I think, and you likewise should believe, that in the interest of just simple fairness the obviously outrageous wrongheaded call, in which umpire Jim Joyce called the batter safe at first when the video replay showed he was unquestionably out, should be promptly corrected. Joyce himself, who is considered one of major league’s best umpires, has asserted that the base runner was absolutely out and thus, by missing the call, wrongfully deprived a very special, humble young pitcher of immortality by accomplishing one of the rarest and most significant achievements in our revered national pastime – “a perfect game.” At this point you should demonstrate your Solomon-like wisdom and your courageous superior leadership and promptly correct that deplorable call. You should display your maturity, flexibility, and compassion given the rightful enormous respect that you have helped earn throughout the world for your very special sport. When you do the right thing and right a horrendous wrong, you make the world itself a far better place.
To remain inflexible, obstinate and intransigent by insisting that the umpire’s call stand, no matter how faulty or obviously wrong (as if it’s absolutely decisive and unchangeable), is merely bullheaded, and conveys the very height of arrogance as if it were somehow G-d given – tantamount to papal infallibility. Do the right thing by that young man and by baseball itself. Win the respect and admiration of all sports fans and announce that you have carefully reviewed and evaluated that decision and have determined that it in fairness should be corrected and that the hitter was indeed out and that that young man rightfully did pitch a perfect game.
While I have always had enormous respect and admiration for you and the superb job you have done as a truly outstanding baseball commissioner, now indeed, if you can’t be man enough to deliver that very just decision, then get out of the way and bring back Judge Landis or David Stern or someone who cares about truth and justice. Mr. Selig, in the real world even the decision of the most esteemed and respected judges are overturned when the facts dictate a corrected, just decision.
Bud, please do the right thing and you’ll win the plaudits of us all.
Thank you! And G-d Bless You!!
P.S. In addition, I would strongly urge that you introduce, similar to what the NFL has so successfully adopted, one instant replay challenge for each team (and if the challenge is held up then the team retains its challenge), except there should be no challenge allowed for balls and strikes. In fact, you already allow the umpires to stop and review whether a ball hit at or near the top of the fence is a home run or not, and that decision – which you find worth delaying the game for – is far less critical than the Galarraga wrongful decision that deprived him of a well earned, rarely achieved, perfect game or a single play that could determine the winner or loser of a game or a seventh game world series outcome.
