Leave Jim Joyce Alone!

OK, after being bombarded with Jim Joyce hatorade today, I took a nice long look at the perfect game that wasn't.

If you live under a rock, MLB umpire Jim Joyce is the latest official embroiled in controversy (refer to earlier article, about three or four under this one). Detroit pitcher Armando Gallaraga was one out away from a perfect game (first one in Detroit franchise history and the third this season). He needed only one out, and Joyce prevented that from happening. Judge for yourself below:

((Image HT:MLB Network))

However, Joyce did something most umpires that suck DO NOT do: he admitted he was wrong. He admitted to Gallaraga he blew it. He gave the guy a hug.

UMPIRES ARE HUMAN! Even Detroit skipper Jim Leyland admitted that "players are human, umpires are human, and managers are human."

Did the call suck? Yes. Is Jim Joyce the Anti-Christ? No.

As a fellow umpire, I've seen my fair share of close calls. Have I gotten them all right? Hell no. Have I given my best every time I put on the blue? You damn right. Jim Joyce has done that his entire career (2 World Series games, several playoff games, a couple of All-Star games), and one call shouldn't haunt him his entire life.

You want to be mad at someone? Be mad at Uber-Selig for not reversing the call. He has the power to overturn Joyce's bungled call and give Gallaraga the perfect game. He said no. All Uber-Selig said today in a press conference is that MLB is looking into expanding the use of replay. Didn't even mention the blown call.

I loved the quote St. Louis Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa gave the AP:

"I was thinking if the umpire says he made a mistake on replay, I’d call it a no-hitter, perfect game. Just scratch it. If I was Mr. Selig, in the best interest of the game. The guy got it and I’d give him his perfect game. But here again, I should just shut my mouth."

Bad calls are a part of the game. Selig could have used his power to fix it. He did not.

Be mad at Uber-Selig. In my opinion, Jim Joyce is one classy individual for how he handled this situation. I do not hold this one call against him. If we were all perfect , then life would be boring.

Get off of Joyce's back. Get onto Selig's. Write letters. Send emails. Pick up the phone. Call your congressman. MLB screwed this one up more than Joyce did.

I'm not usually this deep, just deep in it.

Strasburg Update: The Last Triple-A Start

((HT: Buffalo News/Harrington))

The Second Coming, aka Stephen Strasburg, threw five shutout innings to lead the Syracuse Chiefs to a 7-1 win over the Buffalo Bisons before a crowd of 14,774 in his last minor league start before his anticipated major league debut on June 8th.

Strasburg threw 89 pitches, 54 for strikes, and hit 99 mph on the ballpark radar gun six times. His fastball reached at least 95 mph on 49 pitches.

He finishes his minor-league tour with an ERA of 1.30.
He posted a 1.08 mark and 4-1 record in six starts with the Chiefs.

FOSG Mylous Hamilton go to do the quick turn-around fan piece...
((HT: WIVB-TV))

Boise State Thinking Mountain West Move...?

((HT: KTVB-TV Boise))

Or the Mountain West is thinking of adding Boise from the Western Athletic Conference- take your pick on how to look at this one... as they are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming through the weekend...

Brian Murphy at the Idaho Statesman looks at the tea leaves currently being brewed at the Mountain West Conference meetings.

"If you're going to explore conference membership changes, you have to look at what brings significant value," Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said. "When we added TCU, we did it for one reason, to strengthen the league. . . . If it strengthens the league, expands your television markets and enhances scheduling opportunities, you must do your due diligence and be proactive in preparing for the future."

Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser is looking at Boise to the Mountain if others skip out on the conference when all hell breaks loose...

The kicker: Boise State would have to give notice to the WAC by July 1 if it intends to leave for the 2011 football season.

So there...

The Sports Department at Channel 7 thinks about the move...

Giroux OT Winner Closes Cup Series To 2-1

Claude Giroux scored on a deflection at 5:59 of the first overtime to give Philadelphia a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Flyers now trail the series 2-1 and can even things up in Friday’s Game 4.

Chicago entered the game with a seven-game road winning streak. Philadelphia had won five in a row at home and lost only once in eight playoff games at home this postseason.

