Trading Doc

Like many Jays bloggers, the appalling fall from grace and the agony of waiting out the fate of Roy Halladay has sucked all the literary will from my normal joy of pontificating on the fortunes of the team. The biggest problem hasn't even been that the Jays have been bad. It's more that the Jays seem destined to tank that big hit or key out that has decided most of the games this month.

The awful July record is even more dismaying when you consider the fact that it hasn't been getting blown out by opponents. It is the steady stream of games lost by a single run, where the Jays have been in the position to take the win, only to fall short time after time. The fluke nature of some of the wins, like Ichiro dropping the head of the bat on a pitch he was obviously fooled by, and blooping it over Scutaro's head, have been the gut wrenching narratives that this punishing month has left us with. Game we could have won; games we should have won.

Then, the idea of trading the Doc.

Now, from a strictly objective perspective, trading Doc at this point is likely the smartest thing the Jays could do. A solid 3B prospect, a couple of pitchers, and a catcher would fill some holes in the farm system, and give the Jays a solid core for 2012-2014. It would also clear 15mil from the payroll, which could be used to offset Wells' raise next year.

But, being a fan is by nature waiving objectivity when considering such a deal. Halladay is the defacto face of the franchise. More than that, the nature of the man fits both the Toronto and Canadian images of our self-identity so perfectly; modest, hard-working, dedicated, loyal, and generous. The quality of his arm is matched with his old school endurance, ability to finish games, and his utterly disciplined work ethic. Off the field, he's a regular fixture in the team's charity work. His wife is a strong supporter of the city. There's never been a hint of controversy surrounding Doc; his image that of the honest, uncompromised player in a league that has been hobbled with dishonest men and performance enhancing drugs. Boston's famed 'Curse of the Bambino' fell largely due to two sluggers positively testing for PEDs during the season before, and Hank Aaron's home run record, one of the most treasured records in sports, was shattered by a man so obviously the benefactor of the best steroids money can buy that it was met with mockery and scorn.

In many ways, Doc represents a link to baseball for the Canadian fan, most of whom grew up with the Jays appearing at some point to balance the Expos as 'home' teams for the country. Unlike the United States 'faith of 50 million' baseball culture, Canadian heroes came from the rink instead of the diamond. It was often hard to feel the connection to the kind of legacy that one baseball possesses; that flawed, intriguing and engrossing history which ties fans and players to the past more closely than any other sport. We don't have a Ted Williams to step out on his 70th birthday to remind us of what came before. Or Yogi Berra as a link to the greatness our fathers and grandfathers watched. As a still young franchise in a country in which the sport is at best a second option, Canadian baseball fans have sometimes struggled for identity. And then came the Doc.

It is hard not to wax rhapsodic about Halladay, and equally difficult not to compare him to the greats of old. In Halladay, we have the kind of starter that hasn't existed in baseball in two decades. A workhorse who wants to finish his own work. A former fireballer that decided control and contact were more valuable than the strike-out. A fast worker, blissfully free of time consuming antics on the mound, and displays of ego-stroking anger. An intensity during game day in his face that mirrors the classic visage of Bob Gibson. A professional work ethic, proud of his craft and taking nothing for granted. A role model in an age of flawed heroes, maintaining his integrity in the field and his generosity with children off of it. An old school pitcher that seems to have stepped out of an earlier time, taking on the modern baseball world.

Baseball, uniquely, is tied to its early days very closely. One can look at the career of a Peewee Reese and wonder how he'd fare in today's games, or make statistical comparisons between pitchers over a century. The popularity of games and fantasy programs that offer the ability to mix and match with current and past players are extremely popular amoungst fans. As a sport, baseball lives in its past as much as it does in the current time, and Halladay speaks to us in both ways.

Expositional handjobs aside, Halladay's worth to Toronto does extend past his talent. He's become iconic to the Jays in a way that few players have even approached in the franchise's history. Losing him would require a re-invention in the very way the Jays are viewed and interact with their fans.