The Week that was...

There it is. I'd like to first start by saying that I don't think ALL the animosity towards Jim Joyce is fair. In my opinion the ball was still moving a little bit when Galarraga caught it, so everybody should hold their horses just a bit. Do I think that he was out, yes. Was it as close as everybody said it was, no.

That being said (for all the Curb Your Enthusiasm watchers), WHAT A TERRIBLE CALL?!?!? I don't care if it was close or not, you still have to call that out. Jim Joyce had to be saying to himself that if it was close, it was an out, no matter what. And nobody would have argued. To just jack a perfect game away from a completely mediocre pitcher is absolutely astounding. What the hell was he thinking?? Even if it was one of the more unimpressive perfect-game bids in history, with just 3K's and a ton of ground balls, it was still an amazing game by Galarraga. To get through 28 batters on just 88 pitchers with 3 K's means 2 things: a.) It's just his night and he was feeling it. b.) He got lucky as hell.

From the baseball perspective, I'm actually very happy that Bud Selig didn't overturn the call despite it being in his power to do so. Aside from the fact that it would have opened up a whole can of worms as far as making calls retroactively, it's just not good for the game. Letting the call stand was the right thing to do, and instituting replay on calls like these is the wrong thing to do. I'm furious enough as it is that they have the home run replay. As maddening as it is to have a fantasy player have a home run robbed from him, it's just not a part of the game. Baseball has always prided itself on being judged to the fullest based solely on the human element. Umpires are an integral part of the game, and they are completely qualified to make these judgement calls. I would trust the commissioner to remove them from duty if they weren't.

Onto other news and notes:
- Great series played by the Reds and Cards. I don't know why the NL Central has become a big topic of discussion on the blog, but I always feel obliged to comment on it. These two teams are very good baseball teams.

- Ubaldo Jiminez will not keep his ERA under 1 or win the 30 games he's on pace to. It's too impossible for him to do because he pitches at Coors. That being said, he sure did make Lincecum look silly on their Memorial Day tilt. While he's clearly the best pitcher in the NL right now, I don't think he will be in the top 3 at the end of the season: Wainwright, Lincecum, Halladay.

- Orioles fire Trembly. Who cares? This is a lost season already for the O's. They might as well bring Reimold back up and pray that they have a good draft. They need it, and they'll have the first pick in next year's draft.

- Bravo!- The Atlanta Braves are now playing great baseball. This team may be one of the most complete teams in the NL, offensively and defensively. Their pitching has been pretty good. Even poor old 0-7 Kenshin Kawakami has only allowed 5 earned runs in his last 3 starts. This team has really turned it on, and while I think the Phillies are too good to lose this division, the Braves could make it very interesting. I will note that my 23rd round Troy Glaus pick is making me look veeeery good. Their hot hitters vs. the Dodgers hit pitching should make this weekend's tilt one of the most competitive series of the weekend.

- The Diamondbacks haven't won in June. Granted it's only June 4th, but considering they also lost their last 8 games of May, things aren't looking too good. It's really ashame that this offense has so much pop, but the pitching has been terrible. Their acquisition of Dontrelle Willis perfectly encapsulates how desperate this team is for pitching. I wish I was a professional writer so I could think of something truly brilliant to properly insult the Diamondbacks for making this move.

- Cliff Lee needs to be traded. When you strike 50 guys out and walk only 4 and pitch for one of the worst offenses in baseball, it's clear what should be done. The guy just wants to win, and he can't do it for this team. All of the Mariner's top prospects have turned out to be busts and they have gotten rid of them: Adam Jones, Wladamir Balentein, and Jeff Clement to name a few. They need to trade Lee to get something in their farm system.

-Speaking of the Mariners, I think that Ken Griffey Jr. did one of the most noble things I've ever seen on a baseball field. For him to call it quits right now was doing a huge favor to the Mariners. He's been a classy guy for his whole career and this was no exception. I don't think it's embarrassing at all, he realized he didn't have it and he gave it up. He had some of the most prolific seasons in major league history and has done it all completely clean (at least I really hope so).

- Red Sox Red Hot- With the Buchholz/Lester 1-2 punch coming up tonight and tomorrow, look for the Red Sox to continue their hot streak. They've won 12 of their last 16, and it's because of these two as well as the hitting really stepping it up a notch. I bet most readers don't realize that Adrian Beltre is hitting .332 and has been a success in the Red Sox lineup thus far this season.

Everybody have a great weekend. Sorry the posts haven't been as regular lately. Check back every weekend for updates. And PLEASE become a fan of the blog.