There is no place for politicians in sports: Thoughts for the Day, July 8, 2026
There is no place for politicians in sport
As a sports official for over 50 years, I have learned there is no place for politicians, parents, administrators, and athletic directors to get involved in decisions made by the officials during a game, no matter how egregious they think an official’s decision was. Officials are as much a part of the game as the players. We make mistakes just as players and coaches make mistakes. It is part of the game. Sometimes the mistake goes unnoticed, sometimes it may have affected the outcome, sometimes it is in a playoff game and it allows one team to advance and another team to be eliminated. It happens in every game.
With that said, in all my years of officiating, I never had a call overruled or overturned by anyone other than my partner officials (and that was only if I agreed) once the next play took place. Never following a game.
As a reminder, I take you back to June 2, 2010, the day of the Detroit Tigers; Armando Galarraga’s famous “28-out perfect game” took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan
In that game, Galarraga, pitching for the Detroit Tigers, retired the first 26 batters he faced against the Cleveland Indians. The bid for a perfect game was ruined one out short when first-base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Indians batter Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball. The Tigers went on to win 3–0. Galarraga retired the next batter to complete his shutout.
Immediately after the game, umpire Jim Joyce admitted his mistake on the call after watching a video replay of the call. Even with Joyce’s admission, and even in today’s game, video replay would have reversed Joyce’s call. Galarraga has not received credit for a perfect game or a no hitter by the MLB, despite intense lobbying by fans, sportscasters, and baseball officials.
As former Tiger pitcher Milt Wilcox said the day after Galarraga’s gem, “A perfect game means everyone has to be perfect, including the umpires.”
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There is no place in sports for what Trump did with FIFA.
Trump’s involvement in FIFA’s decision making reminded me of the 1972 Olympic men’s basketball gold medal game. During regulation play Team USA defeated the Soviet Union by one point, but the Soviet Union was awarded the victory after play was repeatedly extended. The final three seconds of the game were played three times under questionable rule interpretations, leading to an ultimate victory by the Soviet team. The result of the game is disputed to this day, with widespread allegations of political corruption.
I remember feeling cheated because of the corruption involved in contributing to the USA’s first ever loss in men’s Olympic basketball.
That is why there is no place for what Trump did with FIFA and the World Cup.
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He loves them. He hates them. We have no idea what he thinks or what his strategy is for the Iran war.
Last month, Trump had nothing but nice things to say about the Iranian leaders. “We’re dealing with people that I think are very rational people. And they were nice to deal with.” He described them as “strong people, smart people,” who were not “radicalized.” They were just loyal Iranians, “and they’re, you know, looking to help their country.”
This morning, Trump was asked whether the memorandum of understanding with Iran, the document that was supposed to provide the foundation for negotiations, was dead. Trump hesitated a bit and said: “That’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t wanna deal with them anymore. They’re scum, you know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people. And they’re vicious, violent people.”
I have gotten to the point, that I can only read about Iran for three minutes before I lose interest. I have learned that what I read at 8AM will change by noon. In the meantime, the MOU is up in the air, and the Strait of Hormuz is closed for shipping. FUBAR.
Quick Thoughts
· The Detroit Tigers’ 21-year-old rookie Kevin McGonigle is having one of the best rookie seasons I can recall. Last night, McGonigle set an MLB rookie record for reaching base multiple times in a game on 53 occasions prior to the All-Star Game, breaking Aaron Judges record from 2017. McGonigle ranks fourth among MLB position players in WAR, he’s seventh in on-base percentage (.395), and he is one of only nine qualified hitters in the majors this season with more walks than strikeouts. He is laying off of pitches out of the strike zone 79.3% of the time, which is the best in the MLB. McGonigle gets my Orchid of the Day
· Because of the overturning of the official’s call by FIFA allowing USA striker Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium, the USMNT was put in a no-win situation. If they won the game, they would be accused of cheating by the rest of the soccer world. The controversy caused by FIFA was a major distraction and the USMNT played like it. They played their worst game of the tournament. Belgium on the other hand, played like a team on a mission. They played their best game of the tournament and dominated from start to finish.
· After multiple bad experiences with the local Ford dealer in Petoskey, I took my 2017 Taurus SHO to Bill’s Standard Auto Repair for a second opinion about what needed to be done. Bill’s called me later in the day, explained what was wrong and what needed to be fixed and when. They indicated there was no need for an immediate fix and the cost estimate was $2,500 less than the Ford dealer. As result, I scheduled my repairs for early November when they can have the car for two days and it won’t interfere with my golf game. When I went to pay for today’s service, they said the evaluation was free of charge. I know where I will be getting my cars serviced from now on.
· Fourth of July in Petoskey is a great experience that lasts for multiple days. We were able to spend it with Katy, Brad, Alaina, Nolan and Kaylen from July 1 until the end of the Petoskey parade Saturday night. We loved every minute of their time here. It was non-stop activities including golfing, eating, swimming, fireworks, parades, golf ball hunting and multiple trips to Kilwins. On Monday morning, I overheard a woman in Meijer say to a friend that Fourth of July in Petoskey is more exhausting than Christmas. Leah and I agree.
Contact your Congressperson
Contact your congressman by following these easy steps This can be done in a few easy steps
Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov
Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.
Step 3: Click the button “find your representative””
Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.
Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.
Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
Quote of the Day: “There is nothing patriotic about demanding a country admire itself so loudly it can’t hear its own past.” Shanley Hurt writing for Mary Geddry’s blog about the censorship going on at the Smithsonian by the Trump administration
Orchid of the Day: Detroit Tiger Kevin McGonigle
Onion of the Day: FIFA and Trump. What they did was an embarrassment for FIFA and the World Cup.
Question of the Day: Since June 1, the Tigers have the best record in the MLB, will they be able to continue at this pace and make the MLB playoffs.
Lyrics of the Day: Was it somethin’ I said or something I did?
Did my words not come out right?
Though I tried not to hurt you
Though I tried
But I guess that’s why they say every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Lyrics of the Day for July 1, 2026. We got Tonight by Bob Seger
Video of the Day: One of the best catches I have ever seen. Riley Greene going all out.