Is it ever made public when umpires are reprimanded for screwing up?

For instance, when Jim Joyce blew Armando Galarraga's perfect game?

Or last season when Laz Diaz was in the way of Allen Craig while he was rounding first base, causing Craig to miss a ton of games?


It doesn't seem like these guys are ever reprimanded for making ridiculous mistakes.


In my opinion Jim Joyce should have lost his job for the Galarraga call. He robbed the kid of history. Robbed him of a moment that people would have talked about for hundreds of years.

Are sanctions against umpires ever made public? And no, I'm not talking about them failing a drug test either.

Hundreds of years? LOL

jeff_bichel said:

Hundreds of years? LOL

Click to expand...

In Detroit, yes. Jim Joyce robbed him of history.

Cy Young pitched a perfect game in 1904. Over a hundred years ago. I watched an E:60 just last night that talked about it. There's you're 'hundreds of years' comment.

In Detroit, had this happened, in 2115, there would still be Tiger fans talking about it in some capacity.

I think once or twice umpires have been fired and the circumstances made public when there was some sort of gross misconduct apart from actual gameplay. But consequences from blowing a call or being out of position on a play isn't brought into the public arena. However, umps are graded on various merits and rewarded with All-star game and playoff duty. Someone seriously misses a call or causes an injury to a player, you can be pretty sure that umpire won't be at home plate if that team makes the Series.

To be fair to Joyce, he blew the call and stood up for himself like an ump should until he saw the video and then was completely open in his failings and regrets. The way he and Galarraga handled the situation probably ensured it would be remembered far longer than an actual perfect game.

smapdi said:

To be fair to Joyce, he blew the call and stood up for himself like an ump should until he saw the video and then was completely open in his failings and regrets. The way he and Galarraga handled the situation probably ensured it would be remembered far longer than an actual perfect game.

Click to expand...

Yes, I know after the fact this was a feel-good story, and everyone was in love with it. But it still doesn't change the fact that an enormous egregious human error by someone who is supposed to be one of the best in the game, and highly respected by his peers, screwed the pooch, and some kid who may never be in this situation again.


Joyce came out and said that he missed the call, but that doesn't make anything right. That doesn't reverse the terrible call and give this kid his perfect game, in which he deserves.

That's the problem I have. Is that he robbed the kid of history. He robbed the Tigers of history. He robbed the Tigers fans of history.

And he should be held accountable. And he should be held accountable publicly, so if the fans do not believe the sanctions are good enough they can raise some hell and make the punishment more harsh in the future.

I take your point, sir.

Hey Mario, have you ever made a mistake at work? It happens. Punishment should only occur in the way of no playoff participation, all-star game, and being fired in the case of a history of sub par work. One mistake shouldn't warrant anything.


Ogando, Michael Young, Leonys Martin and all Texas Rangers

my favorite "reprimand" is when the league office admits a mistake in umpiring was made but of course nothing can be done about it after the fact. I can't recall any ump being fine an undisclosed amount or punished in some fashion (albeit when an ump gets in the face of a player to continue or escalate a disagreement, the ump should be fined IMHO).

Bootstraps9 said:

Hey Mario, have you ever made a mistake at work? It happens. Punishment should only occur in the way of no playoff participation, all-star game, and being fired in the case of a history of sub par work. One mistake shouldn't warrant anything.

Click to expand...

To be fair to Mario, there's a big difference between screwing up a perfect game and ringing up a 6-piece McNugget instead of a 10-piece.

Super Mario said:

Yes, I know after the fact this was a feel-good story, and everyone was in love with it. But it still doesn't change the fact that an enormous egregious human error by someone who is supposed to be one of the best in the game, and highly respected by his peers, screwed the pooch, and some kid who may never be in this situation again.


Joyce came out and said that he missed the call, but that doesn't make anything right. That doesn't reverse the terrible call and give this kid his perfect game, in which he deserves.

That's the problem I have. Is that he robbed the kid of history. He robbed the Tigers of history. He robbed the Tigers fans of history.

