An Ode to Imperfection

I am one of the thousands of people who smacked their forehead on June 2 at the missed call by American League umpire Jim Joyce that ruined a perfect game for pitcher Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers. It was the ninth inning and Galarraga was one out away from pitching the 21st perfect game in professional baseball history. The 27th batter to face him hit an easy grounder and was just as easily thrown out by a step when unexpectedly, inexplicably Jones signaled the runner was safe. The batter, he said, had just barely beaten the throw. To everyone else in the stadium and the announcer's booth, it was the throw that had beaten the batter. The instant replay confirmed this. By then, of course, it was too late. The game had already ended as Galarraga had retired the next batter and walked away with a very respectable one-hit shutout instead of a history-making perfect game.

There's no doubt the umpire's missed call was heartbreaking and blatantly unfair to Galarraga. But some solid good emerged from this incident that not only gave all of us a glimpse into the character of both Joyce and Galarraga, but also served as a vivid reminder that not being perfect is not necessarily as bad as it may seem. When setbacks or negative incidents occur, with them comes opportunity to stand tall, take responsibility if it is appropriate or be wise, strong and in the aftermath of the mistake be part of the effort to move forward in a positive way. By their actions, Joyce and Galarraga communicated just how good we imperfect humans can be when something negative happens. Upon seeing the instant replay, Jones was quick to admit his mistake and take responsibility for his bad judgment on that particular play. He also was very apologetic to Galarraga and to the fans. For his part, Galarraga was extremely gracious and inspiring.

Life as well as baseball, of course, will go on. But thanks to these two men, at least for a little while, all of us are the better for seeing what can happen when honesty, good intentions and responsible behavior join forces. They generate good feelings, solidarity and desire to emulate those brave enough to be the best they can be at a difficult moment in their lives. There may be times when actions speak louder than words. But the best attention-grabber of all is when the two are in harmony.