Thursday, June 10, 2010
Political Mayhem Thursday: Commissioner Intervention...
Let's say, hypothetically, that a major league pitcher had a perfect game going with two out in the ninth. Now, let's imagine that on an infield grounder the first-base ump blew the call on what was a clear out, robbing that pitcher of the perfect game.
Should the commissioner of baseball reverse the call?
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No. However, the rules should be amended to allow such a decision, and baseball should get with the program and use instant replay.
No - baseball is a game, entertainment and business (depending on your perspective) and it is imperfect. That is why I like watching.
I have seen 3 home runs (in AAA Durham) called doubles. It was clear to everyone including the inamimate patio table the ball bounced off of (dented).
C'est la vie....
I have seen 3 home runs (in AAA Durham) called doubles. It was clear to everyone including the inamimate patio table the ball bounced off of (dented).
C'est la vie....
Federal Deficit: $13 Trillion
Oil in the Gulf (gal): 126 Million
US soldiers killed in Ir/Afg: 5,469
The fact that an entire nation can divert its attention away from crisis-level issues to instead focus on the legitimacy of a split second decision made (without the benefit of hours and hours of replay hindsight) in the course of an otherwise unimportant baseball game: PRICELESS
P.S. If Galarraga had thrown a strike, we wouldn't be arguing. Let's just accept the rules for what they are (and always have been) and be proud of the way Galarraga and Jim Joyce have handled the situation.
Oil in the Gulf (gal): 126 Million
US soldiers killed in Ir/Afg: 5,469
The fact that an entire nation can divert its attention away from crisis-level issues to instead focus on the legitimacy of a split second decision made (without the benefit of hours and hours of replay hindsight) in the course of an otherwise unimportant baseball game: PRICELESS
P.S. If Galarraga had thrown a strike, we wouldn't be arguing. Let's just accept the rules for what they are (and always have been) and be proud of the way Galarraga and Jim Joyce have handled the situation.
# posted by 
: 9:37 AM
: 9:37 AM
No. Sometimes we need reminders that we aren't perfect, and not all calls in baseball are perfect either. There are many teaching lessons for kids and grownups on how the pitcher and umpire conducted themselves after the call was made, and it conveys the point that life isn't always fair, but it is always what you make of it. It's good to leave that possibility for error in the game, as it gives fans something to complain about, and makes things more interesting. Baseball is slow enoughh--it definitely doesn't need additional breaks to consult instant replay for every questionable call.
The only reason this made news is because perfect games are so rare. Lots of Cy Young winners go their entire careers without pitching them, while some nobody will have an on-night and do it, going down in history forever.
Still, the pitcher will be remembered as the guy cheated out of a perfect game.
That said, there's bigger fish to fry this week! Baylor took center stage in John Amato's new book "Over the Cliff" discussing violent and ugly reactions to Obama's presidential win (covered by yt here). Seriously; it's the lead-off offense in the introduction.
In non-Baylor news, the Israeli army also shot an American five times in the head. Why is this not an act of war?
And when prompted, one of the most veteran and respected reporters in the White House Press Corps gets the famed "gotcha!" media treament (thanks, Sarah!) when she gives a reasonable and intellectual response to the question of how to ease Middle East tensions. John Cole at Balloon Juice notes that the rabbi responsible for such footage did some Daily Show-eque editing and is himself not averse to making fun of Latinos. Savvy bloggers at The American Muslim correctly note why Thomas, an Arab-American, is being persecuted the way she is: she's a liberal Arab-American who said something bad about Israel. When WASPy conservatives say that Palestinians ought to be forcibly removed from their homeland, Fox and the Washington Post syndicate them. This is shameful treatment, and I'm a little miffed that the left caved so quickly to condemning Thomas... or forgetting about the entire incident on the flotilla.
Still, the pitcher will be remembered as the guy cheated out of a perfect game.
That said, there's bigger fish to fry this week! Baylor took center stage in John Amato's new book "Over the Cliff" discussing violent and ugly reactions to Obama's presidential win (covered by yt here). Seriously; it's the lead-off offense in the introduction.
In non-Baylor news, the Israeli army also shot an American five times in the head. Why is this not an act of war?
