My favourite Roy Halladay memory would have to be his second career major league start.  Too bad Bobby F. Higginson had to mess it up.

Determination.  The talent was obvious, but the determination was what separated (and separates) Doc from his peers.  I wish him well in Philadelphia, and hope that he finds way back to Toronto at the end of his career on a club that does make it. 

I remember listening to the end of Doc's 2nd game on the car radio.  Tom Cheek was not often  excited about a young player, but he was on that day.   

I watched the press conference. I died a little. I'm happy for Roy but it sucks to see a guy so happy to be traded away...

There's so much that can be written about here but one of the first memories that came to mind wasn't the first near-no-hitter at the end of a season, but the second.

This game: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR200110051.shtml

Roy came up and flashed brilliant in 98, was solid in 99, then completely fell apart in 2000...it's hard to remember it now given how he's performed since but it was truly one of the worst seasons in major league history. After he was sent down and totally rebuilt as a pitcher, he came back to the Jays in July of 2001 and was just ok initially. But he got better and better and better as the season wore on and spun that gem against Cleveland with his last start of the season, taking a no-hitter into the 8th. That's the day it was clear he was not just back but vastly improved and now a really special kind of player.

I have to echo Spicol's post. Objectively, I can accept the Halladay trade ... but I'm not a happy Blue Jays fan today.

There are so many.  The ten-inning shutout against the tigers where he only used 98 pitches comes immediately to mind.  He was ready to come out for the 11th when Kielty won it for us; I was almost disappointed.

I think the music was just turned off for Blue Jay fans.

This is a sad-making moment.

I tried to think of one specific memory of Doc, but then I realized that what I will remember most about him was his continued excellence: after he got it all figured out in 2001, he was there, year after year. Summer in Toronto and Roy Halladay went together. I am just now starting to register that he is gone.

What Mike Green said. Incredibly focused, talented human being, without ever being a jerk.

I think one of the lasting memories will be him beating AJ this season.

Dave, it's not going to fully register for me until opening day comes and someone else is on the hill for us.  No offense to whomever that may be (Ricky Romero?) But that is going to suck.

My favourite memory is definitely the Burnett matchup this past May.  It brought out one of the best crowds since before the strike, and the result was outstanding.

Best of luck to the Doctor in Philadelphia.  I'm sure we'll all be rooting for him.

Though I rarely go to games in person, I seem to find myself in the stands whenever momentous things happen. One of Stieb's near no-hitters, Carter's Game 6 home run, and the game near the end of Halladay's Cy Young season, 2003, when that moron Phil Cuzzi ejected Halladay for accidentally hitting Rocco Baldelli. That was intense. Never have 22,000 fans at the SkyDome sounded so menacing. We were all mighty ticked that Halladay was being forced out of his second-last start when he was trying to win his 22nd game and beat Morris's record. Still appalling to think about.

Good luck, Roy. We'll be cheering for you in the playoffs!

Robert Frost has a little poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”,  that Roy’s departure (sadly) brought to mind:

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Jimmy Key, Carlos, and now Roy.  Each of those leaving really hurt(s).  They were quality you could always count on, every time.

The almost no hitter is still my favorite.  As already mentioned the 10 inning shutout against Detroit.  As great as the pitching was, hearing him asked about winning the game right after, his response was almost as good  he was just thinking about being ready for the 11th.

A few years ago, Greinke vs Doc they both went the distance, I think the final was 2-1 or 3-1 jays and the game was over in just over 2hrs.  It was a 2$ game, by far the best entertainment I ever had for $2.  The 2-0 shutout at yankee stadium against Randy Johnson.  Hinske hit a 2 run bomb and that was it.  A great recent memory was spring training last year.  I had never see Doc pitch in a spring training game, it was at the pirates park and he was dealing in march as well as any of the games I mentioned.  Every batter was either strike one, or rolling over and hitting a weak ground ball to the opposite field.  He only threw about 70 pitches in 7 innings and didn't look like he wanted to come out.  The pirates fans sitting beside us were in such awe.  They had never seen him before but were completely blown away.  I'd seen Doc many many times but I was also blown away.

He will be missed, as much and more then anyone else, but I am also so excited to watch him pitch in the playoffs.  I almost can't wait for the season to fly by to see him do what he has wanted and deserved to do for so long.

Watching Doc put on a Phillies jersey this afternoon is just wrong.  It doesn't look right. It was like seeing Dave Stieb in a White Sox jersey or Jimmy Key in a Yankees one.

As much as Halladay was a tenacious competitor and a classy winner on the field he and Brandi were winners even more so off the field ... they are genuine caring and compassionate people as witnessed in July during an interview for the food drive when tears came at the thoughts of departing Toronto ... Best of luck in both your pursuit of postseason success and making a difference ... we'll always be cheering for you ...

