Class

On Wednesday night, history was made, but not in the way two individuals would have liked. The Detroit Tigers were hosting the Cleveland Indians and the Tigers' pitcher, Armando Galarraga had to get one more out in the ninth inning to complete the 21st perfect game in major league history. He had faced 26 batters to this point and gotten 26 outs. Amazing stuff.

He pitched to Jason Donald who grounded to first baseman Miguel Cabrera who then tossed it to Galarraga who rushed over to cover first base. Jim Joyce, (who was born in my home town of Toledo) the first-base umpire called the runner safe when replays showed he was clearly out.

Being a lifelong Tigers fan, I was furious when I saw this. I was amazed though at Galarraga's reaction. He just smiled. Then the next day I was even more amazed at the graciousness, humility and class shown by both Galarraga and Joyce (I ENCOURAGE YOU TO WATCH THE ABOVE VIDEO - IT IS A MUST SEE!).

Armando Galarraga comes out to present the lineup card (a job typically done by the manager of the team) to Jim Joyce who is the home plate umpire. Joyce is totally choked up with emotion because he knew that he had made a mistake and cost this young pitcher a place in history. He is totally undone by this and looks totally humbled. And then there is Galarraga, who could be very bitter and angry, supporting this broken man with great compassion.

Total class in action from both of these guys. Totally amazing and beautiful to see!

Cocky or Confident?

Because Major League Baseball’s All-Star game is to be played tonight in St. Louis, I thought I would share a story I read in an email recently about the great Ty Cobb (of the Detroit Tigers). I find it pretty funny, although there is a great lesson we can learn from it.

No one liked Cobb – his teammates, opponents, owners or clubhouse boys; and Ty liked it that way. He sharpened his cleats, went out of the way to hurt the other guys (obviously) and was unusually cocky. And he rarely did interviews.

So when he deigned to talk to a journalist in the late 1950’s, it was a big deal. Then the question of players “today” being better than the players “back then” came up. The interviewer asked a grouchy old Ty Cobb, “What do you think you would hit if you were playing today, Mr. Cobb?”

Ty thought for a second and said, “Oh, about .285”.

A rare showing of humility from a lifetime .367 hitter. The reporter was thrown. “That’s all – really?” he stammered.

“Well”, snapped Cobb. “I am 71 years old…”

Some might view this as Cobb being confident in himself. That might be true; however, his track record is one of being pretty brash and cocky or arrogant. As a result, he was not very well liked.

This sort of prideful behavior not only doesn’t win you many friends, it also displeases our greatest Friend:

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this; They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5

Pudge

I was saddened this morning when I heard that Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez had been traded by the Tigers to the New York Yankees. Pudge came to Detroit 4 1/2 years ago and has really helped to turn the team around. Not only has he done this with his stellar play and great work ethic, but he has done it with class. It is no surprise that he is leaving the organization with that same classy style.

"My 4 1/2 years in a Detroit uniform were very good, very nice," Rodriguez said. "People thought Detroit was never going to be a winning team. And guess what? We played in the World Series. We hired a good manager, one of the best managers in the game. It's unbelievable."

I contrast that with words I heard from Manny Ramirez this morning that he spoke about his team, the Boston Red Sox:

"The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me," Ramirez said. "During my years here, I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them.

"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here."

Thanks Pudge for all you've done and thanks for being a great leader by example! I'll miss seeing you with the old English "D" on your chest.

A Magical Night

On Friday, our family of 5 went to Detroit to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers take on the Colorado Rockies. The entire evening could not have been better.

First, we arrived in Detroit just after a huge rain storm and we remained dry the remainder of the night.

Second, though we were the second row from the top of the stadium, we had great seats close to home plate.

Third, the Tigers played great and won 7-1.

Fourth, the fireworks after the game were incredible.

Fifth, and probably most important, we had a blast together as a family. I kept thanking God for this night. With my two oldest girls now 20 and almost 18, I was wondering how many more moments like this we would get to share as a family.

I did not hear one complaint or any bickering between our kids the whole evening (Connie and I were a different matter – ha ha). They got along so well and we all laughed often.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was our ride home late in the evening. We were all tired and a little punchy so we started telling “no arms and no legs” jokes. Yes, this sounds somewhat heartless. I can assure you we meant no disrespect to those with disabilities. We were simply having fun…and a lot of it. So if you are disgusted that we would say such things, please don’t read any further.

Here is a sampling of some of the jokes we told and made up on our ride home:

What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs…

…in the ocean? Bob

…hanging on the wall? Art

…in the mailbox? Bill
…on the front door step? Matt
…in a bun? Frank
…riding a bicycle? Rex (think about it)
…in a pile of leaves? Russel
…in a pot of boiling water? Stu

This is just a small sampling. But the greatest part of it all was the laughter that was shared among us. What a gift! Thank you Lord!

Pride Before The Fall

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride. It is something that I admit I have an issue with.

Others seem to as well.

I am a Detroit Tigers fan. I have been since I was very young. My grampa would pick me up several times each summer to head up to Tiger Stadium to watch the "boys of summer." It was great fun.

That was in the early '70s and they were pretty good back then. From that point on I was hooked. Then I lived through some very tough years. Until their great year in 1984, it seemed like we weren't out of April and I would already be saying, "Wait till next year!"

So when the Tigers are contenders that is exciting.

This past off-season, the Tigers' front office made some brilliant moves and acquired some all-star players to bolster their already talented team. Most experts were predicting them to contend for the World Series and some were even saying they were the best team in baseball.

I, along with other Tigers' fans, was excited.

We are now 7 games into the season. The Tigers still have a very talented lineup, in fact they have the second highest payroll in all of baseball behind the Yankees. However, the Tigers are the only team in baseball without a win.

0-7. Pitiful.

I think the Tigers may have been reading their press clippings. Once again, another example of the pride before the fall which is a great example for all of us.