Nobody’s Perfect, Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History by Armando Galarraga, Jim Joyce and Daniel Paisner; 2011; $24.00; 246 pages; Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, NY;
978-0-8021-1988-9; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Gresham; 7/5-7/6
Why did I pick this up? Because this was an part of baseball history and I wanted to know more about it. The umpire, Jim Joyce, lives in Portland and I had gotten his signature years ago.
What is the story? Armando Galarraga had a perfect game until the umpire blew the call on what should have been the last out of the game. What made this blown call different than any other blown call is the umpire’s admission of having blown the call, the gracious way Armando Galarraga accepted the umpires decision and the way the men came together. The story is told my Galarraga and Joyce in alternating chapters telling how they each arrived at that crucial point, how their lives led them to that encounter. They each tell of their memories of the incident and then of afterwards also. It is really a very frank book and each man should be congratulated for their integrity and graciousness. This is a game that will be remember far longer than the two perfect games that preceded it in 2010.
Did I like it? Yes, along with Mr. Paisner each man was able to capture their feelings and memories and share them with us. They are a couple of gentleman that I would like to share a dinner table with.
Grade-A
What is with the title of the review? Jason Donald was the player for the Cleveland Indians who was the runner in the infamous last not out of Armando Galarraga’s not perfect perfect game.