Add the following group to the list: 16 students and their professor, retired New Jersey Superior Court judge Lawrence Jones, have sent an 82-page paper to current Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred arguing for Galarraga’s inclusion on the list of perfect games.
Galarraga, who retired from baseball and now resides in Texas, was so moved by the effort that he convened a Zoom conference with the children to share his experience and express gratitude. “What they’ve accomplished is incredible,” he told the Asbury Park Press by phone last week. “I’m astounded.” The project’s objective is not only to assist Galarraga, though that is undoubtedly its primary objective.
As Gabriella Griffo, a junior enrolled in the course, put it, “it’s about how malleable legislation is. When you address the junction of legal and social principles, it struck me as a textbook topic for study and discussion. You’re learning how rules are made, how rules are interpreted, and the concepts of justice and equality – this scenario is identical to a great many areas of law.”
The students’ essay argues that Manfred should use his authority to correct a glaring injustice, using both non-baseball case law and instances from Major League Baseball’s history.
