Last week, Armando Galarraga, of the Detroit Tigers, was on his way to pitch the 21st perfect game in baseball history. But, what was supposed to be the 27th and final out was blown by umpire Jim Joyce. It was a routine grounder hit to the second baseman by Jason Donald, who was called safe by Joyce but was clearly out.
There have been many debates about the call, the issue about replay, and even about reversing the call and giving Galarraga the perfect game. However, for me, the bigger part of the story is the reaction of Armando to the bad call. Instead of over-reacting and going crazy, he gave a sly grin to the ump Jim Joyce. I believe that small act allowed others to feel for Joyce. After the game, Joyce felt really bad and knew that he cost Galarraga the perfect game. The next day, he was emotional before the game as Armando presented him with the lineup cards.
Deep down, I feel this story is about being humble and not letting things, big or little, get in our way and living life. In life, sometimes things don't go our way but we can't let it ruin or disrupt our lives. We must go on with our lives and just enjoy the ride.
These two men will forever be linked. And I thank Armando Galarraga for teaching us this lesson about humility. He is not only what the sporting world needs but also our self-absorbed, celebrity obsessed society needs.
We all strive to be perfect but we always can't be.
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