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Thursday, October 07, 2010
Philly is
Glowing...
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE... Eduardo asked, so I'm obliging. I'm reluctant because I don't want to jinx the Phils and also because I've had WIP SportsTalk glued to my ear since 6 am. So this won't be long, but I'll make a few points you might not hear elsewhere.
The New York sports press is already starting to rally: the playoffs in 2010 aren't the same order of magnitude as the World Series in 1956 when Don Larsen pitched a perfect game, which is, of course, better than a mere no-hitter. Yawn.
But the truth is, this is a big deal. Most no-hitters are pitched against bad teams or in times when good teams are in a down period. I watched most of the Twins-Yankees game last night because a Yankee-hater has an obligation to root against them. Somewhere around the fifth inning, the TBS play-by-play announcer was applauding the continuing aggressiveness of the Twins batters given that at that point they had a very healthy lead. He said (and I'm quoting roughly not exactly), "In the playoffs, you have to play every inning like it's the ninth inning." True. And that's the setting in which Halladay displayed a level of pitching dominance few expert observors have ever seen. (Their words, not mine. I've been listening to them on SportsTalk all day long.)
I'd been surprised by how many baseball pundits were picking the Cincinnati Reds to beat the Phillies because it's been 14 years or so since the Reds played a post-season game. They were hungry, it was said, and Philly had better look out. Also, the Reds had led the National League in homeruns, batting average, and runs scored. All of which went away when Roy Halladay took the mound last night. They might as well have been the last-place 1964 Mets Jim Bunning pitched his perfect game against.
We've had about 40 years of playoffs leading up to the World Series in the major leagues, and there has never been a no-hitter thrown in any of those games. The list of pitchers who have thrown two no-hitters in one season is very short (maybe five guys total). The list of pitchers who have thrown a perfect game is about 20 guys long. The list of pitchers who have thrown a perfect game (or any kind of no-hitter) and a post-season no-hitter is exactly ONE pitcher long: Roy "Doc" Halladay.
Very. Big. Deal. Mike Schmidt called it the greatest Phillies baseball game he had ever seen. All I need.
One more thing and then I'll get back to SportsTalk. Roy Halladay isn't in Philadelphia for the money. He coud have gotten twice the dough if he'd waited for his free agency status and signed with the Yankees. He came to Philadelphia because he wanted to. Because he wanted to play with a real team in the post-season. The word in Philadelphia is that it was Halladay who engineered the deal that brought him here. He's an old-time ballplayer. He works hard, plays for pride and accomplishment more than money, and he's been waiting 13 years for the opportunity he seized by the throat last night.
After I get finished with SportsTalk, I'm going to spend the rest of the day watching "The Natural" and cornering the local market on rabbit's feet for the games to come. I'm no fool. In baseball, anything can happen. The Phillies could lose. But this is a moment for all us fans to savor. No matter what happens afterwards.
P.S. Because I don't think anyone else will do it, here's a tribute to Doc Halladay's 12 years in Toronto and to the Toronto Blue Jays fans who also know what a worthy man he is.
We know he's yours, too, and are delighted to share his amazing performance this season with you. Thank you and merci. We in Philadelphia are grateful -- and sad for your loss. Forgive us for taking him away from you. However far we go this year, we'll parcel out a part of it to you.
