When Roy Halladay toes the rubber sometime around 5 pm this afternoon, we're sure that we'll feel a twinge of...well...something. Maybe it's anticipatory nostalgia, or maybe it's reluctant happiness for him.Whatever. Doc set himself up for this moment, and got the postseason berth that he wanted, so we're certain that this means that all is right in the world, and starving children shall be fed, and all that fantastically great stuff. Hooray. Have fun proving that you and your band of Phillies are the class of the Quadruple-A circuit.
This is not unlike the feeling we got whilst attending the wedding of a long-time ex-girlfriend. We thought that the right thing to do was to go and celebrate her, and oh, joy, isn't this swell that everybody gets what they want. But deep down, there's the less-civilized version of your pal Tao who's thinking: "Fuck this noise. Go. Enjoy your fucking life. And fuck you, while you're at it."
So, yeah. Knock 'em dead Doc. Show the world how great you are. And go fuck yourself while you're at it.
I'm a little unsure about how I feel about Doc pitching today as part of me is a little upset by him wanting to go somewhere else to win.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I would get no joy out of seeing him get knocked around today. So I guess I do want to see him succeed, even if it is attached to disappointment that he is not doing it as a member of the Jays.
As for the ex-girlfriend analogy, deep down a part of me does get some satisfaction when I hear that I'm doing better than than an ex-girlfriend..
I can't find it to hate Doc - not even a little bit. He's been a class act for years, and if there's someone in baseball who DESERVES a World Series ring, it's him. I wish he was able to get it in Toronto - but for him to not get one at all would not be fitting.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Jason, I have no animosity towards Halladay. I don't care if he gets his ring or whatever, I just like watching him pitch.
ReplyDeleteDominating quad-A is almost as fun to watcher as shutting down legit hitters. Almost.
I agree with you Tao.
ReplyDeleteI got threatened on another board for saying the same thing back in April. Seriously, some guy threatened to come and kick my ass.
If Doc gets a ring, I gets I'll be kind of happy for him.
But I will always always always maintain that it would have been sweeter for him to get it here rather than jumping on board like AJ did with the Yankees. Although he'll never admit it.
Oh, Tao.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny (not really), other than a twinge of, I dunno, something? while watching Doc spray champagne around the Phils clubhouse after clinching (while being careful not to drink any, natch), I haven't developed any resentment.
And believe me, I can hold a grudge with the best of 'em (fuck you, Joe Maddon). But not this time.
Ack,
ReplyDeleteI also still hold a grudge against Bobby Cox for engineering his escape from Toronto to Atlanta WHILE he was still managing the Jays in the playoffs. Suddenly the Jays went from leading the series 3-1 to losing in 7.
25 year grudge, despite kicking his ass in 92.
I was one who suggested trading Doc for prospects a couple of years ago..I don't think we should ever fall in love with any one player-and I like that Alex calls them all players or assets.....I was happy Doc was traded because I felt our opportunity to capitalize on the return was diminishing and really happy with the return we got..I watch him like I watch any other pitcher, no resentment, no grudge...I'll cheer for the Phillies cause I believe they have the best team in the NL, not because of Doc.If the Phillies win the series and Doc gets a ring-great, if they lose-that's ok too..
ReplyDeleteGSJays speaking on behalf of the robot community...
ReplyDeleteI feel better that others are as bitter as I am. Thanks, Tao.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Roy? Roy O was the difference-maker, not you. No Oswalt = Phillies playing golf today.
Yea, I'm all about grudges too. They sustain me. However, I will never feel any sort of resentment for Doc.
ReplyDeleteHow can anyone blame Doc? Blame Bigmouth Ricciardi for snowing Doc into believing he could turn the Jays into contenders if Doc was willing to sign just one more below-market-value contract.
ReplyDeleteDoc was done a great disservice by the Jays organization and not in a million years could I ever blame him for wanting to leave. Shame on all you haters.
^BS
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, if the Jays had made the playoffs and Philly didn't, that would have been extra special in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I want Doc to fail, I just want my new girlfriend to be better than my old girlfriend.
