Halladay’s approach inspired all of us
Pitcher gave the type of effort that we could appreciate and mimic in our lives
The press box loved Roy Halladay, but not because the eight-time all-star gave great quotes.
He didn’t. In post-game media scrums, the Blue Jays’ longtime ace often gave away words the way he did bases on balls: sparingly.
But those of us who wrote for daily outlets knew a Halladay outing meant a lot of strikes, few baserunners and even less scoring, factors that combine for a short night. If you’re the type of scribe who likes to hit the pub as quickly as possible after the last pitch, Halladay helped you out.
Doc’s brisk games also lent precious extra minutes to scribes wrestling with tight deadlines, enough time to catch typos or prune the superfluous words cluttering your copy.
Roy Halladay didn’t make us better writers, but every fifth day he gave us a chance. And for any writer willing to follow his example, Halladay set one with his intense dedication to his craft.
He certainly didn’t help us out with attention-grabbing sound bites. The most revealing quotes about Halladay came from the people around him.
“He’s different from the first time I faced him, but the first time I faced him he was no slouch,” former Jays catcher John Buck said in a 2011 interview. “I don’t know if he’s improving or just constantly making adjustments. I don’t know how you can improve when you’re already the best.”
For all his success, Halladay didn’t talk much about his commitment to improving. Instead he demonstrated it, and embodied the first lesson many of us learn about good writing. Show, don’t tell. The early-morning workouts that became part of the folklore surrounding Halladay were very real, but when a Star staffer gained clearance to photograph a session, the pitcher had him ushered out of the gym anyway.
When the Jays traded Halladay to the Phillies in late 2009, he arrived in Philadelphia with a full arsenal of pitches, but still resolved to add two more to his repertoire.
In 2010, his new curveball and changeup helped power him to his second career Cy Young Award.
And where other pitchers might want a night’s sleep before prepping for their next outing, Halladay would start that process shortly after leaving the mound. Teammates would routinely see him with an ice pack on his shoulder and his laptop open, studying his next opponent.
Halladay’s obsessive preparation helped transform him into one of the most precise pitchers of his generation. He led the league in strikeoutto-walk ratio four times in his16-year career, and three times posted the fewest walks per nine innings. He recorded 200 or more strikeouts five times, but those totals are a function of accuracy more than intent. Halladay pitched to contact, preferring quick groundouts.
It’s an economy writers and pitchers share. Express a thought in fewer words and your writing improves. Retire batters in fewer pitches and you can pitch more innings.
Halladay recorded seven or more complete games every season from 2007 to 2011; this year no pitcher logged more than five.
Consistency, efficiency and durability became pillars of Halladay’s professional identity. Jose Contreras, a teammate of Halladay’s in Philadelphia, figured it out quickly.
“I’ve never seen anyone better,” he said in a 2011 interview. “I always tell other (relievers), if you want to learn about pitching, talk to (Halladay) and do what he does.” Writers, too. Plagiarism is a fireable offence in our business, but Halladay’s dedication to his vocation is worth copying.
Dedication to craft is something Halladay shared with legendary Star sports columnist Jim (Chester) Proudfoot. One of Chester’s most lasting contributions during a 49year career was gentle chiding of the broader sports community to donate to the Star’s Santa Claus Fund, which supplies gift boxes to underprivileged children at holiday time. What he called The Sportsmen’s Corner was renamed Proudfoot Corner when Chester died in 2001.
On the Corner: We’re happy to welcome Elaine Tanner and John Wattback for another year. Canada’s Mighty Mouse of swimming, Elaine collected medals at the ’66 Commonwealth Games, ’67 Pan Am Games, and ’68 Olympics. Elaine and John sent in their $200 from Oakville in loving memory of John’s Balmy Beach Blues hockey pals Eddie (Scooter) Caterer and John (Jocko) Thomson.
Also hopping back on the Corner for the kids is Gordon Day of Etobicoke with a sizable $250 donation. And joining him with a hundred each are familiar friends Ian Marr of Belwood, Michael Lavelle of Burlington, and Nelson Patterson of Etobicoke, who remembers former Canadian Sports Hall of Famer and Ted Reeve with his donation.
William Hartley of Uxbridge offered up $50 in honour of dauntless defenceman Carl Brewer, the local pride who laced up the Marlies and the Leafs in a career that lasted from the 1950s to 1980. Also with $50 donations are Vera Viron of North York, Mary Houston of Niagara Falls, and Toronto’s Gladys Ellis and Lilian Strutt.