Turning a blind eye?

The literary collaboration between former Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce — who famously blew the call that cost a perfect game — is interesting on several points. I believe this is the first such venture between an active player and umpire, which leads to all sorts of ethical questions such as, can Joyce be behind the plate in a game when Galarraga is pitching? This article from HardBallTalk points out that

There is no questioning the ethics of Joyce and Galarraga. Both men proved their character – and then some – last year. But Price is correct on this. It’s about appearances, and you can’t have an umpire calling games in which the pitcher on the mound is his business partner. As Price points out, MLB has already dealt with a similar situation, as umpire Jim Wolf is not allowed to work behind the plate when brother Randy Wolf is pitching. The same rule should now be applied to Joyce and Galarraga. And if the D-backs put Galarraga in the bullpen, then Joyce should not be allowed behind the plate in any Arizona games.

Why no games at all? Because it is easy enough to skip an umpire’s turn behind the plate for a starting pitcher, but it’s more probable that Galarraga will ply his trade for his new team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, out of the bullpen. So then what?Could Joyce vacate his home plate spot for the duration of Galarraga’s stint, then return? I wonder if either of them — or anyone involved with the project — gave this any thought. I just finished reading Valerie Plame’s Fair Game. As a former employee of the CIA, she had to sign a confidentiality agreement, submitting her manuscript to the bureau. The finished product was heavily redacted, almost to the point of absurdity (some spots, where the redaction was brief, reminded me of Mad Libs, where it is up to the reader to fill in the blanks.) My point it, there is obviously no such mechanism in place where it comes to active umpires.

According to Fanhouse, “An MLB spokesperson [said] that the league is looking into the arrangement between Galarraga and Joyce to see if it needs to take schedule precautions to avoid having Joyce work the same games as Galarraga”

I haven’t seen an advance copy of the book yet (it’s due out in May), but really, what will it say that we don’t already know? The pitcher was hurling a gem. The umpire blew the call at first base. Everyone knows it, including the umpire. The umpire acts nobly, admitting his error rather than making excuses, for which he is applauded. The two parties shake hands at home plate the next day and all is forgiven.

I can picture the product: alternating chapters about each figure, dramatically building to the moment. A capter at the end about the knee-jerk reactions from fans and sports pundits (fire Joyce, install instant replay). There. I’ve saved you the $25.

To be fair, I certainly will read it and perhaps amend my premature comments.