I was always a HUGE fan of Halladay's. I bought the Jersey. I scheduled my trips to The Rogers Dome when he was starting. I was overjoyed each time he took the hill in the Black, White, Grey or whatever that Powder Blue colour jersey is.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why I am surprised that I am completely Apathetic to his first playoff start. I'm actually rooting for the Giants in the NL, mostly because their pitching staff is what I hope the Jays can have next year.
Bad Tao!!!1
ReplyDeletePeople shouldn't get the wrong idea. I don't begrudge Halladay, and I don't actually hate him.
ReplyDeleteI certainly don't feel all warm and fuzzy inside about his playoff coming out party. But...I don't know. Whatever.
Warm and fuzzy. That's EXACTLY how I feel. Doc's the BEST pitcher I've ever watched on a regular basis. Baseball is such that great players can, and have, gone their whole careers without pitching in the playoffs. The Playoffs!!!1 He's not wearing the jersey I'd like him to be wearing, but at least he gets to pitch in the post-season. This will only add to his lore.
ReplyDeleteIt should come as a surprise to no one that I couldn't agree more with Señor Tao.
ReplyDeleteRoy O was the difference maker? Not Hamels pitching better or the offense coming to life? Interesting...
ReplyDeleteHe's dead to me. D-E-D dead. We've moved on.
ReplyDeleteSenor Tao no es macho,
ReplyDeleteEs solamente un borracho...
Yeah, Halladay was real shit down the stretch, winning all of his September starts.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Anon, no one's saying that the Doc supporters haven't moved on. We have. This Jays season was fucking fantastic, the young starters are happier that Doc's no longer in the room, and if they're happy, I'm happy. And if the Jays were playing tonight, no one in this city would care that Halladay was tossing. But the Jays missed the playoffs, Halladay was right in asking to move, and, shit, I'm going to enjoy watching him pitch in the playoffs, be it in the wrong jersey. Like Drew said, he's just fun to watch. We know that firsthand.
DOCTOBER!!!1
I'm letting it all hang out for GBOAT. That is all.
ReplyDeleteAnd there goes Tao again...sucking the fun out of everything. I've found that statement holds true for pretty much everything.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, the people who can't be happy for Halladay are the ones who truly haven't moved on from him.
And, Anon, no one's saying that the Doc supporters haven't moved on. We have. This Jays season was fucking fantastic, the young starters are happier that Doc's no longer in the room, and if they're happy, I'm happy. And if the Jays were playing tonight, no one in this city would care that Halladay was tossing. But the Jays missed the playoffs, Halladay was right in asking to move, and, shit, I'm going to enjoy watching him pitch in the playoffs, be it in the wrong jersey. Like Drew said, he's just fun to watch. We know that firsthand.
ReplyDeleteAgree with everything here...except Halladay never asked to be moved. This was no trade demand. He was more than willing to fulfill his entire contract in Toronto.
What happened was the Jays approached him on another contract extension and he predictably declined. Doc wanted to be a free agent for the first time in his career. He wanted a chance to win while still in his prime, a completely understandable request. It was at that point, of course, that the Jays started fielding offers for him, with his permission.
It's so nice having someone like Navin on my side. I barely have to do anything but show up after him and say PLAYOFFS!!1
ReplyDeleteSeriously BFF, what did Tao do to you man?
ReplyDeleteHe tries to suck the fun out of things. Case in point...Roy Halladay's first career start in the postseason.
ReplyDeleteQuiet down BFF, Tao is awesome! Him hating on Doc doesn't make me love Doc any less. He'll see the light eventually.
ReplyDeleteHe tries to suck the fun out of things. Case in point...Roy Halladay's first career start in the postseason.
ReplyDeleteBut...that's not true at all and it's way too general. The way you repeat it with those specific words makes it sound like something specific. Did he say you suck the fun out of everything? Plus, you comment on DJF of all places.
BFF is a clown. But not a fun clown. He kills light-hearted debate by always speaking in absolutes. He's the real buzzkill around here.
ReplyDeleteI could provide several examples of his "fun-sucking," but it would take time to go through years of blog posts. Time that I don't have.
ReplyDeleteSo it's best to just keep it general. And it's certainly nothing personal, just an observation of mine.
It's okay. I know I suck the fun out of the stuff that Brad Fullmer Fan likes. That's how I know that I'm doing this right.
