Tigers' pitcher Galaraga almost threw a perfect game last night. The chance was stolen from him when Jim Joyce the umpire made a mistake and called a runner safe whom the Tigers had gotten out. The replay confirmed the runner was indeed out and the game should have been over -- but the game continued. The reactions of fans, players, coaches, radio shows, have all been varied. The fans naturally booed -- and probably worse things. The players -- especially Galaraga -- simply smiled and shrugged it off, and got back to business. Tigers' coach Jim Leyland ran out on the field to fight the call -- but eventually submitted, and even announced today that Joyce was a great umpire - one who had given the game of baseball many great years. One radio announcer was on the opposite side of the spectrum -- calling for Joyce's firing, or at least suspension, and calling upon commissioner Bud Selig to use his power to change the call and give Galaraga the perfect game he deserved.
All this has got me thinking about what is the correct response to this sort of thing. Should we fight and argue and complain with all our might to get the call reversed and to assure that "justice is served?" Should we roll with the punches, shrug our shoulders, and realize its just a game and move on?
Anyone who knows me knows how I would have reacted -- but was that right? Should I too have gotten upset and frustrated and "fought a little harder?" Should seeking justice and truth be our priority, or learning to be content whatever circumstances life throws at us? Life is not fair -- everyone's mom has told us that from the beginning. Should we be trying to make life fair? Or should we be trying to cope with unfairness in life?
Or is this a false dichotomy? Are we to be doing both?
I would go with a false dichotomy. There is a time for both and that time overlaps. While Galarraga's reaction was indeed admirable, neither would it have been wrong for, as Jim Joyce put it, "all the things the (other) guys said."
ReplyDeleteI do know what your reaction would probably be. Similarly I've seen you get frustrated playing tennis on more than one occasion. And while I'll take the points if you give them to me (for foul language), I actually have little problem with the actions/reations I have seen from you on the court. It shows you care. It comes from high expectations. And it can help focus the mind. None of those things are bad, in fact they are all good, hence I have no problem with the frustration coming out so long as it doesn't go overboard or go on incessantly.
Jim Leyland's initial reation was hardly graceful, but he didn't carry it on needlessly. He did the right thing to fight for his pitcher who had himself shrugged it off. We should try make life fair. We should be passionate about the things we do. We should have high expectations for ourselves. We should do all we can to succeed. But as with everything, we need to find a balance. There isn't a definative line that we cross which says, "let it be" but at some point we do need to cope with unfairness or failures to maintain an acceptable balance lest we become insufferable.
"Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."