 

PS ... the next time Halladay is in the Skydome it should be for an induction ceremony for the 'wall of fame' as the greatest Jay ever 

The best part of the near-no-no? That the HR hit was caught by Dave Stieb.

the next time Halladay is in the Skydome it should be for an induction ceremony for the 'wall of fame' as the greatest Jay ever

My dad suggested the same thing last night and I thought it was a great idea.

I almost feel like the Level of Excellence would be a slap in the face to Roy...no Blue Jay should ever wear #32 again, let's take care of that first.

Bob Elliott said via Twitter that the Blue Jays would honour Roy Halladay when his Phillies take on the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Every game was amazing to watch, you just felt everything was going to be alright when he pitched. His craft was as calming an influence as a professional athlete can be. My favorite game was his 22nd victory in 2003 against the Indians. The crowd was great and he pitched a complete game, ending it on a double play (I think the Indians had managed to make it close). I cut out the front page of the sports section the day after with his famous picture of him pumping his fist while Kevin Cash gave him a big hug.

That game was so great, I walked away from the Dome wondering how I could embrace a new hockey season after what I had seen (I was 15 and had been a pretty big hockey fan to date). As it turns out, I never really did go back to hockey and instead spent the winter waiting for baseball to start again. I have Roy Halladay to thank.

If the Jays could spend $6M to get rid of the guy, they should be able to spend at least as much to commission a statue of the guy outside the stadium.

What does $6M buy you these days in statues?

How about  " he asks to be moved out of Toronto, yet no sport fan complains". Not many stars in any sport get this type of respect. Never complains. Always challenges himself. Complete focus on game day. Never fully satisfied with his outing. Always competes.

Forget the physical talents. Like all sport stars, this guy gets paid a ridiculous sum for paying a kids game; but unlike many he actually understand that for that privilege he should be held to a standard. After 2 weeks of exposing Tiger's true character, or incredible lack thereof, what a pleasure it is to talk about Roy. Too bad he's leaving, but best of luck. He deserves it. 

Bob Elliott said via Twitter that the Blue Jays would honour Roy Halladay when his Phillies take on the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

At Rogers Centre? Time to rename it the Halladome.

What does $6M buy you these days in statues?

On eBay, I saw a 9-ft marble Mark McGwire on sale for like $400.

I feel incredibly grateful to have watched Halladay pitch throughout his tenure as a Blue Jay. He is a truly inspirational athlete--a true professional and an all-around great guy. Here are a few games from the '09 season (the video highlights aren't really representative in that most of the clips involve Ks, not groundballs, but you do get to see his full array of pitches):

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090719&content_id=5939440&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090724&content_id=6034342&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090904&content_id=6794310&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090602&content_id=5106764&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor

Sad to see him go, but he truly deserves to win one.

I think the one game that sticks out in my mind is the rain delay in Philly last year where Marcum was pulled after the 1 inning due to the delay.  And then there was a 2nd delay.  Gibby walked past Halladay`s stall in the clubhouse, got Doc`s eyes and Doc just pointed at his cleats.  Gibby told him that, no matter what, Doc would not be going in as a pinch runner.  Doc shakes his head, points at the ramp down to the Bullpen and says ``I`m here if you need me.``Doc goes out, strands the 2 runners he inherits, throws 2.1 with 1 hit and 2k`s over 23 pitches.  Just amazing.

Other things stick out, like the near no-no against the Tigers, the 2 10.0 inning gems against the Tigers, the game against AJ, the fact that he ended his Jays career with 2 CGSOs.  Doc is a beast who will be missed.

I agree with the game against AJ: the crowd was so full and happy. I have never had an experience like that with another sports crowd in Toronto.

I'd kinda like to see his locker set aside unused and his number 32 reserved with a standing offer to come back in five years...

Hopefully by then we'll be able to put some Blue Jay rings on his hand.

2015:

Drabek
Halladay
Stewart
Jenkins
Alverez

Just a guess here...

Marisnick - CF
Jackson - SS
Lind - DH (resigned)
Wallace - 1B
Snider - LF
d'Arnaoud - C
Seirra- RF
Emaus - 2B  << Probably someone else

Silly to assume all those guys pan out I know but still...I'd like to think if Doc pitches into his 40's we find room for him to do it here.

I was at the game in his cy year when he started his string of 14 wins.  The jays were losing.  But Roy stuck it out.  Manny, imho lost the game.  Throwing to the wrong base, bad routes to the ball, Manny being manny.  It wasn't a good start to the game or the season.  But Roy stuck it out for the win.  After that it was lights out.  And it was personal for me, having been there for the start of it all.

