Umpire Jim Joyce set an example politicians should emulate. They never will.
Politicians could learn a thing or two from Jim Joyce, the umpire who stole the 21st perfect game ever from pitcher Armando Galarraga but they won’t. Even if you don’t care about baseball or sports, you probably heard about this. His botched call that turned an out into a base hit was a big deal. What might be more astonishing is the way Mr. Joyce handled it and the way Detroit fans reacted. Mr. Joyce did something elected leaders never do, he apologized. Detroit fans responded accordingly, they forgave him.
Wow.
If this happened in politics, it would go something like this:
Mr. Joyce’s spokesperson would issue a statement that while the umpire had committed ‘no wrongdoing’ he was sorry for ‘offending anyone’ and would conclude with some platitude about ‘loving America’s pastime.’ About a week later, he would have a press conference where he would assert his innocence, once again affirm his love of baseball and ask that we start focusing on the future of the game. A few weeks after that he might retire or take a sabbatical after citing ‘the need to spend time with my family.’ It is grueling life after all.
There are too many examples of the latter behavior to list them all. I love sports. I can watch almost any sport. At their best, sports celebrate excellence and achievement. For me, watching (and playing) sports is very cathartic. I pour my heart and soul into following the Mets and they break my heart every season but it’s all good because deep down I know that it doesn’t really mean anything. That’s why watching baseball players act so classy when our government leaders, whose work means a lot to all of us, cannot is so depressing.