I was shocked, dumbfounded, wondering how it could happen.  The 21st perfect game and 3rd this season was about to be completed.  I should point out that I did predict at least two more perfect game/no-hitters would be accomplished this year in a previous post, “MLB Review – 2 Month Edition.”  Mind you, I wasn’t being 100 percent serious about it, but I will take credit for it.  Regardless, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was about to make not just MLB history, but Tigers history with the teams first perfect game.  Alas, it will never be written as happening, but rather should have happened.

There it was.  A ground ball to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.  Galarraga ran on contact towards first beating Jason Donald, who hit the ball, to the bag.  The throw by Cabrera wasn’t perfect, but Galarraga caught it with his foot on the bag.  Donald’s foot about half a step from stepping on the bag, but it clearly showed Galarraga had completed the 21st perfect game ever.  I’m not even going off replay.  That’s how I saw it in real time.  Donald is out.  Game over.

I’ll say that being an umpire, referee, official whatever they’re called in their respective sport is a hard job.  One that many wouldn’t be able to do.  Jim Joyce is now a household name as the man who took away a perfect game.  I like many who saw the play reacted with disgust, as the call was ruled “safe” wanted quick action as to punishing the umpire.  It’s one of those, I hate to say it, “unwritten rules” with umpires.  You don’t make that call in that situation.  Taking away a perfect game is near or right at the top I’m sure.

However, letting time pass to think about it and what this ultimately means for the sport that I love and appreciate more than any other.  I’ve come to the conclusion that this will help in the long run.  Making that call, umpire Jim Joyce will go down as the umpire that took away a perfect game and will usher in the expanded use of instant replay in MLB.  As much as I’d like to fight more instant replay in baseball, I can’t argue against it anymore.  Yes, I’m putting away my challenge flag.

The biggest argument I’ve made against having instant replay is the time factor.  How long will it take to review 2-4 close plays a game?  Baseball is trying to speed up the game, but by adding more opportunities for review will only slow the game down more.  Momentum will be affected and so on and so forth.  The other argument against it is what to review.  Will you want to review ball and strike calls?  Was the ball fair or foul down the line or on the bag?  Was the guy out trying to steal?  Where do you draw the line?

The likely scenario for expanding replay right now is for plays like we saw with Jim Joyce in Detroit.  Right now they can only review if a ball was a home run.  Whether it went over the wall, was inside the foul pole or if a fan interfered.  Now it will include close calls at every base.  There needs to be limits though; time to review the play, who decides to review the play(s)?  Limit the amount of reviews you can do during the game.  I don’t want the constant back and forth of checking and double checking these calls.  Put a cap on how often it’s done and leave it.

It won’t get any further than that.  Commissioner Bud Selig doesn’t want a lot of instant replay, but he does have to implement it for plays like this.  It takes an extraordinary event like a perfect game to wake baseball up and force them to take action.  Jim Joyce couldn’t feel more terribly about his mistake.

“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the (bleep) out of it,” Joyce said, looking and sounding distraught as he paced in the umpires’ locker room. “I just cost that kid a perfect game.”

Armando Galarraga couldn’t have been more sympathetic than he was.  When the call was made, all he could do was smile.  Not a single word, just a smile.  Galarraga received an apology after the game from Joyce and was very gracious about the whole situation.

“You don’t see an umpire after the game come out and say, ‘Hey, let me tell you I’m sorry,’ ” Galarraga said. “He felt really bad. He didn’t even shower.”

The way that both Galarraga and Joyce have handled this historic event, has been nothing short of amazing.  Galarraga has every right to be upset, but knows being angry won’t help anyone.  Joyce has every right not to talk about it and knows without saying it that he blew the call.  He’s done the opposite though in the 24/7 news age we live in to get out in front of it, own it and move on.  Admitted steroid users should take a page out of Joyce’s playbook.

It was a perfect storm that was brewing for a long time in baseball.  It would take a historic time in the sport, with the potential of 3 perfect games in a month happening to force baseball’s hand.  They have to act and whether it will work in the long run is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure.  What should have been a great moment turned into a spectacular moment.  Showing that the human spirit is to forgive and forget.  It was a game.  A game that children are playing.  Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga handled an explosive situation with class and dignity.  Turn the page and expand instant replay already.

Below are the standings as of today May 31,2010

AL East
1. Tampa Bay
2. New York
3. Toronto
4. Boston
5. Baltimore

AL Central

1. Minnesota
2. Detroit
3. White Sox
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland

AL West

1. Oakland
2. Texas
3. LA Angels
4. Seattle

NL East

1. Atlanta
2. Philadelphia
3. NY Mets
4. Florida
5. Washington

NL Central

1. Cincinnati
2. St. Louis
3. Cubs
4. Milwaukee
5. Pittsburgh
6. Houston

NL West

1. San Diego
2. LA Dodgers
3. San Francisco
4. Colorado
5. Arizona

You will notice a few surprises.  Mainly in the National League.  The Reds and Padres in first through two months?  Yes it’s true.  The Reds are riding on a good young staff that has a good closer to help protect their leads.  The Padres are finally taking advantage of their pitcher friendly ballpark.  Jon Garland, Mat Latos and Kevin Correia are having fantastic seasons. 

