MLB

Let me be the voice of reason here.

Nobody—not even Jim Joyce—is denying that he botched the biggest call of his life.

He has been nothing but apologetic about the mistake.

The New York Mets received bad news today on Daniel Murphy, finding that he will be lost for the season.

Daniel Murphy, who the Mets were prepping as a utility infielder in Triple-A Buffalo, suffered a "high-grade" tear of the cruciate ligament in his right knee, the team announced today.

Murphy was hurt while attempting to turn a double play.

The Mets say no surgery is required, but he is expected to be out four to six weeks.

If there is one thing that the 2010 season has shown the city of Baltimore, it is that the rebuilding process is far from over.

The Orioles need help in just about every facet of the game and since they can't dump money on veterans like the Red Sox or Yankees, the draft is where they can add talent.

While baseball prospects take a few years to grow (this is why the minors are called 'farm systems'), the products can be just as effective.

Just look at the Tampa Bay Rays and all they accomplish.

Like any kid who grew up in Pacific Northwest in the 1990's, I idolized Ken Griffey JR.

He was everything that was right about the game of baseball. He had more fun than anybody on the field, always smiling with his signature backwards ball cap. His non-chalant swing seemed to launch homeruns that, to this day, still have yet to come down.

We felt like we grew up with him, like he was one of us. Just a big kid who loved to play a game. Our game. Baseball.

Where would we be without him? Would I be the die-hard fan that I am today?

So what’s it like to attend a perfect game and have the umpire blow the call on the final out on a bang-bang play at first base?

The New York Mets have reported that Daniel Murphy has a high grade MCL tear. Murphy is expected to miss the next four to six months. Murphy however will not need surgery.

This eliminates any chance that Murphy will be traded at the deadline for pitching help this year.

Having gone through a severe knee injury myself, I know that Murphy has a long road to recovery ahead of him. He will need to work hard in physical therapy to return to where he was.

Hopefully Murphy will be able to surprise us and recover quickly. He may be able to make it back in late September.

On June 2nd, 2010, Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game. The first in the Detroit Tiger's illustrious history. 

This 28 year-old native Venezuelan didn't pitch a perfect game, though. At least not according to the record books. 

Jim Joyce, the firstbase umpire that night, called the runner safe. On the last out, in the last inning, of what should have been a perfect game.

The day we thought would never come has arrived. Ken Griffey Jr. retired from Major League Baseball. We have watched Ken Griffey Jr. do things unlike any ballplayer in history. Twenty-one years and 630 home runs later, one of the greatest centerfielders of all-time is finally hanging them up.

Ken Griffey Jr. has given us a lifetime's worth of baseball memories. Some of the best highlights in all of baseball over the last 20 years feature Ken Griffey Jr. From all of his countless great moments, here is a look at the 10 best moments of Ken Griffey Jr.'s career.

Did Armando Galarraga pitch a perfect game or didn't he?  

And if he did, so what else is new? Good for him.

And if he didn't, so what?  The umpire at the plate giveth;  the umpire at first base taketh away.

Yawn.

Next.

When I was growing up in the '90s, there was one guy who every young baseball player wished he could be: Ken Griffey Jr.

He made baseball more exciting than anyone else in the game and kept my short attention span focused on a slow-paced sport.

I remember playing wiffle ball in my backyard, imitating Griffey's swing, even though I was right-handed—that smooth left-handed swing with the one-handed follow-through, the prettiest swing in the history of baseball.