Posts for roy halladay

JOURNALISM WARS: Liz Roscher, Les Bowen, and a Roy Halladay Column

Kevin Kinkead - January 24, 2019

photos via Twitter

Longtime Crossing Broad supporter Liz Roscher, who was the managing editor at The Good Phight Phillies blog and now writes for Yahoo Sports, is taking on the “white male journalist establishment.”

Liz, who was previously involved in a spat involving Jack McCaffery’s tape recorder, took to Twitter last night to express her displeasure with a Bob Ford column titled “Roy Halladay would have wanted his Hall of Fame plaque to have a Phillies hat.”

Said Roscher:

The source of the strife can probably be boiled down to these specific passages from the story:

…Halladay wouldn’t have gotten there without the 148 games he won for the Blue Jays, but if he were with us today and given the chance to relive one of his 395 career starts, the choice would be easy. Halladay would pick one of the five he started for the Phillies in the postseason. It wouldn’t even need to be one of the three wins

…

Roy Halladay was a gracious man. He wouldn’t want to insult the Toronto Blue Jays. But, in my heart, having been around him, I believe he would want his Hall of Fame plaque to portray that grim, unflinching stare that batters knew so well. And, above the brim that shaded his eyes, I think he would want a “P.”

The speculation that he would have chosen the symbol of his enshrinement to be a Phillies hat is nothing more than that, but it stays with me.

Bob is straight-up admitting that he’s speculating. He writes the word “speculation” in the actual column. The evidence, in this case, is not evidence, it’s just an opinion he formed from being around the guy back in the day.

Roscher wasn’t the only one to take umbrage with the column, and I can understand why people would roll their eyes, but I think this is just a classic case of a headline failing to match a story, which is understandable since an editor is handling that part of it. You could probably just slap “Opinion:“ on the front of the article and people would have had a better idea of what they were clicking on.

Or maybe Liz is just annoyed that people are guessing at what the late Halladay would have wanted, as if that action in itself is near-sighted. Halladay, after all, did sign a one-day contract to retire with the Blue Jays back in 2013. Does that automatically mean he would have worn a Jays hat into the Hall? Maybe, but who knows? Extrapolations are just that – extrapolations.

Anyway, Les Bowen came to the aid of his Inquirer colleague:

Strong.

More Twitter nonsense after the jump:

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Remembering Roy Halladay’s Perfect Game

Tim Reilly - May 29, 2018

via Youtube

Eight years ago today, there was no doubt in my mind the game I was watching would emerge as another chapter in Philadelphia sports history.

The contest in question was Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Flyers were in the midst of a miracle postseason run, which commenced when they punched their playoff ticket on the last day of the regular season with a shootout victory over the New York Rangers. After dispatching the New Jersey Devils in 5 games, the Orange and Black overcame a 3-0 series deficit to knock off the Boston Bruins in 7 games. Peter Laviolette’s squad skated past the upstart Montreal Canadiens in five games (never forget the shift), leaving the Blackhawks as the only team standing between the Flyers and the Cup.

It wasn’t meant to be on that night or in that series for the Flyers. But something special was brewing on a baseball diamond in Miami.

Roy Halladay, the Phillies’ prize acquisition of the offseason, was on the mound facing the Florida Marlins. The Marlins countered with Josh Johnson, a righthanded flamethrower whom the Phillies never seemed to hit. It was likely to be a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, but otherwise a nondescript baseball game in May. When the alternative is a Stanley Cup game featuring the hometown Flyers, there wasn’t much of a decision in terms of what to watch.

That calculus changed at some point during the first or second intermission, when it became clear that the Phillies’ ace had a chance at perfection. Philadelphia’s regulars had spotted Halladay a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the 3rd, and that’s all he would need:

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Here’s the Roy Halladay Tribute

Kevin Kinkead - April 5, 2018

His Philadelphia tenure was brief, but Roy Halladay didn’t need much time to endear himself to Phillies fans.

The Phils honored the late Halladay before today’s season opener with a video tribute, flyover, and moment of silence:

“One of the greatest to ever wear a Phillies uniform.”

No argument there, not from me.

Later, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson brought the Lombardi trophy out to the field, walked up to the third base line, and took off his jacket to reveal a Halladay jersey.

The ceremonial first pitch went right down the middle:

“Doug Pederson can do no wrong.”

