RIP Roy Halladay

[beginish]

We lost him in a plane crash today.

He gave this Phillies fan some incredible thrills. Perfect game. Playoff no hitter. Good man. Gone too young.

 

[Porgy Tirebiter]

This one hurts...
“Doc” was one of those athletes you really did look up to and admire. Not just for being a great pitcher, but for his strong work ethic and professional bearing. I saw him pitch three times at Skydome and when you saw him live you appreciated how fast he worked. Throw the ball, get the ball back, throw it again. If you dawdled getting to a Jays game (and Toronto is filled with dawdlers), and showed up to take your seat fifteen minutes late for a Halladay start, you probably missed three innings.
Halladay pitched for some not very good Jays teams, but he always went out to win. When the anti-Doc, “fan favourite” AJ Burnett was chased out of town and signed with the Yankees, his first game back in Toronto of course was against Doc. It was May, the second month of the season, but that game was pretty much the World Series for us Jays fans. Halladay won of course, and went the distance, of course.
When my son came into his own as a pitcher he had a habit of fist pumping and smiling when he recorded a strike out, especially against former teammates. I sat the boy down and we watched a Halladay start on tv. Halfway through I casually mentioned how Halladay reacted after getting a K. Just get the ball back and do it again to the next batter. No fist pumps or smiles. At the end of the game I told the boy, “See...now he’s smiling”
Halladay didn’t show up the batter, and saved the emotional stuff for when the game was over.
Message received and the boy became a more mature ballplayer after that lesson.
I cried watching the press conference announcing his trade to the Phillies.
I had moist eyes when I watched his playoff no hitter.
I’m too shocked to find myself typing out the words “Roy Halladay dead at the age of 40”.

 

[dws]

Doc was probably my favourite Blue Jay of all time, not to mention my favourite pitcher of all time, throughout the entire MLB. I barely missed a game on the tv when he was a Jay. It was a great career move for him when he moved on to the Phillies, although I didn't get to see many televised games from that point on. I'm pretty gutted this morning from the news. An Ace in life and death. Rest in peace, Roy Halladay.

 

[shrews824]

Yeah, this one was tough to hear. Not that any are easy, but for some reason this one still hasn't really sunk in yet.

 

[the_edski]

Right up there with Darryl Kile in shocking young deaths of great pitchers...

 

[ouch]

Great pitcher and a class act. Wish he was on my team.

 

[Alacrity59]

Doc Halladay was well loved in Toronto. Condolences to his wife and sons.

 

[FoxInfinitySunset]

Oh my goodness what horrible news. I didn't watch baseball between 1994 and 2009 but started watching the Jays again at that time, and it was exciting having such an amazing pitcher on the mound. It was sad to see him traded but I think we all understood.
Way too young, condolences to his family, just a tragic loss.