Thursday, June 17, 2010

Perfectly Imperfect

SlapShot column published June 10 in the Woodford Sun

Life is messy.

And for all of our technological advancement, for all of our accumulated knowledge, for all of our yearning and striving, we’ve not been able to change that basic fact.

Messy.

Things don’t turn out the way we want them to. We seldom enjoy as much control as we’d like to imagine. And when all’s said and done, life simply isn’t fair.

Just ask Armando Galarraga.

The Detroit Tiger pitcher put away 26 straight Cleveland Indian batters on June 2. No hits. No walks. No errors. The cusp of perfection. He put away number 27 too. But the one man who counts didn’t see it that way, at least not in the moment that mattered. First base umpire Jim Joyce called Cleveland Indians’ Jason Donald safe at first base.

He clearly wasn’t.

And in that moment, Galarraga stepped out of the pages of baseball history books, into the pages of baseball history books. Instead of going down as the 21st pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a perfect game, the Tiger hurler will go down as the victim of perhaps the worst call in the annals of Major League Baseball.

It was so bad, even the ump later admitted he was wrong, in a rare display of officiating humility.

“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the (stuff) out of it," Joyce said, clearly distraught, after the game. “I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

We all saw the replay. Out. By almost a step.

And immediately, the calls came to set things right. Since it should have been the final out of the game, change the call after the fact. Record the play as what it was – an out at first base. And give Galarraga his perfect game.

It seems so simple. So clear cut. So right.

But stop and consider for just one moment – it really wasn’t a perfect game, was it?

Not if perfection means perfection. Joyce made the wrong call. But isn’t officiating part of the game? Doesn’t the human element ultimately rule the world of sports just like it does in “real life” ?

After Dallas Braden threw his perfect game a few weeks back, I pointed out that perfection doesn’t belong to the pitcher alone. It also belongs to every player who takes the field. It belongs to the manager. And indeed, it belongs to the umpire.

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first perfect game blown up by a bad call. In 1994, one base runner marred a perfect game for Oakland A’s pitcher Bobby Witt. Greg Gagne reached on a bunt single with one out in the sixth inning. Replays show Gagne was clearly out.

Witt didn’t get his perfect game. Heck, he didn’t even get an apology.

And on it goes. How many times could we look back and say if it weren’t for this call or that call, then we’d have witnessed a different outcome?

As my stepdad often said, “If a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his butt every time he hopped.”

Officiating calls weave themselves into the fabric of a game, just like hits, tackles, goals and errors. If we start pulling at the threads by changing an outcome here and there after the fact, eventually the entire fabric falls apart.

And I think fallibility is important. The human factor makes sports interesting. Otherwise, we might as well just watch a computer game.

Imagine for a moment that Joyce made the right call. Galarraga would have gotten his perfect game. And in two years, few but the most dedicated baseball fan would likely remember the moment. Instead we got something different. Something even non-baseball fans will likely remember. A little humanity in the midst of big-time sports.

The next night, in a rematch between the Indians and Tigers, Joyce got the call as home plate ump. And Detroit manager Jim Leyland sent Galarraga out to bring the starting lineup card to the plate. The two men shook hands. Joyce patted Galarraga on the back.

“That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen,” Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge said. “What sets that apart from anything that's probably happened in a long time in our sport is the absolute sportsmanship of it. I'll tell you what, Galarraga and Joyce are two true gentlemen, period, in the way that they handled themselves. People will always remember that. I'll never forget it.”

Neither will I.

Quick Shots

Do you enjoy football? Can you get a video camera pointed in the right direction? If so, the Woodford County High School football team could use your help. Coach Steve Stonebraker is looking for filmers for summer practices and games. Summer practices will begin at 6 in the evenings. If interested contact Stonebraker at steve.stonebraker@woodford.kyschools.us.

Speaking of summer practices, Jay Lucas had a little smile on his face after the Woodford County High School girls’ basketball team kicked off its summer scrimmages with four W’s. On June 3, the Lady Jackets beat Boyle County 36-19 and then topped Madisonville 49-32. On June 5, Woodford pummeled West Jessamine 53-18 and then whipped Burgin 51-23. Mark it down now – this Lady Jacket squad will make some noise next season.

Quote of the Week

“It’s probably not his fault. His wife wears the firesuit in the family - tells him what to do. So, it’s probably not his fault.” – NASCAR driver Joey Logano talking about Kevin Harvick after Harvick spun the No. 20 out during the June 6 Sprint Cup race at Pocono.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of the goalie playing against my team in a tournament down in Knoxville on June 6 for the worst display of sportsmanship I’ve ever witnessed in person. After the referee failed to blow a play dead, resulting in a goal for Lexington, the Gangrene goalie (yes, that was the name of his team, which should tell you something) launched into a profanity laced tirade that could have blistered the ears of a sailor. Next, he proceeded to follow the ref to the bench, dropping his gloves, (international hockey language for “We’re gonna fight.”) and continuing to creatively string together obscenities. Then he chest butted the ref. To his credit, the stunned official kept his cool and calmly ejected the unhinged netminder. About five minutes later, the nutcase came out of the locker room, half undressed, to continue his tirade. Somebody dragged him away before cops were called. After the game, I saw the guy in the parking lot. He was with his wife and infant son. She must be so proud. I was not surprised to see him wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey.

Friday, June 11, 2010

So many ways to look at the Eric Bledsoe situation

Originally published in the Woodford Sun on June 3, 2010

Well, it sure didn’t take long for the wispy smoke of suspicion to blanket the Bluegrass State.

Is a conflagration closing in?