And when prompted, one of the most veteran and respected reporters in the White House Press Corps gets the famed "gotcha!" media treament (thanks, Sarah!) when she gives a reasonable and intellectual response to the question of how to ease Middle East tensions. John Cole at Balloon Juice notes that the rabbi responsible for such footage did some Daily Show-eque editing and is himself not averse to making fun of Latinos. Savvy bloggers at The American Muslim correctly note why Thomas, an Arab-American, is being persecuted the way she is: she's a liberal Arab-American who said something bad about Israel. When WASPy conservatives say that Palestinians ought to be forcibly removed from their homeland, Fox and the Washington Post syndicate them. This is shameful treatment, and I'm a little miffed that the left caved so quickly to condemning Thomas... or forgetting about the entire incident on the flotilla.
Lane wrote:
In non-Baylor news, the Israeli army also shot an American five times in the head. Why is this not an act of war?
Was this part of the flotilla incident or something that has happened since then? I listen to a lot of news and missed this item.
In non-Baylor news, the Israeli army also shot an American five times in the head. Why is this not an act of war?
Was this part of the flotilla incident or something that has happened since then? I listen to a lot of news and missed this item.
The flotilla.
My apologies, he was only shot twice in the head. The other three shots hit other parts of his body.
Other men, mostly of Turkish descent, were also shot.
My apologies, he was only shot twice in the head. The other three shots hit other parts of his body.
Other men, mostly of Turkish descent, were also shot.
I think Selig is making the right decision in not reversing the call after the fact.
And though there have only been 20 perfect games in MLB history, with two (three if you count Galarraga's) coming this year, Gallaraga's will be memorable. Twenty years from now, I'm unlikely to remember Dallas Braden's name, but I will most definitely remember exactly where I was the night Jim Joyce robbed Galarraga of his place among those who have thrown perfect games.
I think the most important lesson(s) came in the hours and days after the game. Lessons in humility, sportsmanship and plain old humanity.
Jim Joyce admitted he made the wrong call. Galarraga graciously accepted the human error.
The next day, Joyce took the field to man home plate in front of the Detroit fans who had been robbed, along with Galarraga, the night before. Joyce received a rousing ovation that moved him to tears. Galarraga brought Joyce the lineup card before the game and received a knowing pat on the shoulder from a contrite Joyce.
In Philadelphia, Joyce would have been shot and then blamed for giving the 5-year-old boy in the bleachers a beer.
God bless the fine people of Detroit, Galarraga and Joyce. It sounds dumb, but a lot of people can learn some important lessons from that seemingly meaningless baseball game and its aftermath.
And though there have only been 20 perfect games in MLB history, with two (three if you count Galarraga's) coming this year, Gallaraga's will be memorable. Twenty years from now, I'm unlikely to remember Dallas Braden's name, but I will most definitely remember exactly where I was the night Jim Joyce robbed Galarraga of his place among those who have thrown perfect games.
I think the most important lesson(s) came in the hours and days after the game. Lessons in humility, sportsmanship and plain old humanity.
Jim Joyce admitted he made the wrong call. Galarraga graciously accepted the human error.
The next day, Joyce took the field to man home plate in front of the Detroit fans who had been robbed, along with Galarraga, the night before. Joyce received a rousing ovation that moved him to tears. Galarraga brought Joyce the lineup card before the game and received a knowing pat on the shoulder from a contrite Joyce.
In Philadelphia, Joyce would have been shot and then blamed for giving the 5-year-old boy in the bleachers a beer.
God bless the fine people of Detroit, Galarraga and Joyce. It sounds dumb, but a lot of people can learn some important lessons from that seemingly meaningless baseball game and its aftermath.
# posted by : 12:54 PM
: 12:54 PM
Lane says:
"when she gives a reasonable and intellectual response to the question of how to ease Middle East tensions."
First, I tend to agree that Helen Thomas shouldn't have lost her job over this. I mean, she has been a loon for 50 years, why should we stop her now??
However, how can you call what she said reasonable or intellectual. She said the Jews should go back to where they came from, Poland and Germany. Apparently, Helen Thomas' understanding of history begins with World War II. Israel is arguably where the Jews came from. That is certainly what the Jews would say. In addition, the Jews that came to Israel after WWII did so because nobody else wanted them. But, now that the leftist establishment has taken up the Palestinian cause, they need to be relocated again.
