On June 2, baseball umpire Jim Joyce blew a huge call: the final out on Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga’s attempt at a perfect game. Seeing the replay later, the ump lamented, inconsolable: “I missed it, I missed it. I took a perfect game from that kid… I’m sorry. I had a great angle and I missed the call,” reported the Detroit News. He met with Galarraga after the game in person.
The young pitcher’s response? Sportsmanship in action. “He feels really bad, probably worse than me. I give a lot of credit to that guy, to say he’s sorry. I gave him a hug,” said Galarraga. And then the topper: “Nobody’s perfect.”
Contrast this to Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas who also lost a perfect game on a questionable call nearly 40 years ago. Pappas’s lifelong sour refrain? “I was robbed.”
With Little League in full swing, think about it: Which guy do you want your kid to emulate?
by Cathy O’Connell-Cahill, columnist for At Home with Our Faith newsletter, which recently won the 2010 award for General Excellence from the Catholic Press Association.
Take a look at At Home with Our Faith, Claretian Publications’ print newsletter for parents on nurturing spirituality in the home—read a sample issue. We offer very low rates for parish use, as well as our free Moms’ Night Out monthly discussion guides. And don’t miss our popular single-page parish handouts on handing on the faith, helping kids understand the Mass, Lent, and Advent.
Filed under: Family spirituality, Handing on the faith | Tagged: baseball sportsmanship kids, Detroit News Galarraga perfect game, Galarraga "Nobody's perfect", Galarraga and sportsmanship, Galarraga perfect game, Jim Joyce blown call, Little League, Little League sportsmanship, Milt Pappas, sportsmanship | Leave a comment »