ReplyDeleteAnd he still doesn't get all the "Can't Break Me" references I make in his direction. It's like he isn't even really a Fullmer Fan.
It was one of his tattoos, no?
ReplyDeleteJust saying "hi" in a surprisingly robust Tao comments section. Consecutive days with 40+ comments. Now you know how Stoeten feels every day.
ReplyDeleteGo team! (haven't pick a play-off team to cheer for)
Try sucking the fun out of that, Tao.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say. That was pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteYou can always count on anonymous to raise the level of the discussion.
ReplyDeleteThanks, anonymous!
That, right there, was awesome. Never mind the uniform, I'm glad for Halladay, he exemplifies merit. Sour grapers be danged.
ReplyDeleteI was ambivalent about the game, right up until I tuned in in the 5th inning. I was hooked. I am really glad that I got to see that in my lifetime. I will tell my grandchildren about how great Roy Halladay was.
ReplyDeleteThink about what we just got to see tonight. A player thant most of us Jays fans saw live, throw the second best playoff game EVER (And he onnly missed by one measly walk)
Wow
Question:
ReplyDeleteIf Doc stayed with the Jays for 2010 and still put up the EXACT same numbers as he did with the Phils - Is he still considered the front runner for the AL Cy Young, even though he played for the 4th place Blue Jays? Just wondering.
Regardless, I can't believe I got to sit down and watch that entire game...
My reverse jinx worked perfectly.
ReplyDelete(that's my story and I'm sticking to it)
Anon 8:26...no, he probably wouldn't be. Not with the ignorance of the US media to all things Canada.
ReplyDeleteI listened to only the 8th/9th inning and I was legitimately grinning the entire time. I'm not sure how anyone else couldn't have felt happy for the guy.
ReplyDeleteYou spend 12 years with someone and you regret them FINALLY looking to improve themselves while you continue to sit on your couch with a mustard stained wife-beater watching reruns of Archie Bunker. For the haters: look in the mirror, find the stain.
"Doc-fucking-tober!!!1" indeed. As a Blue Jay fan stuck in Alberta, I didn't have the pleasure of watching the game in primetime. I sped home through rush hour (hearing quick updates on sports radio, in between commentary on which skate Taylor Hall tied first today) and walked in the door 30 seconds before the final out. Unbelievable. I would never put him or the Phillies ahead of the Jays, but, that being said he'll always be something we as Jay fans can treasure. Someday he'll go into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Phillies, but we'll all know where he started.
ReplyDeleteIf Doc stayed with the Jays for 2010 and still put up the EXACT same numbers as he did with the Phils - Is he still considered the front runner for the AL Cy Young, even though he played for the 4th place Blue Jays?
ReplyDeleteIn that case, the Jays aren't a fourth-place club.
Doc didn't improve himself. He has always pitched awesomely. He just is in a different league, in a less ridiculous division.
ReplyDeleteOscar, there's a good chance he'll go in as a Jay. As it should be.
ReplyDeleteKnew Doc had this in him. Wish I didn't have to work and miss the final 5 innings. But at least I got to see the first 4 and while I'm sad it wasn't for us, I'm so happy for him.
Hey, listen, a wise man once said that some birds aren't meant to be caged - their feathers are just too bright. (See, it totally works on two levels, because Doc pitched for the Blue Jays.)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I can't compare this Doc thing to anything in my own sporting fan history. Ray Bourque got dealt, but the Bruins' owners had done their best to kill any interest in hockey in the town well before then. Damon left and joined the Yankees, but it was after we won the World Series. Clemens is the closest guy, but his whole legacy is tarnished now, and he didn't really excel in the playoffs after he left.
"Anon 8:26...no, he probably wouldn't be. Not with the ignorance of the US media to all things Canada."
ReplyDeleteThat really held back Clemens and Hentgen, didn't it?
Doc gave the Jays over a decade and not once did the team overachieve to get into the playoffs. Not once. The Jays blew a huge opportunity to showcase the best pitcher of this generation.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of people to be mad at, and Doc is nowhere near the list of suspects.
That really held back Clemens and Hentgen, didn't it?
ReplyDeleteNo, but it did hold back Halladay from getting the attention he deserved.