And yet....  I hate waste.  A batter hits 2 homers, another makes a great defensive play.  And the Jays blow it in ther ninth with a bad throw to first.  Yes bad things happen in baseball - a fickle misstress - but our Roy always seemed to deserve better.  Because of his talent and the person that he is.  Here's hoping that he finds the  less fickle mistress he deserves.  And heres hoping Brandi comes back to lead the Lady Jays in another successful food drive. 

One chapter closes. A new chapter opens....... And I'm still oh so sad. By spring(or sooner) I'll be once again looking forward to the new prospects arriving in spring training and like my garden  buried under snow, the world I know will once again come to life.

So, when Stieb finally retired for good a kid named Roy Halladay was coming in to start his career.  Think we're lucky enough to have one of the kids from last season (Romero, Cecil, Rzep, ...) become the next great Jay pitcher?  Or will one of them be the next Pat Hentgen (solid but no HOF'er) then Roy returns for a farewell tour and the next great one comes in?  Lets hope & dream.

My stock answer to ideas like that is this:

The greatest player in Blue Jays history...

...has not yet been born.

hey guys you can go to http://www.thanksroy.com/ and leave a message.

I'll remember the feeling of confidence I had as a Jays' fan whenever I saw Roy on the mound.  We always had a chance.

Actually I'll remember the feeling of utter shock everytime Roy had a bad start (rare).  Of course a bad start for him was 5 runs or more over 7 innings of work. 

Too bad Bobby F. Higginson had to mess it up.

It's actually Robert Leigh Higginson.  What's the "f" stand for?  Freaking?  :D

So many memories.......

I missed watching that game in '98 because I was back on the road to the hellhole of Northern Ontario/Quebec that grey Sunday but my Dad was pretty pumped after watching it on TV.  He was asking me all sorts of questions about him.  I knew he was a first round pick and I had this collectible post card of him inside a 1997 Game Program which I hope I still have!!

I wish I could've been at that rare doubleheader at the Dome against Cleveland in '01.  An interesting note about the near no-hitter.  After Travis Fryman broke it up in the eighth, who came in to pinch-run?  None other than Johnny Mac!  Some things never change!

Also in the '03 no-hit bid which I attended, Kevin Joseph Witt, er, "Kevin F. Witt"  - the former Jay - broke our hearts on an otherwise sunny Saturday in September.  Witt actually played first base during Doc's bid with perfection in '98.  Going to Doc's final start in '03 was awesome and that was probably the happiest he's ever been in a Jays uniform! 

Of course, his final home start as a Jay against Seattle was another masterpiece!  So many memories!  All the best, Doc!  I look forward to June 25th to the 27th!

As others have said he was fearless on the mound and the Jays always could beat the Yankees or Red Sox when Roy was starting.

The Burnett game was great, lots of emotion in the crowd and his last start was excellent too.

Roy was so good that if he gave up 4 runs you were asking if he was injured.

The F. stands for a family-unfriendly word.  It's been used for Aaron F'n Boone, and Bucky F'n Dent, most famously.

After Travis Fryman broke it up in the eighth, who came in to pinch-run?  None other than Johnny Mac!  Some things never change!

Well, some things do change. McDonald is a millionaire now. Probably owns himself a cement pond.

I was at that start against Detroit way back in the day, purely by chance, and to me that still stands as the ultimate Doc moment. 

Sad to see him go, he was easily my favourite Jay.

Words/phrases that come to mind when I think about Roy...Class, humility, using the phrase "you know"...a lot,  ;)  patience, determination, sacrifice, excellence, focus, dedication, loyalty, caring, heart, intimidation, relentless, unyielding.

Roy did so much for the city of Toronto, particularly with Sick Kids Hospital and kept it real quiet. I wouldn't be surprised if now that he's gone we start to find out just how much he really did and that it greatly exceeds the stories that have been reported on. He is absolutely the complete package and I think that is what people are referring to when they call him the best Blue Jay ever. I know that statisticalogically speaking, this may not be true, but in terms of the total package, I doubt there's ever been a better Blue Jay and I don't know if anyone will ever pass him. I am fully aware that I'm entering dangerous territory and measurements that I don't normally like to use to evaluate a ballplayer (the dreaded and ridiculously overused "intangibles"). Sue me. I could care less, I will make an exception for this exceptional human being/athlete.

