Baseball fan or not, you have likely heard about the blown call heard ’round the world.

Another painful recap, in case you haven’t:  On June 2nd Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga pitched baseball’s 21st perfect game.  Almost.  Due to a blown call at first base, on the last batter of the game, he will never receive credit for it.

For those of you who care little about baseball, pitching a perfect game means no hits, no walks, no one on base. Since 1876 there have been 392,358 Major League Baseball games played, this would have been just the 21st game that was perfect. Think about that.

This may be  a reach (ok, it is), but I believe there are some parallels here for social media marketing. The events of the game and subsequent actions of those involved is a modern parable for anyone using social media and business.

The Setting
Galarraga had retired 26 batters in a row.  The 27th batter had hit a groundball to the gap between first and second base. Not quite routine, but not out of the everyday for a major league first-baseman. The throw, to Galarraga covering the base, beat the runner by a step. It was not a close play.

The Action
First-base umpire Jim Joyce, inexplicably called the runner safe. This split-second decision-making is a cornerstone of umpiring baseball. Watch a play, process it, quickly make a call. With no instant replay capability, like the NFL for example.  Outside of homeruns, the call stands. No amount of arguing or post-call reflection could change the call.

As is common in baseball, on questionable calls, players and coaches will argue with the umpire over the call. Oftentimes vehemently, oftentimes with the umpires giving nearly as much as they get. In this instance, Joyce aggressively defended his call, arguing and swearing just as much as Tigers manager Jim Leyland. You could tell Joyce felt he had made the correct call.

Meanwhile, Galarraga acted with complete class. Shaking off the nearly incomprehensible call to toe the rubber and retire the final batter of the game. He did not argue, he did not pout.

The jawing with umpire Joyce, Tigers coaches and players continued after the game. Again, it was obvious that Joyce felt he had made the correct call.

The Post-Game Review
Within minutes Joyce had watched a replay and determined he had blown the call. He immediately took full responsibility, and went as far as apologizing face-to-face to Galarrage outside the team clubhouse. Something unheard of being done by Major League Umpires.

“I just cost that kid a perfect game,” said Joyce, who became a full-time major league umpire in 1989 “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

The Review from “Above”
Many immediately began clamoring for Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to overturn the call, and award Galarraga his perfect game. Going to the highest power in the game for a do-over of sorts, created a scenario for opening a HUGE can of worms. While it would not have set precedent, the infamous George Brett pine-tar incident was reversed, it would have added a twist of epic proportions.

What is the Parallel?
Despite all the training, experience and acquired knowledge, those participating in social media on behalf of their business are going to make mistakes.

It’s not so much the mistake that is made, but the subsequent actions that define the ultimate outcome. In some cases, effectively addressing a mistake can create positive feelings. Case-in-point, Joyce was voted as the game’s best umpire, less than two weeks after the infamous call.

When you make a mistake, own up to it. Acknowledge it.  Apologize if you need to. Don’t run and hide, don’t blame others, and don’t be afraid to show your emotions.

As a boss (in this case Selig), don’t make your team feel gun-shy about participating. Is every move going to be right? No, but by not micro-managing, you give them freedom to participate. Provide training, and set guidelines if necessary to work towards preventing a gaff and support your team.

How do you handle mistakes?

Tags: baseball, social media mistakes, social media policy

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 1:54 pm and is filed under Digital Marketing, Inspiration, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.