Here's the game-winner for the Flyers...
Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson on the call...
((HT: CBC/NHL/Fel0096))

Ump Blows Tigers Perfect Game, MLB Investigating Overturning

Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers lost his bid for a perfect game Wednesday night with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admitted he blew.

Here's the play in question and subsequent on-field discussion
((HT: FSTigers/jkeep31895))


Joyce regretted what he had done on the field...

"I just cost that kid a perfect game," Joyce said. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay."

"It was the biggest call of my career."

Tim Kurkjian discusses on the four-letter...
((HT: FSTigers/MLB/ESPN))


Galarraga almost became the first Tigers pitcher to throw a perfect game...

Here's Tigers postgame, thanks to our friends at WXYZ-TV in Detroit...


UPDATE: Major League Baseball was still deciding whether to review Joyce's blown call. Commissioner Bud Selig has the power to reverse it, but he would likely consult with his top advisers before making such a ruling.

DEVELOPING STORY: Griffey Junior Retires With 630 Homeruns

((HT: KING-TV Seattle))

Ken Griffey, Junior told the Seattle Mariners that he was done playing professional baseball, and manager Don Wakamatsu made the announcement before Seattle faced Minnesota.

"While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction," Griffey said in a statement.

"I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be," he said.

Known, probably, more for either falling asleep during a game and missing a pinch-hitting opportunity ((or not)), The Kid was hitting only .184 with no homers and 7 RBI this season. He retires with 630 homeruns and a lot of people thinking what could have been if he had been healthy for even a fraction of the 714 games he missed while a player.

Here's Wakamatsu reacting to the announcement...


And here's Junior making Ichiro stick to a chair...
((HT: MLB/sporto10101010))

Williams Named HSFB Coach of the Year

((HT: AJC/Swartz))

The HQ has trumpeted Greenville ((GA)) High School Jeremy Williams and his family as those we should all look up to as they fight ALS ((Lou Gehrig's disease)) with dignity and grace.

Here's part of their special episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
((HT: ABC Television))


Rightfully so, Jeremy can now add another couple of lines to his resume: National High School Coaches Association "Coach of the Year" for the sport of football- the year after John McKissick from Summerville ((SC)) High School got the award.

Here's your press release quote:
“The coaches we honor are outstanding examples for successful high school coaches in their sports,” said Bob Ferraro Jr., NHSCA executive director. “They place a high value on the teamwork skills their players learn for success in the classroom and on the field and we are proud to be honoring them.”

The HQ knows it couldn't have been given to a more worthy person...
And, yes, we're being partial...

Canseco In DC Talking To Clemens Grand Jury

Jose Canseco was interviewed in the Justice Department building in Washington DC this morning.The interview went all afternoon with Federal officials including Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Butler.

Canseco stands by the affidavit he filed concerning the 1998 Clemens-Canseco barbeque, his presence there, and the idea that Canseco stands by his assertion that he never saw or gave Roger Clemens steroids.

Former Clemens trainer Brian McNamee testified he saw the two of them talking at the barbeque, and after that, Clemens brought up the idea of taking steroids.

ESPN's Mike Fish caught up with Jose in DC...


Fish's full interview with Canseco is here...

IndyCar Heading To Baltimore For 2011

((HT: WJZ-TV))

The Baltimore Grand Prix is will roll out for August of 2011.

Something called "The Baltimore Racing Development" formally announced that the city will be part of the IZOD IndyCar Series. It will take place on a 2.4-mile street circuit around the city's downtown Inner Harbor area.

The race will be the Indianapolis-based league's only event in the mid-Atlantic region.

The announcement was made after a Baltimore City Council resolution and a vote by the Maryland Stadium Authority to formally throw support behind the idea of the race.

This comes a few days after Austin, Texas was added to the schedule- to the tune of an 8-figure backing.

Weijia Chang got to do her liveshot downtown to explain...

Stosur Upsets Serena At French

The top-ranked player on the women's side, Serena Williams, loses in the quarterfinals- blowing a match point in the process- and losing to Australian Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-7 (7-2), 8-6.