In the American League the Toronto Blue Jays are leading all of baseball in home runs by almost twenty of the second place team in that category.  Tampa Bay record wise is the best team in baseball, but I do think they are the best team regardless of record right now.  The Twins are starting to run away with the AL Central with only the Detroit Tigers as the lone threat.  The West is still up for grabs as neither Oakland, Texas or the Angels want it right now.

The biggest thing I think we can take away from the first two months though, is pitching.  The year started with a no-hitter from Colorado Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.  Since, Jimenez’s record is 9-1 with a 0.88 ERA in 10 starts.  Kind of reminds you of what 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zach Greinke did for the Royals last year.  Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden threw a perfect game on Mothers Day this year against the best team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays in Oakland.  Just a few weeks later, Phillies ace Roy Halladay tosses a perfect game against the Florida Marlins in Miami.  The last time you had two perfect games in the same season was, wait for it, 1880.  Crazy how rare it is.  If you count Mark Buehrle’s perfect game last year (also against Tampa Bay) that’s three perfecto’s in a calendar year. 

One thing I’ve noticed this year is that there are quite a few more instances than normal of pitchers going at least 7 innings with a no-hitter or a perfect game.  There have only been three so far, but something tells me that we will probably have two more before the year is over.  How’s that for a prediction.  Just remember where you heard it first.  I’ve always wondered this though.  If a pitcher has a perfect game going in the All-Star game, do you still keep him in?  That game is just around the corner.  It will be interesting if it happens there.

Just like the saying “there’s no crying in baseball” the same can be said for what Hanley Ramirez was benched for this past Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Going after a blooper in shallow left that could have been caught, he preceded to kick the ball into the side wall in left field at Sun Life Stadium (thank you Jimmy Buffet).  With that soccer like kick, the Diamondbacks scored two runs in the third inning that would eventually help them beat Florida 5-1.

After the top of the third, manager Fredi Gonzalez went over to Hanley.  They were seen talking to which Fredi was none too pleased and it resulted in Hanley sitting the rest of the game.  One would imagine that a player of Hanley’s caliber would be pretty upset about being benched, but would understand where the manager was coming from and wouldn’t take this any further.  Wrong answer.

“It’s his team.  He can do whatever he bleeping wants.  There’s nothing I can do about it.  That’s OK.  He doesn’t understand that.  He never played in the big leagues.” – Hanley Ramirez

With that manager Fredi Gonzalez shot back with this great come back.

“He’s right, but I know how to play the game.  I played six years in the minor leagues and I know what it takes to play this game and I know the effort it takes to play this game.” – Fredi Gonzalez

Now Hanley should realize that he’s in a lose-lose situation.  Public persona sees that you dogged that play.  Especially the way you were going after the ball after kicking it to left field.  However, to put in proper perspective.  In the previous inning, Hanley did foul a ball of his left shin.  To which one would understand why he couldn’t run down the blooper in the air.

“I wasn’t trying to give up.  That was the hardest I could go after the ball.” – Hanley Ramirez

But, why were you still in the game then?  I can understand you not diving for it like it’s Game 7 of the World Series, but when the ball hits the ground you don’t react to it by kicking it.  If you see anything other than a baseball, by all means kick it.  Mr. Ramirez still doesn’t get it though.  A cry by the media and fans for an apology resulted in this last gem.

“We got a lot of people dogging it after ground balls.  They don’t apologize.” – Hanley Ramirez

Not only have you alienated your manager.  Now your teammates have been thrown under the bus.  It’s not the first time he’s gotten into hot water with his teammates.  Last September Hanley and All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla got into a verbal confrontation when Hanley had left a game early due to a hamstring injury.  Now this could be connected to that.  Hanley not wanting to be seen as soft and deciding to play through injuries.  It also seems to me that Uggla is willing to give Hanley another chance.

“I think Skip needed to do what he needed to do, which was take Hanley out of the game at that time.  Does that mean we love Hanley any less?  No, we have all made mistakes.  We’ve all done things like, ‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have done that.’ But you move on, you move forward you get past it.”

Now hopefully this dies down quickly for this young, but very talented team.  Hanley is in the second year of a six year 70 million dollar deal.  He has to live up to it and the expectations of being a 30-30 hitter and gold glove defender at short.  The Marlins shutout the Diamondbacks today 8-0 without Ramirez in the lineup.  That’s a good start with Florida only 4 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place.  Hanley doesn’t have to apologize publicly, but he still needs to in private to his team.  Whether he likes it or not, he is considered a team leader and it must show if he is to be successful in this game.

