My favourite baseball movie is Bull Durham... sure some like Field of Dreams, but for my money nothing is quite like Bull Durham.
One scene in particular really sticks out for me tonight.
Young Ebby Calvin Laloosh is making his first appearance in a Triple A game for the Durham Bulls when he gets into an argument with his catcher Crash Davis over the pitch he wants to throw. In the argument he states that he wants to “Announce his presence with authority” to disastrous results.
Watch...
After 12 long years in the majors playing with my beloved Blue Jays, Roy “Doc” Halladay finally got his chance to play in the post season with the Philadelphia Phillies...and he ANNOUNCED HIS PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY.
Showing the composure and command he has displayed throughout his entire career, Halladay weaved some magic on the mound; pitching just the second no-hitter in MLB Post season history since Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series for the Yankees, much to the delight of Phillies fans and most likely to the fans he left behind with the Jays. He is only the 5 th player in MLB history to pitch 2 no hitters in a single season and the first ever to do it once in the regular season and once in the playoffs.
To say that he beat the Reds tonight by himself can be an exaggeration especially in a team sport like baseball. I mean sure he pitched a no hitter, but you need to score runs too. Did I mention he was 1 for 3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored?
How can you not cheer for this man? He has never displayed the “me first” attitude so many professional athletes seem to have surgically implanted the second they sign a pro contract. Extremely loyal to the team that drafted him in 1995 and gave him his first start in 1998, Doc stayed with the Blue Jays far longer than I ever expected him to. Never quite able to put the team around him that could get over the humps; namely the Yankees and Red Sox; Halladay waved his no trade clause in December which allowed the Jays to trade him to the Phillies.
I raised a glass and wished him well the day he was sent to the Phillies, hoping that he would be able to finally get his shot at the goal he so richly deserved. The chance to pitch in the post season, and show the world what we Jays fans have known for years.
He didn’t disappoint.
With the Phillies having arguably the best pitching rotation that a post season team has been able to put forth in years, it is a very good bet that we will see much more of Doc this post season. Which begs the question....what in the world can he do for an encore?
POSTSCRIPT
I feel compelled to add a comment that was placed on my FB page in response to my blog entry. My friend Quint is by far the smartest baseball man I have ever met and SHOULD be working in the Majors somewhere as a color man who could provide valuable insight into the game and all of its aspects. Because he is my friend I am hoping that he won't sue me because I failed to ask him before I added this segment... it was just too damn good not to share with the world.
From the laptop of a great friend... Quint Lange.
" I don't know if I've ever felt this way as a baseball fan before. Obviously thrilled he got the no-hitter, but extremely disapointed it couldn't have happened with the Jays. He's probably the best player ever to wear a Jays uniform (for more than 3 months, that is), and there's no one I would rather have had lead them to a title. Even in 92-93, the leaders were Carter-Alomar-Molitor-Stewart-Winfield, guys who came from outside the orginization. To have a guy like Halladay win with Toronto would have been amazing. Until now, he's been like our secret. This awesome player people have heard about, but have never really seen. Now he's on the national stage, and I can already see the path he will take to the Hall of Fame, where he will inevitably be inducted wearing some other team's cap. I couldn't be happier for him, but can't help imagining what it would have been like to see him in the post-season with the Jays."
POSTSCRIPT
I feel compelled to add a comment that was placed on my FB page in response to my blog entry. My friend Quint is by far the smartest baseball man I have ever met and SHOULD be working in the Majors somewhere as a color man who could provide valuable insight into the game and all of its aspects. Because he is my friend I am hoping that he won't sue me because I failed to ask him before I added this segment... it was just too damn good not to share with the world.
From the laptop of a great friend... Quint Lange.
" I don't know if I've ever felt this way as a baseball fan before. Obviously thrilled he got the no-hitter, but extremely disapointed it couldn't have happened with the Jays. He's probably the best player ever to wear a Jays uniform (for more than 3 months, that is), and there's no one I would rather have had lead them to a title. Even in 92-93, the leaders were Carter-Alomar-Molitor-Stew
Ray, not to be picky, but the Durham Bulls as portrayed in the movie were a Single A team. That was true in the real world, too, until 1998 when Durham was given a Triple A franchise with the addition of the Tampa Bay franchise to Major League Baseball.
ReplyDeleteWarren
Thanks for the clarification,Warren. I stand corrected.
ReplyDelete