It takes a great deal of character stregnth to apologize quickly and out of the heart, rather than out of pity.  A person must possess himself and have a deep sense of security in fundamental principles and values to genuinely apologize.

-Stephen R. Covey

They Got This Call Right

Baseball is near to my heart,  but I really enjoy the ‘human’ aspect of most sports, the people behind the stats.

Last year I wrote about an incredible juxtaposition of sporting events, and unexpectedly, tonight the story continues. 

After viewing a most despicable display of poor sportsmanship by adults at a local lacrosse tournament, and lamenting the reaction I saw on younger, impressionable fans, we came home to the news that with 2 outs in the 9th inning, an ump blew a call, costing the pitcher the holy grail of pitching, a perfect game.

After the game, incredibly, the umpire, Jim Joyce was in tears, apologizing, knowing what he cost that pitcher. 

In turn, and even more surprisingly, the pitcher,  Armando Galarraga could not have been more gracious. Their mutual respect towards each other, and their goodness in handling a bad situation well, and with grace brought tears to my eyes.

Today, it was announced that this very umpire, who was a well-respected member of the umpiring crew before this event-was voted best umpire in major league baseball by the players themselves. And it wasn’t a squeaker, either; he received 35% of the vote, almost double what the next vote-getter received.

There are lots of lessons here, and all of them good. Thanks, MLB players-you got this call right.