Armando Galarraga teaches us a lesson we all need

I'll admit, my first reactions to the blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce were no where near Armando Galarraga's as he lost his bid at a perfect game. Armando just smiled wryly, stepped back up on the mound, and threw five more pitches to get the 28th out of the game. Armando could have thrown his mitt in disgust, charged up to Jim Joyce, yelled at him, and then complained to reporters after the game. Instead, he smiles, calmly walks away, and goes about finishing the game.

Then after the game when asked about the blown call, Armando responds, "Nobody's perfect." He wasn't being sarcastic or trying for irony with that statement. He was genuinely compassionate for the umpire and what he was going through knowing that he blew the biggest call in his career.

As I said on Twitter last night -

Ya know, we all make mistakes in our jobs. I'm glad my mistakes aren't broadcast on tv, radio, and the internet.

There is a lesson buried amongst all of the angst and anger we Tigers, and baseball fans in general, are feeling this morning. It was the ultimate show of not just good sportsmanship, but it was a lesson in how we should all react to adversity in our own lives.

Rather than ranting and raving when things don't go our way or when we feel that we were wronged we should take a page from Galarraga - smile wryly, stand up straight, and with a look of determination - get back to it and do the best we can.

Sailboats at Mackinac Island

This is yet another slide I have scanned from the box of old slides from around Michigan in the 1950s and 1960s. Still many more to come. The image of sailboats on the water kind of spoke to me of summer and with the recent summer weather we have had and it being Friday and all I thought this was appropriate to post today. View more of these slides from around Michigan

Do you have plans for Memorial Day Weekend?

Memorial Day Weekend is always thought of as the unofficial start to summer and with the warm weather this week if even feels like summer. I know a lot of folks will be heading to one of Michigan's beautiful state park campgrounds for a weekend of camping. The forecast would appear great for the droves of people looking to hang out at the beach. We don't have any big travel plans, but that's okay. I have a bunch of work to finish in the garden and other various projects that I want to get knocked out before we really ease into those lazy hazy days of summer.

We'll most likely have a cookout, stand and clap for the local veterans in the Memorial Day parade, and head out to one of the area cemeteries for a Memorial Day Service headed up by the local VFW. How about you? What are your plans?

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The Mackinac Bridge under construction ca. 1956

Included in the slew of old photos I found quite a few gems from Michigan's past. There are about 16 or 18 shots of the Mackinac Bridge during its construction in 1956, the year before it opened. Watch a slideshow of all of the photos I have uploaded so far -

Sailboats at the docks on Mackinac Island, September 1959

This is another great shot that I found in a box of old slides that were purchased at an estate sale. I love the reflections on the water. I have added more slides from Mackinac Island and the Holland Tulip Festival from the late 1950s to my Flickr account. Coming later this week - photos of the Mackinac Bridge during its construction. There are some great ones!

Photo of Downtown Detroit from 1957

This is one of many great old photos that I am in the process of scanning from slides. An entire box of slides purchased at an estate sale has yielded a treasure trove of pictures from all over Michigan during the 1950s. I'll be posting many more as I get them scanned. For now, you can view them at the All Things Michigan Flickr page. I love all of the old cars and the colorful signage of this shot. However, I have no clue as to where in Detroit this would have been taken. I know the photo is from 1957 and the beautiful park might help determine a location.

Anyone have a guess as to where in Detroit this was taken?