| 08 October 2010
Dear LeBron,
On Thursday morning I was fortunate enough to watch Roy ‘Doc' Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies pitch just the second no-hitter in Major League Baseball post-season history.
As a long time (and long suffering) fan of the Toronto Blue Jays I have watched Harry Leroy Halladay III pitch for many, many years in a poor team.
He first played in the majors in 1998 and came within an out of throwing a no-hitter in the final game of the season in just his second career start.
Halladay experienced huge problems with his delivery in 2000 and so, at the beginning of the 2001 season, he was sent down to Class A ball (the lowest level of professional baseball) to basically learn how to pitch again. He worked so hard and was so successful in adapting his delivery that after a month and a half, he was promoted to class AA and a month later, to class AAA.
By mid-season... he was back in the Blue Jays' rotation.
For the next 8 years Doc Halladay was one of the best pitchers in baseball - though IMHO the best pitcher in baseball. He won the American League Cy Young award in 2003, was a perennial all-star, pitched more innings and more complete games than any other pitcher.
The one thing missing from his resume was an appearance in the post-season.
Unfortunately for Doc, the Blue Jays were a) in the toughest division in baseball and b) not very good.
Unlike basketball, one good (great) pitcher cannot get you into the play-offs. In his Cy Young award year, he pitched in 36 games with a record of 22 wins and 7 losses. That left 126 games that he didn't take part in. The Blue Jays didn't win so many of those.
At the end of the 2009 season the Blue Jays traded Halladay to the Phillies. He could have waited for free agency a year later and signed one of the richest contracts in baseball, he could have held the Phillies to ransom, hell, he could have had his own special on ESPN to announce his decision.
Instead, he signed for the Phillies and then signed an extension for much less than he could have made elsewhere.
Instead, he signed for the Phillies and then signed an extension for much less than he could have made elsewhere.
Why?
Simply, because he wanted to play for a contender. He wanted to pitch in the play-offs. Not one Blue Jays fan begrudged him his opportunity. Every Blue Jays fan knew that he had given heart and soul to the organization for 11 years and he deserved his chance. The organization had never built up a supporting cast around him that would enable the team to make a push for the play offs.
After the trade Halladay took out a full page ad in the Toronto Sun to thank the people of Toronto.
And so on October 6, 2010, Doc Halladay finally got to pitch in the play-offs. After his incredible display he gave the credit for his perfect game to his catcher for getting him into a groove early on.
No one who loves baseball or who has ever cheered for the Toronto Blue Jays would be unhappy for this man to win the World Series and be named MVP.
Not one.
You know, I respect your decision to do what is best for LeBron James and I respect the burning desire you have to win a ring.
Plenty of guys of have left a team to take a chance at glory.
Plenty of them did it with class and had fans from their original teams celebrate the success of ‘their' guy.
KG did it.
Clyde Drexler did it.
Karl Malone almost did it and many wished he did.
You might win a ring this season, maybe not until next season. I don't know when it will be, but I know you're going to win one. I just don't care.
And I'm pretty sure no one in Cleveland is going to be happy for you when it happens.
I'm also pretty sure that when it happens, one of the things you won't say is "I just want to thank D-Wade for letting me come to his team and helping me win the ring I couldn't get with the team built around me in Cleveland..."
It's a shame that there aren't more Roy Halladays in sports.
Signed,
A concerned sportsfan on behalf of the City of Cleveland...
