http://www.detnews.com/article/20100603/METRO/6030471/1361/Lawmakers-urge-MLB-to-overturn-bad-call-for-Galarraga Michigan politicians are lining up to support Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga who lost out on the designation of pitching the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball Thursday night after an admittedly wrong call by umpire Jim Joyce.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said via Twitter that no matter what the ump said, she was declaring he pitched a perfect game. Granholm followed up on her promise this morning, issuing a proclamation from the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac [size=100%! important][color=darkgreen! important]Policy[/color][/size] Conference.
"I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby declare Armando Galarraga to have pitched a perfect game, and I join Tigers fans all across the globe in saluting his unassailable accomplishment -- the first perfect game in Tigers history," the final stanza of the proclamation declares.
Granholm has been invited to appear tonight on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC to talk about the situation. Olberman saw Granholm's Twitter post this morning about her resolution and tweeted her back asking her to be on the show.
Also on board: Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, who commented on his Twitter.com account this morning he's drafting a resolution for consideration by the [size=100%! important][color=darkgreen! important]House[/color][/size] of Representatives that would recognize Galarraga's accomplishment.
In a release, Dingell said he hoped the resolution would help make a case for Major League Baseball to reverse the admittedly wrong call by Joyce.
"[size=100%! important][color=darkgreen! important]Jim [size=100%]
Joyce
[/size][/color][/size] missed the call, but because he admitted it, we have a leg to stand on in our case to Major League Baseball," Dingell said. "Baseball's executives have corrected a mistake on the field in a regular season game -- before the pine tar game. This is the right thing to do and if getting this resolution passed makes it easier, I'm glad to help."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, also weighed in this morning, saying she wants MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to invoke the "best interest of the game" rule.
"Last night's performance deserves its place in the record books," Stabenow said in a statement. "It is clear that Commissioner Selig should make an exception in this case and invoke the 'best interests of the game clause' to reflect Armando Galarraga's perfect game for the Detroit Tigers."
Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs weighed in today on the story, too. Said Gibbs: "I hope that baseball awards a perfect game to that pitcher."
But by the time Gibbs made that statement in his press briefing, the news broke that Commissioner Bud Selig will not reverse Joyce's call.
A reporter informed Gibbs, who responded: "They're not going to do it?"
Then he quipped: "We're going to work on an executive order."
Joyce apologized to Galarraga and hugged him after the game, and the pitcher accepted the words graciously. The two were back together today before the next game between the teams, meeting at [size=100%! important][color=darkgreen! important]home[/color][/size] plate as Galarraga gave Joyce the Tigers' lineup card. Joyce wiped away tears when he took the field.
"I think it's tremendously heartening to see somebody understand that they made a mistake and somebody accept the apology from somebody who made that mistake," Gibbs said. "I think that's a good lesson in baseball. It's probably a good lesson in Washington."
Gibbs said he had not talked to President Barack Obama about the matter. When asked if he was speaking on behalf of himself or the president in saying what baseball should do, Gibbs said to some laughter: "I'm speaking with the full weight of the federal government."
