Depending on your perspective, baseball's response to the blown call that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game is either an example of what makes the sport so enduringly romantic, or hopelessly outdated.
Umpire Jim Joyce's blown call at first base on the final out of Wednesday's game, cost the relatively unknown Galarraga a shot at immortality. There have only been 20 perfect games in MLB history.
Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced Thursday afternoon he will not reverse the call.
Joyce, a veteran umpire with two decades of big league experience, called Cleveland's Jason Donald safe at first for what should have been the 27th and final out of the game, although the ball clearly beat him to the base by a step.
Detroit fans and players reacted with fury with boos reigning down from Comerica Park bleachers and players screaming at Joyce.
While fans took their outrage out on Joyce on Twitter and Facebook, the umpire's response was the epitome of grace.
With tears in his eyes, Joyce apologized to Galarraga for blowing the call after watching the instant replay.
"It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the sh-t out of it," a distraught looking Joyce said afterwards as he paced in the umpires' locker room. "I just cost that kid a perfect game.
"I missed the damn call."
Galarraga remained calm but disappointed after the call, and had kind words for Joyce after the apology.
"You don't see an umpire after the game come out and say, `Hey, let me tell you I'm sorry,'" Galarraga said. "He felt really bad. He didn't even shower."
Detroit manager Jim Leyland, who engaged Joyce after the game on the call, sounded a similar note after the apology.
"The players are human, the umpires are human, the managers are human," Leyland said.
Still, the blown call has many calling for Major League Baseball to expand its use of replays, which are currently only used to determine home runs.
The NHL and the NFL extensively use instant replays in their sports, while baseball only recently allowed for video replays for close home runs.
However, unlike those two leagues, baseball remains a much more conservative sport, where the game's enduring charm is partially based on allowance for human error and its respect for its roots.
Online reactions
On Twitter, where "Jim Joyce" was a leading trending topic, baseball fans were split in their reactions.
"Jim Joyce is honorable and admits his mistakes. I wish everyone else had the same ability," user Jeremy Reed said.
Others were not so kind.
"Jim Joyce will go down as one of the most infamous referees in history. Horrible call. Give him the perfect game!" Matthew Donovan said.
The call will no doubt follow Joyce for the rest of his career.
"I worked with Don Denkinger, and I know what he went through, but I've never had a moment like this," Joyce said, referring to the umpire who tilted the result of 1985 World Series on a blown call.
Denkinger never had to deal with Twitter or the Internet, however.
Joyce will be back to work on Thursday afternoon, behind home plate at the Detroit-Cleveland game.
In a show of good sportsmanship, Galarraga carried the lineup card out to Joyce before the game and the two men shook hands.