Last week, the New York Times ran a story revealing an NCAA investigation into possible violations surrounding the recruitment of former University of Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe. Suspicion surrounds an amazing academic turnaround during Bledsoe’s senior year in high school, along with allegations that his high school coach paid his mother’s rent and demanded cash payments from schools pursuing the Birmingham A.H. Parker High School star prior to his signing with UK.

According to reports, Brenda Axle, the landlord for the house Bledsoe lived in during his senior year, says A.H. Parker coach Maurice Ford paid four months rent totaling $1,200.

The UK guard’s transcripts also tell an unlikely tale. Going into his final year of high school, Bledsoe had a grade point average in core courses of about 1.9. To reach NCAA eligibility, he had to bring his GPA up to 2.5. A compliance officer said it wasn’t an impossible achievement, but would take an “extraordinary senior year academically” to reach the minimum NCAA qualification.

Finally, the New York Times reports an unnamed coach who recruited Bledsoe claims Ford told his staff that he needed a specific amount of money to let Bledsoe sign.

Ford denied the allegations, telling the Times, “I don’t prostitute my kids.” UK says it did nothing wrong, pointing out that the NCAA Eligibility Center cleared Bledsoe. Kentucky coach John Calipari? Well, he hasn’t said much of anything.

This story makes me feel a little bit like a spectator at a tennis match. The ball can bounce so many ways and spin in a multitude of directions. It makes for a number of “on the one hand, but on the other hand” scenarios.

On the one hand, no indication exists that Calipari did anything wrong. And in fact, he was never directly implicated in any NCAA investigations, even though Calipari-led Memphis and UMASS teams had to vacate wins due to rules violations.

Many in the sports world (UK fans call them haters) are quick to cast aspersions on the Wildcat skipper, assuming that he cheats because: A. He demonstrates uncanny and unbelievable success landing top recruits and B. NCAA investigators seem follow him like a mutt tracking a man with a steak in his pocket. A strong circumstantial case to be sure, but I’m not sure it’s fair to condemn the man without proof of his guilt.

On the other hand, how much billowing smoke does it take before we finally admit a fire is blazing nearby? And smoke surrounds Calipari in the same way it fills a cigar bar in downtown Tampa.

Not once. Not twice. No – three times NCAA investigators have descended upon programs coached by Calipari. It only took a year for them to make their way to Lexington. In case you folks wearing Big Blue glasses haven’t noticed, there is one common denominator here.

On the one hand, UK points out that the NCAA cleared Bledsoe to play college hoops. Kentucky’s defense seems to rest upon this fact.

“He was academically cleared. That’s all, from a university standpoint, we can go on. That’s what the NCAA Clearinghouse is for,” Stephen Branscum, vice president of the UK Board of Trustees, said.

On the other hand, this sounds a whole lot like Memphis’s argument in the case of Derrick Rose. And that didn’t work out so well for them.

On the one hand, if Bledsoe’s high school coach did pay rent for the family, you have to have a little sympathy for the situation. The kid was dirt poor. According to reports, he spent a lot of time sleeping on friends’ and relatives’ couches as his mother struggled to make ends meet. High school coaches are often closer to their players than anybody. They sometimes serve as father figures. They get an up-close and personal look at the circumstances that define these kids' existence. From a human standpoint, can you really blame a man for reaching out to help a poor kid’s family when facing eviction and homelessness?

Ford even alludes to this in the New York Times story, saying he did nothing wrong.

“I’m a poor black man. And when one black man tries to help another black man, there’s always something wrong.”

On the other hand, if Ford paid the rent, there is definitely something wrong. Rules are rules, and high school coaches can’t go around paying expenses for players. Under NCAA rules, a coach paying a student’s family’s rent would be considered an impermissible benefit. Good intentions or not, it’s against the rules. Period. So, find another solution to the kid’s problem.

And the cynic in me could easily conclude that Ford was an opportunist, looking to squeeze a little cash out of a cash cow that landed in his back yard. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but if Ford really demanded payments from coaches in return for Bledsoe’s signature, it takes a few steps beyond tacky.

Only time will tell how this will all pan out. Personally, I can’t help but think that it won’t turn out well for Kentucky fans. Guilty or not, it looks like Kentucky has landed itself in a pickle.

Quick Shots

Did you see Mike Conway crash during the final lap of the Indianapolis 500? Conway’s car went airborne and exploded into a bajillion pieces. My 10-year-old son saw a replay of the crash when we were out eating. His eyes went wide. “He’s dead,” Brendan said matter-of-factly. But Conway wasn’t dead. He did suffer multiple breaks in his leg and a compression fracture of the spine, but he’s still living and breathing. The fact that the driver survived such a horrific wreck stands as a testament to the safety features built into modern race cars. Pretty amazing.

Perfection. Twice in one year. Just weeks after Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game, Roy Halladay repeated the feat. The Florida Marlins’ hurler threw 115 pitches and struck out 11 batters, as Florida topped the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0. It’s the first time in MLB history that there were two perfect games in the same season. Also, pretty amazing.

Speaking of smoke and fire, will they actually prove the latest doping violations against bicycle racing phenom Lance Armstrong? Former U.S. Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis claims he used performance enhancing drugs with Armstrong.

Quote of the Week

“I don't think there's anything a guy like me can say to congratulate a star of his level.” – Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden, who pitched the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history on why he didn’t call Roy Halladay after he threw the 20th perfect game less than three weeks later.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of former NBA and UK basketball star Antoine Walker – again. This time for filing for bankruptcy. It’s not so much that he went bankrupt. It’s that he earned multi-millions of dollars playing a game and then went bankrupt. Walker is no stranger to financial woes. Last November, he agreed to pay back $900,000 so settle Las Vegas bad check charges connected to gambling. Hmmm … I wonder if the gambling might have something to do with those financial woes.