A 12-time Grand Slam champion, Williams won her only French Open title in 2002 and hasn't been to the semifinals since 2003.

"I guess it's a redundant story with me," she said. "It was my match, and I lost it."

The upset was the second in a row for the 7th seed. Stosur ended four-time champion Justine Henin's French Open winning streak at 24 matches in the fourth round.

Here's your postgame from Stosur...
((HT: French Open/WTA/murcet))

Joe Barry Carroll Lawsuit Can Go Forward

((HT: AJC/Rankin))

A lawsuit that claims Joe Barry Carroll and an Atlanta lawyer-friend of Carroll were kicked out of an Atlanta restaurant because they were black will go to trial.

U.S. Magistrate Janet King has rejected the idea by the restaurant to dismiss on the grounds that Carroll and his friend, Joseph Shaw's, civil rights were violated. But Shaw and Carroll didn't get out of court unscathed. King criticized them for making unsubstantiated allegations in their briefs and dismissed two other claims.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash will get the case next.

The whole idea behind the case is that the two were at the bar at the Tavern. Two women, who were white, wanted to sit at the bar. The bartender offered Carroll and Shaw free drinks to move, but they chose not to do so.

It came out in discovery that the restaurant has ((kind of)) an unwritten rule, as divulged by a former employee, about making sure that more attractive women need to be showcased to draw in more attractive women and "desired clientele"- so to speak...

Here's your JBC flashback with the 1987 NBA Playoffs and the LA Lakers...
((HT: NBA/NBATV/Turner Sports/tjhunt76))

Sadistic Sadie now Fraudulent Sadie...

You might be asking based on the title what it is that we are talking about. Well, you should. Apparently the president of the Cincinnati Rollergirls Roller Derby team is now guilty of committing wire fraud.

Mercedes Stafford, team president and also a skater who goes by the name "Sadistic Sadie" was once an employee of United Airlines, based at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. She apparently illegally obtained 525 airline tickets for friends, family and teammates.

More from WLWT.com RIGHT HERE

((Mercedes "Sadistic Sadie" Stafford//Courtesy: wlwt.com))

This all took place between May of 2007 and October of 2009. It apparently cost United Airlines between $400,ooo and $1 million according to the court documents.

Stafford/Sadie could be punished for up to 20 years, fined upwards of $25o,000 and up to 3 years of supervised release.

Not good for the young lady. Unfortunately, it makes one wonder how well "Sadistic Sadie" will translate in the prison yard? Just sayin'.

Check out some Roller Derby'in that we found on You Tube:

Federer Out At French In Quarters

Robin Soderling rallied past defending champion Roger Federer in a quarterfinal, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. That ended Federer's record streak of reaching the semifinals in 23 consecutive major events.

It'll be the first Grand Slam semifinal that doesn't have Federer in the last six years...

Federer beat Soderling in last year's final. Before Tuesday, Federer was 12-0 against the big-swinging Swede, winning 28 of their 30 sets.

Here's one of those points that just reinforced that it wasn't going to be Federer's day... even with a little slice action from Roger...
((HT: Eurosport/taur1n))

Roethlisberger Returns To Practice

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger returned to "team activities" ((aka "practice")) this morning after being cleared by the NFL last Thursday.

Roethlisberger participated in the first of three Steelers workouts scheduled for this week this morning.

Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon were active today. Byron Leftwich is not present because he was excused due to a prior commitment.

Paul Martino was on the South Side to see him throw said football...
((HT: KDKA-TV))

NASCAR Drivers Do It Faster...???

Get arrested back-to-back that is... and the HQ is fairly certain that Mike Helton will not put that slogan on a T-shirt for sale at events...

A former NASCAR/Winston West Series driver has been accused of rape only a few hours after wrapping up a two-week stay in jail after a high-speed chase back on May 17 put him in there the first time.

The Orange County ((CA)) Sheriff's Department says James Edward ((Jimmy)) Neal ((Pictured, thanks Orange County Sheriff's Department)) was put back in jail Monday for "investigation of attempted rape and false imprisonment."

Neal allegedly went to the home of a woman he met just once- a few weeks before Monday night- and was arrested around 6AM after deputies responded to a report of a man and woman fighting.

