Detroit Tigers

Rick Porcello got kicked around again on Wednesday night. This has become a common occurrence throughout the 2010 season. Starting against the Chicago White Sox, he only lasted 3.1 innings, allowing eight runs. 

Porcello's season ERA rose from 5.25 to 6.09.

Just like in most of his outings this season, he looked extremely hittable. I know that is a subjective evaluation, but this is an attribute that he did not seem to possess in 2009.

With one out away from the third perfect game in a month, a blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce robbed Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga of his shot at immortality. If recent history is any indication, however, not having that one game may prove beneficial for both Galarraga and the Tigers in the long run.

Bud Selig is reportedly "very comfortable" with his decision not to award Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga with a perfect game.

Glad we could get that out of the way, Bud.

Professional sports' most aloof commissioner remains just that.  The other side of his aloofness (you know, aside from arrogance) is that he's also utterly out of touch with fans.

You remember fans, Bud?  The ones who used to follow baseball before your lockout.  The ones who used to follow baseball before they found out all of their heroes were juicing. 

Last year, Major League Baseball stepped up to the technology plate and adapted instant replay. However, these implementations were very minor.

Armando Galarraga was robbed of a perfect game, but won. Harvey Haddix pitched a perfect game, but lost.

Baseball is a funny game, Joe Garagiola liked to say, and he even wrote a book with that as its title.

Tigers pitcher Galarraga has been nothing but smiles since umpire Jim Joyce fleeced him in front of some 18,000-plus witnesses at Comerica Park Wednesday night, taking a perfect game from him in the biggest miscarriage of justice since Conan O’Brien got sodomized by Jay Leno and NBC.

Armando Galarraga could have been made an immortal Wednesday night.

But instead he becomes just another pitcher who flirted with a perfect game.

While it was clear to anyone who understands the game of baseball that Galarraga beat the Indians' Jason Donald to the first best bag; the man in blue didn't see it that way.

Yes Jim Joyce clearly blew the call. You can look at the play from any angle you wish and you still wouldn't convince myself and several others that Donald was safe.

In a fairly unsurprising move, Bud Selig has announced that he will not in fact reverse the blown call by umpire Jim Joyce that cost Armando Galarraga the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. 

Selig did say "that Major League Baseball will look at expanded replay and umpiring". This is an improvement over the current system in place, but it doesn't change the fact that a young pitcher has been robbed of baseball immortality. 

On June 2, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed.

Not robbed of a home run, but of a perfect game.

Galarraga retired 26 straight hitters, placing him one out away from a perfect game.

Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians stepped to the plate, the last chance to end perfection.

Donald slapped a ground ball between Miguel Cabrera at first and Carlos Guillen at second. Cabrera ran over to field the ball, backhanded it, and threw it to Galarraga at the bag. The throw beat the runner by half a step. A perfect game! Right?

Wrong.

With his spineless decision today not to right an obvious wrong, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig again showed his detractors why they are right about what a weak leader he is.

Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga had a perfect game going with two outs in the 9th inning when first base umpire Jim Joyce blew a call on a play at first involving Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians.

An obviously upset Joyce admitted after the game that he blew the call.