The best thing I saw last week: The right way to handle a controversial call

There is a lot to love about local sports. But not all of it can fit in our postgame stories.

Before moving to Bemidji, I covered sports in the Detroit Lakes area. Perham hosted one of its massive cross country meets, featuring hundreds of runners from around the state. It was one of the first events I covered in the area.

What made the Perham cross country meets unique was how many people they could fit in Arvig Park. It felt like the town would double in size on those days. Middle schoolers ran in a shortened race before the high school kids lined up at the start of the course.

In my old position, I shot my own photos. While I’m thankful I can lean on more qualified photographers now, shooting cross country events was usually painless. The course had the runners make a loop near the finish line before disappearing into the park’s treeline. Runners then returned to the finish, giving me two chances to get the shots I needed.

The varsity racers would start as the middle schoolers were finishing. As I was near the finish line, I noticed a younger kid from Little Falls struggling to finish his race. He was a special needs student-athlete and ran his race with an assistant.

During these races, people crowd the finish line once the varsity runners clear the halfway point. The Little Falls student ran down the home stretch in front of a few thousand people. He turned on the jets and sprinted the last 100 meters. It was such a pure moment, and I had absolutely no reason to write about it.

There’s no way to fit the scene of a middle school runner from Little Falls finishing a race I wasn’t covering. But sometimes, as a sports writer, some things just grab me and make me feel compelled to share them with others.

A few days later, I started a column series called “The best thing I saw last week.” It’s as simple as it sounds – highlighting moments that don’t always show up on a box score but have a reason to be shared with people who appreciate them.

Since moving to Bemidji, I hadn’t had a reason to write one of these until last Monday, May 22. A controversial call by an umpire at the Bemidji High School baseball game led to a refreshing appreciation for officials.

The Lumberjacks led 4-1 in the top of the fourth inning. An Elk River baserunning blunder pinned an Elk in a pickle between third base and home plate. A rally of throws led to the runner being tagged out to end the inning. Except the out was not called, and the runner was awarded home plate due to an interference ruling by a Bemidji fielder in the baseline.

Words were exchanged between BHS head coach Mike Fogleson and the umpire. I couldn’t hear what they were exactly, but I wouldn’t call them pleasantries.

The Jacks got out of the inning with minimal damage, pushing forward to an 8-5 win. Without the victory, Bemidji isn’t the top seed in the Section 8-4A Tournament, and Mike Fogelson has to wait another day to earn his record-breaking win.

I talked to Fogelson after the game about the call, and his answer was perfect.

“The umps called a good game,” he said. “There’s a lot of intensity, and the umps did a great job. At the end of the day, you have to support the call. I have my thoughts (in the moment), but the ump is right, and we have to support that.”

The best thing I saw last week was a needed response during an officiating crisis. There aren’t enough officials in Minnesota right now. It’s a problem that’s impacted sports at all youth levels. It’s a trajectory that could see major consequences in just a few years. Without officials, kids don’t get to play.

I gave Fogelson a chance to speak his mind on the matter last Monday, and I think it’s an approach all athletes, spectators and coaches should consider. Fogelson disagreed with his ruling in the moment, but he recognized the situation. He respected the umpire's decision and regrouped his team for the final three innings.

Respecting officials doesn’t mean fans have to agree with every call blindly. But instead of shouting profanities and dragging a human under the bus for making a human mistake, having a more mature perspective can make all the difference.

I don’t know if the right call was made in that play on Monday, and I don’t really care. But I do know that Fogelson had the correct response to the situation.