If you want a testament to the fact that Roy Halladay is the cornerstore/foundation/bedrock of the Toronto Blue Jays franchise, one need only look at the reaction of the fans in recent days to the prospect of losing the team's ace. People are angry. Sad. Resigned. Frustrated. Depressed. They are ready to move on and accept the change, or they are threatening to swear off the team forever.They're blaming J.P.. And Rogers. And Vernon Wells. They're even blaming Halladay for maybe-sorta-possibly wanting to leave.
This isn't the Jays fanbase, marching in unison behind a rallying cry. It's more like the Running of the Brides at Filene's Basement, as fans scramble madly and chaotically to find their position and guard it with their life.
Not that we're insinuating that there should be some unity of voice over the potential departure of the best pitcher in the club's history. Those who have followed the narrative of this team's struggles and triumphs over the years have reached this chapter, and now that the rug has been pulled from beneath them, they're frantically looking back over the past few years to try to make sense of this.
It must be what Lost fans feel like on a constant basis. (Stop me before I sub-reference again.)
Whatever the case, this is all kinda fun, in a miserable way.
20 comments:
Tao, it really is what LOST fans feel like. I just want it all to end already so I can be put out of my misery and move on with my life.
I was almost resolved that he was leaving... and then the fan part of me kicked back in and I yelled at a co-worker for bringing up Halladay trade rumours...
I think the wait is killing me more then anything.
@ Jim Briggs.....EXACTLY. Yankees fans seem to think that Melky is a major trading chip (fuck off).
All these delusional jackasses who seem to think a deal can get done by excluding their team's top "X" prospects and/or young players can take a flying fucking leap. Even the Phillies, with their "we're the frontrunners but Drabek and Taylor are untouchable" line of reasoning.
Ricciardi, and possibly the Jays, would be finished if he accepted a package like that.
I dunno, Clayton Kershaw is AWESOME and 20 years old making nothing. That is a mighty fine chip to dangle.
I like the mysterious/mythological aspects of LOST more than the resolution, what does that say about me?
Mark my words: in time Lost will be regarded as a shining achievement in syndicated storytelling on TV. It will have changed the game.
Don't get me wrong, there's no way the Dodgers would include Billingsley/Kershaw in a package - why the hell would they? Lose an "A" starter controllable for years for an "A+" starter in his prime earning years? No way. I just don't think the Dodgers match up.
I wish Texas would get involved (if Doc would even agree to such a move).
I've been saying for a while that I need to get in on the Lost franchise, probably via season DVD's. I waited too long to get in, so have to start flush at square one.
I love Lost. I wonder if it ends like its primary influence, Watchmen on a dark but somewhat bittersweet note. Yeah, we're being jerked around a bit BUT what did everyone expect? Hopefully in the end , Doc will stay until the off season that is....
@ Drew, funny how a series that takes from Watchmen, The Prisoner, the Wizard of Oz and M Night Shamaylan could be so amazing in some sense. The mythology is interesting BUT most people consider it too much......
@ Bruno and Drew:
I just hope it doesn't end with them waking up and it was all a dream. That would be the ultimate cop-out, but I don't think JJ would resort to that.
Brian K. Vaughn is my lord and master.
It's the idiocy tht's the most painful. "Halladay would be a great asset in Wieter's learning curve." said a Baltimore fan acquaintence. I didn't have the energy to discuss it.
Ok, if you guys don't mind, I'll be off in the corner by myself, discussing the analogues between the Halladay Trade Crisis and the Wire.
The game is the game, yo.
I think I'm ok with whatever happens with Halladay -- no sense in getting angry or frustrated.
I just don't know where to start in discussing it. How can you rationally discuss the supernatural? And fans of other teams are completely unfamiliar with it, so just smile and shake your head.
What Would Halladay Do?
If we accept that clutch hitting is not a repeatable skill, then you would expect that the distribution of clutch scores of hitters on a team would be Gaussian. Look at the Red Sox or Yankees and that's what you see. On the Jays everyone's negative but Barajas (0.1) and Chavez (0.03). So either it's possible to be consistently unclutch but not possible to be clutch, or we're getting killed by luck.
These are definitely some interesting times. Most everyone I speak to about this has changed their mind at least three times. It's def. fantastic to be a part of.
@ Voodoo: I think we all have one Baltimore fan acquaintance. God love 'em.
All I'm hoping is that J.P. is asking for the moon. If he gets it, pull the trigger.
@Jim Briggs
Here's the funny thing about J.P.'s current predicament: If he trades Halladay, people are going to complain REGARDLESS of the quality of the package he gets in return.
And if he holds on to Halladay, it won't take long before people complain that he didn't trade Doc for a king's ransom.
Such is life in a sports media market populated by twits and cynics who mistake their jaded malingering for wisdom.
(Brunt excluded, of course. But not Blair, because he refuses to follow us on Twitter.)
JP? JP triflin, basically.
The king stay the king.
Cut to: J.P. in his office with Tony LaCava and Alex Anthopolous.
JP: What are you sayin'? Are you sayin' Drew / Lloyd the Barber's been puttin' my name out on the streets?
(Tony and Alex look nervously at one another.)
JP: What's he been sayin'?
(Tony and Alex continue to look nervously at one another.)
Tony: He's been sayin' you're a punk.
JP: A punk?
Alex: It don't matter. You know...nobody listens to them ghostrunnin' 905 boys.
JP: MY NAME IS MY NAME!
Lost blows.
JP should be fired.
Maybe we can get Ben Zobrist...at least he looks like Roy.
i agree Roy halladay is the "cornerstore" of the franchise
Lost is one of the greatest shows to have been on television the last 5 years.
My advice @ The Ack, don't start watching unless you have a clear schedule. It's very addictive.
I tried to get on that Lost bandwagon in the second season but it all seemed pointlessly drawn out. I've seen tighter story arcs in Days of Our Lives.
Not every teleplay needs to be stretched over multiple seasons. Columbo was better and it was fresh fish every week!
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