Bail was set this time at $1 million.

The perpetually-attractive Sharon Tay tosses to Edward Lawrence who has an interview with the alleged victim in this case...
((HT: KCBS-TV))

Davone Bess Goes Good Samaritan

((HT: 790 The Ticket via Brooks RSS))

Jorge Sedano has a morning show on 790 The Ticket in South Florida. And, as most morning drive programs are, it's local interview-driven.

This morning, Sedano had Dolphins wide out Davone Bess talking about anything and everything- including an accident that happened while they were talking.

The exchange is at the 62:38 countdown mark...

Bess actually had the presence of mind to: 1) Call 911 to interrupt the interview ((which was the right call to make)), and 2) Call back to finish the interview.

Class work... Here's some video evidence of Bess' handiwork when he's not helping out at accident scenes...
((HT: NFL on CBS/UHGPY72))

London Marathon Winner DQ'ed For Short Cut

A 69-year-old man who ran the London Marathon in a record time for his age group has been disqualified for taking a 10-mile shortcut.

Anthony Gaskell finished the April 25 race in 3 hours, 5 minutes, the fastest ever for the over-65 age group.

Gaskell said he dropped out in the middle of the race because of injury and walked to the finish, cutting out part of the course. He said he never claimed to have won the age-group race and didn't check the results on the website.

Paul Bentley's piece in the Daily Mail has a quote from Gaskell: 'I simply walked through a short cut to the end of the course where my belongings were waiting for me. I had no idea that anyone thought I'd won.

'I didn't bother to check the website for the final standings because I knew I had dropped out.'

London Marathon organizers confirmed that Gaskell had been disqualified and 66-year-old Colin Rathbone declared the over-65 winner. Rathbone finished the race 38 seconds behind Gaskell.

Kinda reminds the HQ about this incident in Boston 30 years ago...
((HT: mtb3241))

Tyreke Evans likes to drive fast...

Tyreke Evans of the NBA's Sacramento Kings moves fast. So fast in fact, that he ended up being the best rookie in the NBA this past season.

However, apparently, young Mr. Evans also likes to drive fast. So fast, that the California Highway Patrol clocked him at over 100mph on I-80 on Monday night.

More from the Sacramento Bee RIGHT HERE

((Photo: Tyreke Evans//Courtesy: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images))

Apparently Mr. Evans was in a hurry to get to a local park to play a game of basketball. The CHP was not amused. They finally caught up to him at the park and performed a felony stop since the Mercedes that Mr. Evans was driving had dark-tinted windows and they couldn't see in.

The good news for Evans, he was very cooperative and apologetic and wasn't under the influence of any substances. The bad news, he's now got a reckless driving ticket on his driving record.

The story from KXTV-TV/News10.net:

Softball Player killed after a Tournament...

((ht: cincinnati enquirer))

The star player on a Northern Kentucky men's Softball team was killed over the weekend in front of a restaurant near the tournament his team had just finished playing in Louisville, Kentucky.

The leftfielder for the Northern Kentucky "Good Guys", Bryan Stevenson was assaulted by four men who were causing trouble with his friends outside of Barbara Lee's Kitchen in Louisville.

The newspaper story from the Cincinnati Enquirer is RIGHT HERE

((Bryan Stevenson photo//Courtesy: wlwt.com))

According to reports, Stevenson went to help his friends when the four men jumped him.

The Louisville area men, Donald W. Hays; David A. Pryor; Justin M. Werner; and William L. Schindler are being charged with murder and assault.

More on the story from WHAS-TV in Louisville:

Daniel Carcillo is a big hitter....oh...Chicago wins Game 2 as well

((ht: fanhouse))

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Memorial Day night to take a 2-0 lead in the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup.

The game was markedly different from Game 1's shootout, with both teams showing a much stronger defense and an overwhelming propensity for big hits.

Perhaps the biggest hit in the game...came in the first period when Flyers enforcer Daniel Carcillo tried...key word being tried...to drop the big one on Chicago's Tomas Kopecky. He missed.

Check out the video of what happened, it was much better then any game highlights we could show you.

Thanks You Tube: