does "your" buck - never to be seen again (or shot by a shotgun hunter :grin:).

How do you respond? Are you furious and do you find the boy and rip his head off? Do you feel you're entitled to "your" buck? Do you just let it go? Do you grin and bear it, accepting it for what it is? Do you take the high road like Armando? Tough stuff no doubt...but similar in many ways.

Not to get on a soap box, but I learned 2 years ago (the hard way of course) that if I make that 187 incher my goal everytime, I know I leave the timber disappointed everytime. And leaving a hunt disappointed is NOT the reason I got involved in bowhunting. If I focus on the hunt, on experiencing Creation and the blessing it is (still doing everything in my power to give me a chance at that monster), I know I will leave with a sense of enjoyment everytime (because I know I'm not in charge..).

Again, not trying to hop on a soap box, but just some things that crossed my mind as I'm anxious for October already (anyone else?)

Thoughts on how you might respond?? It's tough knowing that many of us never will be put in a situation like that...but with the growing world of "antler envy" many of us feel entitled to "our" deer, when they are never ours...only on loan to anyone who encounters their beauty while we are here for this short while...

Thanks for listening...
 
Good thoughts for sure. I thought he handled it as best he could too. I'm not a huge fan of replay, but I do think there is a place for it. I guess that the umps have to be perfect too for the perfect game to happen. Too bad, but in this instance, the kid could have made his place in history, and the ump wouldn't have to be a goat for the rest of his life. I just wish they could have fixed it on the spot. They didn't just rob the pitcher either. Did you see the play the center fielder made just before that call got blown? The whole team got robbed IMO. Congrats to him anyway though.
 
You're a deep thinker Gladiator! :grin: And I like your thoughts.

I would have to say that when I was younger I was overboard gung-ho on hunting and killing the biggest or the most or whatever and would get mad if something got in the way of that.

Nowadays I hunt more for the enjoyment and if I get a nice buck then great. I have things happen that would have made me mad once upon a time, but now do not so much.

It's all about your priorities. :D
 
i heard about the play on my way home from work and watched it on ESPN. i feel for the kid who lost his place in baseball history. i was amazed at the way he handled himself.
 
I hunt 100% public land out here and getting bumped, whether innocently or intentionally happens regularly. I've pretty much run the gambit at this point and could share positive/negative stories all day (as I'm sure we all could). I flew off the handle once 5 years ago when a group of deer hunters camped right next to us and told us they were heading up the same canyon, even though we were there first. One guy in the other group was just as hot-headed and that made the whole situation worse. After I cooled off, I realized what a j-hole I was and apologized the first chance I got. The older guy laughed it off with me, accepted my apology, drank a cold one with me, and admitted how hot headed his son-in-law is, too. I got my first Coue's whitetail 2 days later. On my way out of camp, I left all of our firewood with him and hoped we'd cross paths.

2 years ago, on my first real archery deer hunt, I walked up to a stalk tank and innocently sat under a guy in a tree stand. I felt horrible about it and he was cool, realizing I didn't even see him and wasn't being rude intentionally. As I walked away, I said to myself "Its public land, that's part of the game" but I felt bad for bumping him. Later that morning, I had a guy on an ATV ride up on me while I was sitting and looking. As soon as he saw me, he waved and backed out of the area. I reminded myself of my earlier encounter and kept my graces about me. After lunch, I headed to the area the "stock tank guy" told me about and saw the best buck I've seen so far, but got busted trying to close the distance.

Hunting public land has definitely mellowed me in my attitude and, like Daver and you, Gladiator, I hunt for the sake of hunting. One of my best days in the field was on a deer hunt and seeing 12 does, 2 yearlings, and a fawn with spots, followed by stalking to within 25 yards of a cow elk only to have doe and buck step out at 60 yards staring right at me. The cow stood up at the snort of the doe and the whole forest errupted with the rest of the 20+ elk I had been seeing previously, including the beautiful 5x5 herd bull.

It's the people on ATVs that ignore rules/regulations/routes and proceed even when they see you that chap my hide, but its all part of hunting public land, I guess.
 
blown call

I am a big baseball fan, but rarely watch a full game other than the Minnesota Twins which I watch religiously, but I happened to watch that game, I could not believe it??

In my opinion the only solution is for the commissioner to overall the call and give him the perfect game, othewise this will be talked about forever, hey they changed the George Brett call.