...Now for the memories. There are so many. The feeling that the Jays would win every single time he took the mound. The chuckles that I got out of the "JaysTalkers" who would jam the phone lines after a 7 inning 5 run start, totally convinced that Doc must be hurt because there's absolutely no way that what had just happened could possibly take place because, like, he's the Doc, a perfect, efficient pitching machine. The anger that I felt when the previous GM who shall remain nameless demonstrated a complete lack of class and desperate need for attention for himself during the circus/asylum that was last July and the simultaneous admiration I felt towards Doc, who demonstrated a lot of class and restraint in a situation where most of us would not have been able to resist the temptation to take a shot at the clown. AA has since demonstrated that you don't need to create a roadside attraction and in fact that it probably hinders your ability to get the job done.  :)

...On to the games. I have whittled it down to two: one live and one watched on TV. Hat-tip to baseball-reference for filling in the gaps in my foggy memory: first up is Saturday September 27, 2003: Halladay against crafty lefty and then 40 year old Terry Mulholland. As VBF (I believe) pointed out, the crowd was absolutely electric. Halladay did not have his best stuff and Mulholland was hanging on by his fingernails at that point in his career. It was a battle of groundballers as the two of them combined for a ridiculous 35 groundballs in play (Mulholland had 18 in 7 innings). As was the case more often than not, Roy would not be denied and I'm sure he told Tosca to nail himself to the bench. The final of his 116 pitches was a groundout (what else?) to O-Dog and the place, along with Doc, erupted. Despite struggling, the game time was 2 hours and 7 minutes. I'm not sure if he's ever shown as much emotion as that day, but win #22 definitely sealed the Cy for him, and set a team record. Not a masterpiece, but he got it done. I think we all left the stadium feeling buoyed by that game and looking forward to next year, which will also remain nameless for obvious reasons. 3 days later I was in hospital with what turned out to be a burst appendix and wound up spending a month there thanks to complications from the surgery, which is not only the perfect segue for my second memory, but it's the reason I still marvel at this game. Did it really happen? Did I really witness that?...

...It was May 31, 2007. Doc was coming off the DL having gone through...a burst appendix. He was coming off a couple of miserable starts against Texas on May 5th and Boston on May 10th where he had allowed a combined 17 runs on 23 hits in 10.1 innings. Not very Doc like. In addition, he was going up against a fellow top 10 SP (though Doc ranks much higher IMHO) from the just completed decade: Mark Buehrle. With two quick workers like that, it was sure to be over in short order. As I settled down to watch, I was hoping for 5 innings out of Doc, who still looked a little pale and piqued from the surgery, or maybe I'm imagining that, no I can't be, because Gibby took him out after 96 pitches that night. He must have been still recovering from the surgery.  ;)  I had no idea that we were in for one of the best regular season games in Blue Jays history.

...Second only, I would say to June 6, 1985's 12 inning 2-0 game. That night Buck Martinez launched a 2-run shot off Aurelio Lopez to raise his batting average to a lusty (hat-tip to Tom Cheek [RIP]) .147 for the season, while Key and Petry each pitched 10 shutout innings...but I digress...

This Buehrle/Halladay tilt cemented Halladay's reputation as some sort of machine-like, cyborgish, beyond human, god-like pitcher. Not only did he go 5 innings, he went 7 and not only did he go 7, he went 7 shutout innings without walking anybody and striking out 7. Ridiculous. Did I mention that those of us that watched that game might have been watching a completely different kind of history, courtesy the other guy? Buehrle went 8 innings facing two batters over the minimum. Those two batters: Hill in the second and Thomas in the eighth, launched solo blasts to give the Jays the win, as Janssen and Accardo took care of business for the ailing Halladay. Generally speaking, it's a bad sign when your team leaves zero runners on base and goes 0 for 0 with RISP. Unbelievable, stupendous and any other superlative you care to use. Oh, and if they started at 7:07 like they usually do, the game was over at 8:57. Since he didn't get to pitch in the post-season, this game above all the others stands out for me. Wow.

I hope he goes out and wins a fistful of rings and Cy Youngs and then I hope he can come back here and not only retire as a Jay, but with AA's re-building plan nearing its apex, win a championship with the Jays. I don't know if the word thankyou covers it, but thankyou Roy, Brandi and family. For everything.

Sorry this post took so long...but, I mean...it's Roy. Thanks for reading my ramblings if you managed to make it this far and thanks also for keeping my account open, despite the fact I've been gone so long. Cheers.  ;)  :)

Thanks Mick.  :)  In apologizing, I'm just showing my Canadian-ness. When I got to the end I thought "Geez, that's a little long" (or Magpie-esque  ;)  ) particularly for a post from an interloper who's been gone for about three years or whatever it is. But, like I said it's Roy.

As for the feature thing, I'm just not that consistently inspired to do anything on a regular basis. Very occasional might be OK. But the quality of that post is mainly due to the quality of the man that inspired it, so I'm not sure I could "bring my A-game" to that extent every time.