Doctober is Funner

Now the folks south of the border can truly understand what we knew for 12 seasons: Roy Halladay is a machine.

I can’t even begin to describe that game, all I can say is … wow. From start to finish, Doc’s no-hitter was one of the most masterful pitching performances I’ve ever witnessed.

Personally, I picked up the game in the bottom of the fourth inning and never looked back. Following my own guide for watching a no-hitter, I didn’t utter the phrase “no-hitter”, I definitely didn’t change the channel, and I didn’t move from my spot on the couch once.


ADVERTISEMENT

Much like the Tao of Stieb, I find myself torn when it comes to seeing Roy Halladay pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies in October. In one sense I’m happy to see Halladay finally get a shot to pitch in the playoffs. Yet on the other hand, as Ricky Romero said earlier this season, he’s the enemy now.

Some might say that Roy Halladay abandoned the Blue Jays or he turned his back on this franchise. To me, that couldn’t be further from the truth: he made his intentions known that he wanted to play for a contender.

After it was revealed that Doc was on the block, Roy Halladay never toyed with the idea of resigning in Toronto. He didn’t string fans along filling them with a false sense of hope like he was going to come back… unlike Chris Bosh.

I’m just as happy to see Roy Halladay succeed in the playoffs as I would be for Scott Rolen, or even a fellow countryman like Joey Votto. However, once any of those guys face off against the Blue Jays, all bets are off. My allegiances lie 100 percent with the Toronto Blue Jays.

But really, how can you not be happy for Roy Halladay after that no-hitter? He put forth yet another Cy Young season, won his very first playoff game, and has his sights set on a World Series ring.

Most Toronto Blue Jays fans knew all along that Doc was this good, and now hopefully the folks in Philadelphia can truly appreciate just how great Roy Halladay really is.

Let Doctober begin.

Ian Hunter

Ian has been writing about the Toronto Blue Jays since 2007. He enjoyed the tail-end of the Roy Halladay era and vividly remembers the Alex Rodriguez "mine" incident. He'll also retell the story of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS to his kids for the next 20 years.

2 thoughts on “Doctober is Funner

  • October 7, 2010 at 12:53 pm
    Permalink

    I agree with everything in your postregarding being happy for Doc, I had a very hard time getting psyched, but once the game was on, I was cheering my heart out for the guy.

    Although, I must've said no-hitter 20 times, and texted it to friends even more than that, so…

  • October 7, 2010 at 1:48 pm
    Permalink

    5th Starter, that's one thing I noticed during the broadcast. The Phillies TV guys weren't coy about mentioning "no-hit" and "no-hitter" throughout the game. Usually TV guys tip-toe around stuff like that, but it didn't jinx it surprisingly.

    From Brandon Morrow's near no-no, I've learned to never mention or even imply that a no-hitter is in process.

Comments are closed.