Hey commish, where's YOUR class?

Armando Gallaraga knew that the runner was out.


He knew that that was the 27th out of his perfect game.


Jim Joyce paused for a moment, then gave the safe signal. Fans cried out in fury. Everyone was stunned. Gallaraga's face bore a look of shock for about a second. What happened next was unthinkable.


He didn't swear. He didn't shout. He didn't make a gesture to the ump. He didn't say a word. Instead, Gallaraga did the one thing that we would not expect any professional athlete in the world to do if placed in his frustrating situation.


He smiled.


After the game, when we can assume, almost beyond doubt, that replays had been viewed again and again, Gallaraga was interviewed. This was his chance. He had the opportunity to create even more of a stir than the one already created by criticizing Joyce's call. He didn't. Instead, Gallaraga defended the umpire, stating that "Nobody's perfect" and making a point of the apology that Joyce issued to him. Gallaraga was not angry. He showed up to the interview looking calm, cool, even happy.

Happy?! After losing a perfect game? What's wrong with this guy? He is a professional athlete playing in the United States. Smiling and forgiving isn't how it's done here. When you lose your tennis match, you beat your racket and make a death threat to the line judge. When your goal gets waved off, you give the official a mouthful. If someone takes a cheap shot at you, you fight back and then use your postgame interview as a chance to bash them.

In a sports world where temper-tantrums thrive, Gallaraga handled his situation very well.

Jim Joyce showed class as well. After viewing the replays, Joyce issued a tearful apology in which he admitted that he blew the call and stated, "I just cost that kid a perfect game."

After Gallaraga and Joyce did their part, a third man had the opportunity to show some class, and, while he was at it, some brains and some guts.

But he didn't.

Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, had the power to review and, if he decided to, overturn the call. For a while it looked like he might. But after a few hours of hype, all hope vanished when Selig stated that the call would stand, despite the fact that Joyce himself admitted it was wrong. Selig did say that the league would think about adding instant replay for more than just home runs.

For years, professional football has far outshined other sports in both ticket sales and TV ratings. Part of that has to do with the fact that people enjoy the fast-moving game. Part of it has to do with the once-a-week, 16-game schedule. But the guy in charge also has an impact.

Roger Goodell differs greatly from Selig. Goodell is not afraid to make a move. That's what makes him a great commissioner. Selig, on the other hand, seems to be too afraid and timid to take action in any situation. When complaints surfaced about the unfairness of the overtime system, Goodell changed it almost immediately. If only the same could be said about Selig and instant replay. Rather than submit to the millions of cries for it, Selig has attempted to use the same strategy he used to deal with steroid issues: Ignore it.

Sure, we finally did get somewhere now, but only as the result of a ridiculous incident that cost a pitcher a perfect game. And remember, nowhere in his statement did Selig state that they would expand replay. If Goodell were in charge, chances are that he would've already expanded the system to prevent this kind of thing from happening. But he's not.

Instead, baseball is stuck with a commissioner every bit as clueless as the NHL's Gary Bettman. Selig's argument for not allowing replay for more than just home runs is weak. His argument for not giving Gallaraga the perfect game is weaker. In doing so, the only people Selig satisfies are the handful of diehards who believe that one should not "alter the course of history".

Of course, there's the people who say "Well, what about all the other games?" But if that's the kind of logic we should use, then I guess that's cool. While we're at it, let's ban the use of helmets in professional hockey. I mean they're great for preventing injuries and all, but what about all those players who never got to wear them?

For a brief moment, there was hope that the MLB commissioner would follow Joyce and Gallaraga's leads. Then it vanished.

Curse you, Mr. Selig.