"... I have no regrets about being here. I'll never look back and wonder."- Roy Halladay
I believe I speak for us all when I say: we have no regrets either, Doc. Regardless of the high quality of prospect porn we receive in return. None. It's been a pleasure.
When I embarked on Mission: Doc, to watch every home Halladay start, this past summer, I had no idea this season would be Halladay's last in Toronto. The mission was simply something to do. The best pitcher in baseball, tossing in my hometown, and I can be in attendance for $10? Even I, a not-so-handsomely paid journalist, was all over that shit.
Life - a friend's wedding, the passing of my dear Grandmother, an extra shift or two at work - intervened along the way. As it always does. In the end, I took in 13 of 18 Halladay starts. I spent a lot of time at the SkyDome. I spent a lot of my hard-earned money on overpriced beer. And it was worth every penny. You will never hear me say, or read that I've written: "I wish I would have seen Roy Halladay pitch more often." No regrets. Truly The Greatest Blue Jay Of All-Time.
The tributes - The Tao of Stieb, Hum and Chuck, The Blue Jay Hunter, Go Jays Go - are beginning to roll in and, in what will I think be a trend amongst Toronto writers, it isn't about the statistics. It never was. It's about what Doc stood for. For the franchise. For the city of Toronto. As Dirk Hayhurst so eloquently put it, baseball is about more than "just a bunch of numbers," and there's nobody who personifies that statement more than Roy Halladay.
Thanks for the memories, Doc. A quietly-crazy baseball town mourns your departure, and wishes you nothing but good fortunes; wishes you nothing but the ring you so covet. It's nothing personal, just business. It had to be done. I get it. Life is all about timing, and ours simply didn't match up. Get yours.
12 comments:
When John MacDonald continually got the loudest ovation of the night despite Roy Halladay straight up dealing on the mound on one visit to the Skydome, I sort of gathered that it would take a Halladay trade for many fans to appreciate just how rare a pitcher like Roy was in baseball.
Halladay was our trump card to continue on cheering for crowd favourites. We all knew the Terminator was there to back them up. They could fail, but Roy wasn't allowed to and that's pressure we unfairly gave him, but to his credit, Halladay embraced it.
Every win that brings him closer to the ring makes our respect for Roy Halladay even stronger.
Only if we had a winning team for the Doc.
onthefencesports.blogspot.com
Through being a regular reader of this site, I also really came to appreciate Halladay and what he meant to Blue Jays fans. He is a stud of a pitcher, a real warrior and not only that, but a class act all the way. It's sad that the fans couldn't keep him where he was, but it's also a great thing that he leaves with everyone's respect and good wishes. That's a true talent.
On the bright side, the Blue Jays are freeing payroll for other moves and will get some really good prospects that should excite the fans down the line.
Here's hoping Roy finds that ring in Philly. And on a related note, I hope all of the other teams who missed out on Doc come to realize they made a mistake.
Doc is the greatest. Every Jays fan will miss him, and no matter how damn high quality porn the prospects are, I will still think Roy Halladay is a Blue Jay
Also, i'm happy he didn't go to the Bronx Buttheads. Once you go there you can never redeem yourself
13 of 18 Halladay starts at The Dome? You are a King among men for watching that many Doc starts.
As tough as it is, the trade needed to be done - I don't think I could handle another year of "this could be Doc's last start".
I will miss him and there is no player greater on the field or in the community than Roy Halladay.
Goodbye Doc... we will always be rooting for ya... he deserves a ring more than anybody in this league
Long live the good Doctor, boys.
I was really looking forward to catch some Halladay starts at the dome this year. Hopefully we'll get to see one come June.
Doc is forever a Jay so there's no need to ever remove him from your banner.
Doc's been the focal point of the blog's banner since we started this gangster shit. It's going to be strange, replacing him. I think I'm going to set up another poll, with an option to leave Doc up there for the 2010 season. The other four options will be Vernon Wells.
I nominate Ramon Castro. It makes sense...
Tough one to take......reality bites.
I'll miss you greatly Doc. A class act and a Blue Jay drafted and developed player, what more can be said. Your the greatest of competitors, the most consummate of professionals and will be in the hearts of Jays fans forever.
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