Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is many things. One of them, apparently, is a huge baseball fan.

The outspoken Venezuelan leader praised the grace of the Tigers’ Armando Galarraga and umpire Jim Joyce in his weekly radio and television programs.

Chavez called for a round of applause for the Venezuelan pitcher during his weekly TV and radio program, saying “everyone knows he pitched a perfect game.”

“From here we salute Armando,” Chavez said.

Chavez also called umpire Jim Joyce “noble” for his handling of the situation.

“The umpire was wrong … but, well, the umpire is the umpire,” the president said.

The president also recalled moments from his days as a baseball player himself; he mentioned walking his mentor Fidel Castro and striking out slugger Sammy Sosa.