The pitcher really did show a lot of restraint and respect!!
 
it was a terrible call but like gladiator said i think they both handled it with class. its to bad they cant give him the perfect game at least with an asterisk like they do the steroid homer kings.....would make sence to me at least in his eyes he know he got the perfect game. as far as the hunting goes i had a similar situation in 08. i had hit a buck a bit back and decided to wait him out..next morning there was a truck parked at the lot where i hunted but i had no choice i had to go after my deer. well after finding no blood thanks to the rain and snow i went looking where he had gone last...unfortunately this took him directly under the tree of the guy with the truck. i felt like crap that i ruined his hunt and i told him. he was totally cool with it and climbed down and eventually because he helped and knew the area a little better i found that buck...and made another great friend in the state of Iowa. if anyone knows Mike Lattrel from Boone give him a slap on the back, he will know who its from. thanks for the post gladiator
 
I feel for the guy but you can't start overturning umpires calls. A can of worms would be opened asking for all judgment calls(balls and strikes) be reviewed. One can argue an ump missed a last strike call that gives a batter one more pitch where he hits a home run when an out should have been registered. Replay for certain situations is on the way. The Brett call was based on him using illegal equipment(too much pine tar on his bat) and not based on an umps judgment of safe, out, ball, strike.
 
A bad deal for both the pitcher and umpire, but at least the umpire manned up and admitted he made a bad call. It was great to see the young pitcher keep his cool and get the last out even that it cost him a place in history. Atleast GM stepped up yesterday and gave him a 2010 Corvette! That close of a play the umpire has to give it to the pitcher, but with the first baseman going way to his right to make the play and the pitcher making a snowcone catch I think it made it a harder call for the umpire, then if the second baseman would have made a routine play to first.
My son is a highschool player, and I have worked with him umpiring game at are local little league with him behind the plate and me doing the bases. I think this has woke him up a little about how tuff a job it can be.

Last year I was headed to a stand for the first time and seen a buck working a waterway my stand was in. I waited for him to clear the area and got into my stand. About a half hour later I have several does run toward my stand. I grab my bow thinking a buck may be on the chase. A few minutes later I see a guy walking along the waterway behind my stand. I hollered at him and asked him if he knew he was on private ground. He said yes and his grandma lived across the road and had spoken to the owner and received permission. I asked if he seen my truck parked up the road and he said he though I was at a diffrent part of the farm. I was pi$$ed and said I did not belive him and went to another farm. I talked with the land owner later and she said she was sorry and forgot I was going to be there. Then she told me the kids dad just passed away few days before. I told her that next time she seen him to tell him I was sorry for getting on him, and if I see him this year I will do it in person.
 
overturn the call

Jdubs: I respectfully disagree, I think they should overturn this call. Overturn the call and then implement instant replay for this years playoffs or for next year. Just make a statement, otherwise, we will see this highlight forever and the pitcher, team, umpire and all the fans will not be able to share in the once in a lifetime event??

Instant replay is not that big of a hassle, give each manager 2 challenges a game and this never happens again.

My gut feeling is this will not go away and there is still an outside chance that they will consider reversing the call.
 
Bud Selig already said he will not reverse the call. I agree with Hardwood about each team getting two reveiws a game, kind of like football, accept they cannot argue balls and strikes. I would think it would take less time to review a play then have a player and manager argue with the umpire for ten minutes and even longer if the manager gets thrown from the game.
 
I know this is off topic slightly from where Matt was going with his thoughts, but back to the baseball thing. A call made is a call made. Period. I just started umpiring baseball this year and I can make this comment with 100% assurance, Umping any sport is extremely difficult, and to be honest, going from the mouthy kid in the stands to the call maker, I have never been so humbled...

With that, I feel that call was not as close as everyone has been saying. I too have watched the replay a million times and I finally heard someone say they understand how the "mistake" was made. If you watch carefully, when the pitch caught the ball with his foot on the base, it appeared as if the ball was bobble slightly before coming to rest in the palm of his mit. he caught the ball with the outside of the glove before bringing it all the way in, therefore making it look as if control was not gained until the runner was on the bag.

I agree after watching it over and over that the call was wrong, however when you are forced to make a decision in a split second based on many factors, it is far from easy and very understandable when a mistake has been made.....

Jim Joyce and Armando Gallaraga both handled themselves like true gentlemen and I have the utmost respect for them both because of that. Bad calls get made, that is the nature of being an ump and playing baseball, but once you overturn one, you have too overturn them all. It doesnt work that way and I was taught if you screw up, you have to eat it.... thats all there is to it. Overturning the call would be a poor decision and be another mar on Pro Baseball.

A card laid is a card played


I like your thoughts, Matt
 
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