While staring out the window, watching the leaves rustling through the autumnal breeze, I realized that time has gone away with the wind. I thought about the change of the weather, and how summer went with the snap of two fingers. It led me to Roy Halladay – my brain often leads to baseball, it’s a problem; or not.
They say time flies when you’re having fun, and the statement couldn’t be truer. How fun has it been to watch Halladay be a part of the Philadelphia Phillies? He badly wanted to be here, and we waited for him with open arms. The love affair was for this moment approaching.
Excited right about now? Roy Halladay is, too. Although his stone façade may not show it, he’s prepared too hard and too long for it to pass without reeling it all in.
“Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done,” said Halladay in his press conference yesterday. “I think once the game starts, it’s all business as usual. But you work all off-season, all season to get to this point. You don’t want to go through it and miss something.”
Perfect games. Countless complete games. Several shutouts. That quote right there tells me we’ll witness something special yet again, because Roy Halladay is focused on enjoying every last second of his playoff experience. And luckily for us, we get to share it with him.
At the time of his trade from the Blue Jays last December, Halladay was longing for more. “As much as I enjoyed Toronto, I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity that I felt like down the road I’d be upset that I missed out on,” the ace said as he thought about moving to a contender.
“I think the biggest factor was there was this team, the one team that I really wanted to go to that was able to make things work. But the biggest factor for me was, where can I go that I have a chance to win right away, and not only right away, but hopefully have a couple chances at it. You know, it was a simple decision for me”
Sounds like a guy who realizes he’s been given an opportunity – through countless hours or work and dedication, and by way of a team that has a never-say-die attitude – to just win. We the fans have been given an opportunity as well; to watch a player who wants nothing more than to succeed on the biggest stage possible, for the people who help pay his salary by filling the seats.
So as the remnants of summer blow into fall, and you reminisce about a season gone by, let it soak in how lucky we are as baseball loyalists to watch a guy like Roy Halladay. I’m fairly certain he feels honored to be in this situation.
And Halladay intends to enjoy this postseason, which begins at 5:07 pm. I’m looking forward to enjoying it, too.