27 up and 27 down.  That is the definition of perfection in baseball.  You go through the entire game getting every batter out in their 3 at-bats.  It’s rare that you get someone who has a story that is perfect for this kind of achievement and was being chastised by everyone for his “unwritten rule” blast on one of the games best players.  Dallas Braden (pictured above) pitched a gem against the best team in baseball the Tampa Bay Rays on a day in which he doesn’t look forward too very much.

Just a junior at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Stockton, California, Dallas was sent to live with his grandmother Peggy Lindsey.  His mother Jodie Atwood was diagnosed with skin cancer at the time.  Just a year later, Jodi succumbed to the disease and Dallas has since been playing with a heavy heart.  His grandmother Peggy has been the motherly figure for him ever since and it showed in the aftermath of him pitching only the 19th perfect game in MLB history. 

What cinches this story for me is what lead up to May 9, 2010.  In a game played on April 22, Oakland was hosting the New York Yankees.  During the game on a foul ball hit by Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez was running on the pitch going for third base.  When it was ruled foul, A-Rod took the quickest route back to first by cutting across the infield.  What he didn’t know was that Dallas Braden doesn’t take too kindly to someone stepping on the mound.  Braden was adamant in letting A-Rod know how he felt when the inning was over, but A-Rod wanted none of it simply waving Braden off.

I love the fact that a pitcher won’t take anything from hitters nowadays.  That’s old school baseball.  The kind I wish were still around.  However, Braden’s claim that there is an “unwritten rule” about stepping on the mound is a stretch.  A-Rod has done some stupid things i.e; screaming “HA” while running to third base on a pop fly to get someone to drop the ball, slapping the ball out of then Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo at Yankee Stadium, oh and testing positive for PEDs.  This isn’t even on the radar for me.  What I really loved was the back and forth between the two afterwards.

“He just told me to get off his mound. I was a little surprised. I’d never quite heard that. Especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career … I thought it was pretty funny actually.” – Alex Rodriguez

MLB Awards

NL MVP – 1B Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
His reign of terror continues on National League pitchers.

AL MVP – C Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins
You can add another batting title to his second straight MVP award.

NL Cy Young – Roy Halladay Philadelphia Phillies
With the lineup they have he will easily get 20 wins by late August.

AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee Seattle Mariners
He’s back in the AL in a pitchers paradise. Arguably the best lefthander in the AL.

NL Rookie of the Year – OF Jason Heyward Atlanta Braves
If he’s not on the Opening Day roster, he will be around in May hitting over .300.

AL Rookie of the Year – P Brian Matusz Baltimore Orioles
They will bring him along slowly, but his stuff is good enough to get him 10-15 wins.

NL Manger of the Year – Bobby Cox Atlanta Braves
The Braves return to the postseason will be a nice touch to a great career on the bench.

AL Manger of the Year – Joe Maddon Tampa Bay Rays
His baseball IQ is unmatched as he gets the Rays back into contention.

Postseason Projections

AL Division Winners – Angels, Twins, Yankees

AL Wild Card – Rays

NL Division Winners – Rockies, Cardinals, Phillies

NL Wild Card – Braves

ALCS – Angels vs. Yankees

NLCS – Phillies vs. Rockies

World Series – Yankees vs. Phillies

It isn’t like me to predict a rematch in the World Series, but I just don’t see it happening any other way. The Angels, Rays and Twins don’t have the pitching that will help them stop the offense of the Yankees. All the American League teams can hit, but the Yankees have the established pitching that they will need to get to another World Series.
Over in the National League it’s the same concept. Pitching will get you where you need to be this year. The Phillies have tremendous depth in the rotation and the bullpen has a question mark in Brad Lidge, but they will out hit most of their opponents to not even have to worry about the ninth inning.
I would like to pick Angels vs. Rockies, but to do that would do me a disservice. The Angels are my team, I will admit that, but they don’t appear to be ready to dethrone the Yankees. There is just too much of Jeter, Teixeira and A-Rod. Now with Curtis Granderson bringing youth to the lineup and Javier Vazquez now the fourth starter, the Yankees are without a doubt the favorites to win the AL pennant.
The Rockies are a great young team that will be contending as long as Tulowitzki, Hawpe and Stewart continue to produce. They have good depth in the pitching department, but not one person steps out and wows you. It will hurt them when they face off against the Phillies which still consist of Rollins, Utley, Howard, Werth and Victorino. You put Roy Halladay in the rotation with Cole Hamels and company and you have yourself a pretty good recipe for multiple World Series appearances.
All in all I don’t think the Yankees will repeat. It will be to the Phillies who with arguably the best pitcher in the game in Halladay, they now won’t have any trouble winning at least three games should it be a 7 game series. The Phillies showed they could match the Yankees hitting in the last year’s Series, but the pitching ultimately is what let them down. Can that all change because of one guy? Yes, if that one guy is Roy Halladay. Phillies in six games.