And he should be held accountable. And he should be held accountable publicly, so if the fans do not believe the sanctions are good enough they can raise some hell and make the punishment more harsh in the future.

Click to expand...

I don't think umpires should be taken to task by their employers or punished publicly. They are going to make mistakes just like everyone does in their jobs. I certainly don't feel the fans feeling should be considered when punishments are decided upon. That sounds more like a torches and pitchfork type of approach.

Super Mario said:

That's the problem I have. Is that he robbed the kid of history. He robbed the Tigers of history. He robbed the Tigers fans of history.

Click to expand...

Galaragga is more famous because of the blown call. Otherwise he'd be another Philip Humber or Dallas Braden; long forgotten.

vwnut13 said:

Galaragga is more famous because of the blown call. Otherwise he'd be another Philip Humber or Dallas Braden; long forgotten.

Click to expand...

This

ccouch (Chad) said:

To be fair to Mario, there's a big difference between screwing up a perfect game and ringing up a 6-piece McNugget instead of a 10-piece.

Click to expand...

Very true. One has a fiscal effect on someone, and the other is the answer to a trivia question. A perfect game is not a significant world event. I love baseball, but in the end it is just a game. An ump messing up a perfect game or gifting a no hitter (Johan Santana) is unfortunate, but either way the next day everyone is the same. If you overpay at mcdonalds, you are now worse off than you should be because you both are mcdonalds and paid too much.


Ogando, Michael Young, Leonys Martin and all Texas Rangers

Love this thread and thought this might be relevant: Imperfect: How a Blown Call has Defined Our Generation

Some seem to forget that balls-strikes/out-safe are all judgement calls made by the umpire. All judgement calls can not be appealed to another umpire unless no call is made at the time of judgement or another infraction occurred to make the call different than what it should be. Because of the Joyce error, we now have replay of certain calls. Baseball went a lot of years with judgement calls, good and bad and everyone agreed when they entered the league to accept the umpires decision of every pitch/play of the game.

Joyce screwed up, he maintained his position on the field as he should have. When the game was over, he saw the replay, he knew he'd blown the call. He admitted it, said he was sorry and meant he was sorry. The Tigers celebrated like Galaragga got the perfect game anyway. In Detroit, he'll always have a perfect game.

Does anyone outside of Cincinnati still talk about Tom Browning's perfect game? Nope, cant say that any other ball park Ive been to where I was bombarded with Tom Browning perfect game questions. Has his perfect game made his cards increase in value? Nope. You can buy his rookie cards for $0.05 and if you have one autographed, $5.00.

Fordman

Super Mario said:

Yes, I know after the fact this was a feel-good story, and everyone was in love with it. But it still doesn't change the fact that an enormous egregious human error by someone who is supposed to be one of the best in the game, and highly respected by his peers, screwed the pooch, and some kid who may never be in this situation again.


Joyce came out and said that he missed the call, but that doesn't make anything right. That doesn't reverse the terrible call and give this kid his perfect game, in which he deserves.

That's the problem I have. Is that he robbed the kid of history. He robbed the Tigers of history. He robbed the Tigers fans of history.

And he should be held accountable. And he should be held accountable publicly, so if the fans do not believe the sanctions are good enough they can raise some hell and make the punishment more harsh in the future.

Click to expand...

Jeez, so emotional. Joyce owning his mistake and Galarraga being a grown-up about it doesn't fix it, but "sanctions" would? History is what you decide it is. In every discussion of perfect games from now on, Galaragga's game will be brought up for special attention, just like Harvey Haddix's. A perfect game is great, but it's one game. How many Indians fans get all misty-eyed about Len Barker? Or Angels fans about Mike Witt? I've been a Phillies fan for 40 years, and I've never heard anyone say so much as,"Remember Bunning's perfecto? Boy that was really something." Yeah, he should've been a perfect game, the ump blew the call. Fire the ump and sue him for a million dollars. There, that makes it all better.