You, sir, are correct.

Charlie Manuel Might be the Best Guy Ever

BWanksCB - March 19, 2018

There are lots of reasons to love former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. He guided the team to two National League pennants and a World Series win in nine seasons and won more games (780) than any other manager in franchise history. I also love him for the crazy stuff that he would say as he stumbled and bumbled his way through media sessions. Many people here did. Ironically, his oratorical imperfections, once a source of ridicule as the team failed to reach the postseason during his early years in town, quickly became one of his most endearing traits.

Personally, I didn’t always understand what he was saying, but dammit, I respected it.

I also respect how he handled being unceremoniously removed from a position he was not ready to concede to his successor, Ryne Sandberg, who demonstrated the personality of a rock and people skills that low-key rivaled those of Chip Kelly. By the time Manuel was discarded, the afterglow of five-consecutive NL East titles had long worn off, but considering how and for who Manuel was removed, well, let’s just say that he handled the situation much better than most would. Ultimately, he came back to work for the organization in an advisory role, further strengthening his Philadelphia baseball legacy.

And now, there’s yet another reason to love Manuel, as we learned in a story published yesterday by NBCSP’s Jim Salisbury. Over the weekend, he delivered on a public and heartfelt promise made to Roy Halladay’s children at their father’s memorial service back in November.

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Baseball Community and Others Mourn Roy Halladay’s Death

Chris Jastrzembski - November 7, 2017

There’s been plenty of mourning after the death of former Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who tragically died in a plane crash this afternoon.

Many of his former teammates and others have sent out their condolences:

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Roy Halladay Killed in Plane Crash Over Gulf of Mexico

Kevin Kinkead - November 7, 2017

Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Former Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay was killed in a plane crash over the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa, Florida on Tuesday afternoon.

The news was confirmed by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office at a 4:15 p.m. press conference.

According to Sheriff Chris Nocco, Halladay was flying a single engine, two-passenger Icon A-5 plane. He was the only person on board. Details regarding the crash and what may have happened in-flight will be the jurisdiction of the National Transportation Safety Board, as it standard procedure.

Said Nocco:

“I can confirm there was only one body involved. Sad to say, it’s a friend of ours. It’s Roy Halladay. Many of you know Roy as a Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer, one of the best pitchers to play the game of baseball. We knew Roy as a person, a caring husband who loved his wife Brandy. He loved his two boys tremendously. He coached our (youth) baseball teams. When he spoke of his family, he spoke with pride.”

“He was one of the most humble people you’d ever meet.”

Nocco explained that members of the public saw at least some of what happened:

“There are witnesses who saw something, but as I said, all of that information is going to go to NTSB. The Sheriff’s Office is not involved in the crash investigation. I don’t want to put anything out there that NTSB wouldn’t want us to release.”

Nocco was asked to describe the scene:

“The (marine and maritime unit) could see the tail number. There is some debris. Some of the debris, due to the tide, has shifted a little bit. We’re working with the NTSB on the forensics piece of this investigation. Our dive team was in the water as quick as they could. From our standpoint, it was a rescue mission. Someone goes down into shallow water, and this is kind of on the flight pattern where people are getting lower (in altitude), so I can imagine, from our perspective, the deputies who were first arriving out there, they were hoping that the plane was low enough that somebody could have ditched it and got out.”

“The plane is pretty much in solid condition. However, there is debris, there are pieces that have floated away. Due to the tide and the shifts, we’re working on retrieving for NTSB. Our maritime unit is going to be guarding the boat.”

Halladay played for the Phillies from 2010 to 2013. He was an eight-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner. He pitched a perfect game and threw a postseason no-hitter during his first year with the franchise and retired from baseball shortly after leaving Philadelphia.

In recent years, Halladay lived in Tarpon Springs, Florida, with his family. He recently served as a guest instructor during Phillies spring training in nearby Clearwater and had also pursued a psychology degree at the University of South Florida. He coached local youth sports teams and had recently taken up a love of flying, with frequent social media posts touching on his passion.

Roy Halladay was 40 years old.

 

The Phillies Have Released a Statement on Roy Halladay’s Death

Chris Jastrzembski - November 7, 2017

Meanwhile, in Roy Halladay’s World…

Jim Adair - April 30, 2015

halladay

In a day filled with uncertainty, one thing is for sure: Doc is living the best life any of us can dream of living.