Roy Halladay officially signed with the Philadelphia Phillies last week in a 3-team deal which saw us give up Cliff Lee and several promising prospects. In Halladay, the Phillies get the experienced, long-term starter they can build a team around. But as Halladay’s recent letter to the fans of Toronto will show, we may be getting more than just a great pitcher.
It is no big secret that Phillies fans have a bad reputation. From booing the home team to assaulting each other, Phillies faithful have had a lot to answer to, even while winning a World Series in 2008. Meanwhile, the new leader of our starting rotation spent the last 15 years in Toronto, a town known for classier behavior.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that, upon leaving Toronto for Philadelphia, Halladay bought ad space in the Toronto Sun so he could send out this message to fans, thanking them for their support over the past 15 years. It is one thing for an organization to do this. But an individual player? This is one of those random acts of kindness that Phillies fans could learn from. Hopefully Halladay’s actions will rub off on fans here, creating a passionate but respectful fan base going into the next decade. Hey, a kid can dream!
Hey John!