C'mon Lane, you have to know that what she said wasn't in the slightest bit reasonable or intellectual. It may not have been anti-semitic, but it was certainly crazy.
"when she gives a reasonable and intellectual response to the question of how to ease Middle East tensions."
First, I tend to agree that Helen Thomas shouldn't have lost her job over this. I mean, she has been a loon for 50 years, why should we stop her now??
However, how can you call what she said reasonable or intellectual. She said the Jews should go back to where they came from, Poland and Germany. Apparently, Helen Thomas' understanding of history begins with World War II. Israel is arguably where the Jews came from. That is certainly what the Jews would say. In addition, the Jews that came to Israel after WWII did so because nobody else wanted them. But, now that the leftist establishment has taken up the Palestinian cause, they need to be relocated again.
C'mon Lane, you have to know that what she said wasn't in the slightest bit reasonable or intellectual. It may not have been anti-semitic, but it was certainly crazy.
# posted by : 2:52 PM
: 2:52 PM
Was it?
I mean, the creation of the state of Israel wasn't exactly an uncontentious event. A war was fought, right after the end of WWII based on the Partition Plan. The Allied Superpowers created the Israeli state by seizing land from a sovereign nation. I'm sure quite a few people view it as an occupation, and not without reason. There's good philosophical reason for saying, "Israelis do not need to be in Palestine." A majority of the country's citizens are of recent (within 100 years) European extraction, and they only ended up there because antisemitism in Europe and the Americas wasn't limited to the Nazis.
Now, as a practical matter, you cannot simply dissolve an existing sovereign state and forcibly relocate its people (unless, of course, you are post-WWII US, Great Britain, and the USSR, in which case, you could and did). Two wrongs do not make a right, and simply removing all the Israelis from land they now occupy and forcing them to move to a different country is definitely a wrong. But as a philosophical position, that the creation of the state of Israel occupied formerly sovereign Palestinian land, yes, I think that argument can be made. Eventually, a two-state solution is going to have to be worked out, because as it stands right now, Palestinians are mistreated at the hands of the far-right Israeli government.
And it's not exactly a unique position that Thomas had. Her phrasing was crude, but then again, she's never been one pull punches. And it's certainly no worse than what other journalists have said on the same subject. So I'm wondering why a liberal reporter gets slammed for offering her opinion when it's really no different (and quite a bit less offensive) than what some conservatives say. As to her firing, well, her bosses can do what they like. But I am rather upset that she's being treated like she made some awful gaffe when she really didn't.
I mean, the creation of the state of Israel wasn't exactly an uncontentious event. A war was fought, right after the end of WWII based on the Partition Plan. The Allied Superpowers created the Israeli state by seizing land from a sovereign nation. I'm sure quite a few people view it as an occupation, and not without reason. There's good philosophical reason for saying, "Israelis do not need to be in Palestine." A majority of the country's citizens are of recent (within 100 years) European extraction, and they only ended up there because antisemitism in Europe and the Americas wasn't limited to the Nazis.
Now, as a practical matter, you cannot simply dissolve an existing sovereign state and forcibly relocate its people (unless, of course, you are post-WWII US, Great Britain, and the USSR, in which case, you could and did). Two wrongs do not make a right, and simply removing all the Israelis from land they now occupy and forcing them to move to a different country is definitely a wrong. But as a philosophical position, that the creation of the state of Israel occupied formerly sovereign Palestinian land, yes, I think that argument can be made. Eventually, a two-state solution is going to have to be worked out, because as it stands right now, Palestinians are mistreated at the hands of the far-right Israeli government.
And it's not exactly a unique position that Thomas had. Her phrasing was crude, but then again, she's never been one pull punches. And it's certainly no worse than what other journalists have said on the same subject. So I'm wondering why a liberal reporter gets slammed for offering her opinion when it's really no different (and quite a bit less offensive) than what some conservatives say. As to her firing, well, her bosses can do what they like. But I am rather upset that she's being treated like she made some awful gaffe when she really didn't.
I should add, of course, that I disagree with what she said (just like I disagreed with what Rand Paul said). And he received unfair coverage by many in the liberal wing of the media. His position is wrong, but also reasonable, as it follows its own internal logic that the market would effectively deal with private-business-based discrimination.
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