While there's little to compare between what's now the biggest oil spill disaster in U.S. history and a blown call that negated a perfect game for one young major league baseball pitcher, I can't help but think that British Petroleum should take a lesson from Umpire Jim Joyce. Source: Associated Press After being shown the replay that clearly proved he should have called Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald out at first, Joyce immediately called for a private meeting to Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga to personally apologize for his colossal mistake, then went to the press to publicly do the same. He didn't need to consult with management or his lawyer - he simply did the right thing. Not wanting to stop there, Joyce suited up for the next day's game despite being given the option by Major League Baseball to skip it, and walked out onto Comerica Park to the jeers - and some applause - of the home town crowd. In doing so, he endeared himself to an audience (myself included) that can relate to being in a position where they failed in a most visible way, despite their best efforts. Source: Getty Images BP, on the other hand, didn't fess up to owning the ongoing Gulf problem until public opinion came out overwhelmingly against their initial "finger-pointing" tactic of trying to displace the blame in part, if not full, towards their subcontractors Halliburton and Transocean in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in early May. The multinational conglomerate is now in the midst of an aggressive marketing campaign pledging that it will do whatever it takes to makes things right. While that may very well be true, many among general population believe that their current actions are born more out of necessity than altruistic reasons. Herein lies the lesson for BP and Corporate Communications practitioners. In a crisis, companies should articulate all the facts involved and own up to their mistakes early and with full sincerity, even if the circumstances surrounding an incident are still being investigated. The costs in doing otherwise will be far greater. Jim Joyce knew that instinctively. I wish other organizations and individuals did as well.