Read the Oakland Press article
Photo source: The Associate Press/Paul Sancya
I know that some hard core Tiger's fan probably don't consider this happy news...but I would definitely call it happy. I think a great lesson can be learned from this -- that people make mistakes and sometimes you need to just forgive instead of being bitter.
Four-letter words are often spoken in sports games, as you can see when the camera-people zoom in on coaches' faces.
But when Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga lost his bid for a perfect game because of a bad call by umpire Jim Joyce, Galarraga just smiled and went on with the game. He didn't fight with Joyce, didn't scream or break anything. I feel for Joyce, honestly. How embarrassing would that be to be in his situation? People mess up...but I couldn't imagine messing up and having millions of people hear about it.
When someone else's mistake effects us personally, it's easy to rub salt in the wound of the person who ruined it for us. Having a perfect game is a big deal, and Galarrage could have easily flipped a lid over the ordeal -- as many people probably would. But he didn't.
“He (Joyce) was crying when I came up,” Galarraga had said. “I shook his hand. He patted me. We've already changed the page.”
Galarraga didn't know being gracious would pay off...he didn't do it for the benefits. But GM surprised Galarraga with a corvette, as a consolation prize you could say and to honor him for being so gracious.
Pitching a perfect game, which means striking each batter out from the other team, is rare. Out of all the pitchers of all the teams in the U.S., only three have pitched a perfect game in the 2010 season. Galarraga would have been the fourth.
But things don't always turn out perfectly. Sometimes, things turn out even better. Galarraga could have gotten mad, but he wouldn't be looked up to nearly as much as he is now. He probably wouldn't have been looked up to as much even if he did receive the perfect game. Instead, his civility was broadcast nationwide. Nationwide, Galarraga is honored as a "perfect gentleman," which, to me, is more important than being honored for his perfect game.
Afterall, at the end of the day, it's not the sport that matters. It's being true to yourself that's most important in this life.
Galaraga also taught kids a lesson with his reaction:
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