Sunday, June 13, 2010

Lastly, there is a “smoking gun” that supports my position. The pitcher himself knew he was bobbling the ball because he eventually looked down into his mitt to see what the heck was going on. The pitcher himself knew he lacked firm possession.

This is a great point. Galarraga's facial expression and body language betray a certain lack of confidence in the out having been made. In his defense, I suppose any pitcher would get that look on a bang-bang play deciding accomplishment of such a singularly impressive feat. But Galarraga certainly didn't have the look of a player who knew he'd made the play.

Moreover, on further reflection, whether one agrees with the call or not, there was in fact an element of mob psychology at play. The local papers' headlines screamed Galarraga had been robbed on the call. Clearly, this was not the case. The play at first was close; in real time, even apart from the bobble, it could have gone either way. Robbery suggests a flagrantly missed call.

This was not a flagrantly missed call. Nobody's claiming Joyce had it in for Galarraga. The fact Joyce apologized to Galarraga proves he didn't.

Nevertheless, I hasten to disavow any partisanship in my original email to you. Yes, I live in the metropolitan Detroit area, but I find it exceedingly easy to be coolly objective on matters involving my once beloved Tigers these days. I was a lifelong fan who decided he hated the franchise after Welfare Queen Mike Ilitch abandoned our cathedral at Michigan and Trumbull, Tiger Stadium, for that corporate-welfare monstrosity I call Death-to-Comerica Park.

I do admit I was rooting for Galarraga. He seems like such a good guy and he got so close! And I still think you can make a better case the runner was out based on the replay. But I also think you can make a reasonably good case he was safe based on the replay. The fact remains baseball doesn't use replay, and I can see making the same call as Jim Joyce in real time. Like Joyce, I can also see beating myself up over it.

That's baseball. That's life. Good call, Mr. Ostrowski!

Tony Pivetta
Royal Oak, Michigan

-----Original Message-----
From: James Ostrowski
To: apivetta
Sent: Sun, Jun 13, 2010 3:46 pm
Subject: Re: Jim Joyce Was Right!


Thanks.

My response to all the critics is here.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/59434.html

Jim Ostrowski

----- Original Message -----
From: apivetta@aol.com
To: jameso@apollo3.com
Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 6:57 AM
Subject: Jim Joyce Was Right!


Dear Mr. Ostrowski:

Jim Joyce may well have been right because of the bobble. The fact remains he didn't call the runner safe on account of the bobble; he called him safe because he thought he beat the throw. Clearly, though, the runner did not beat the throw. That's why Joyce apologized to Galarraga after the game.

So I think there's more than mob psychology at work at here. The umpire himself thought he muffed the call.

Also, please note that the throw went from first baseman to the pitcher. The pitcher committed the bobble.

Tony Pivetta
Royal Oak, Michigan

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Thursday, June 03, 2010

Oh, that's right. That was then; this is now. Who cares about ancient (i.e., 30 year-old) history?

Besides, without a mischief-making Centralized Mayhem Apparatus--Rome, Britain, the U.S.A., whatever--there can be no Centralized Chaos. The alternative is armed neutrality, Constitutional constraint, noninterventionism, subsidiarity or anarchy. The alternative might even bring us Order. We can't have that now, can we?

The wonder is that people call this crappy system of shifting (and shifty!) alliances defense. If the U.S. Government were truly interested in defense, it would return the 575,000 troops it has deployed abroad and use them to defend--oh, I don't know--some actual Americans on actual American soil. I know it's lunacy for a Great Nation to adopt a peon, Swisslike foreign policy--never mind that it has served the Swiss so well over the last eight centuries--but with a $13 trillion national deficit, economics alone may compel our infinitely wise and benevolent supervisors to consider desperate measures.

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