In honour of Roy Halladay's 10-inning complete game masterpiece on April 13th, here is a piece I wrote last year . It's a little old. Ted Lilly plays for the Cubs now (HA!).Apparently, A.J. Burnett was the first one up to congratulate Doc on his big win. I think he was probably trying to make out with him a little, too. Anyway, here it is, pimping it out one last time:

The Roy Halladay Fan Club

Harry Leroy Halladay III is a special guy. Baseball has noticed. His manager and coaches have noticed. His team has noticed. And his fellow pitchers sure as hell have noticed.It started for AJ one cold night last December. He knew Doc by reputation, but he had no idea what meeting him in person would do. Throughout the season, AJ has watched and learned. He follows him around and hangs on his every word. Sometimes, A.J. sits in his car outside Roy’s house. Wondering what he’s doing, what he’s thinking about, how he’s feeling. He wonders if they can go to another Raptors game this winter, where the magic all began.

Ted is a bit shyer, a little less open about his feelings. He just watches Roy from afar and sometimes, when he is really lucky, he gets to sit next to Roy on the bench. When Ted pitches, Bengie comes out to the mound and tells him “Hey man, your pitches are nasty” and Ted asks “yeah, but does Roy think my pitches are nasty?” Bengie sighs.“Uh sure, whatever, he tells me that all the time, man. How ‘bout makin’ a pitch?” On his way back behind the plate, Bengie mutters ‘Pendejo’.Sometimes, Ted works up the nerve to call Roy up, wanting to ask him if what Bengie says is true, that Roy really believes in the nastiness of Ted’s pitches. Sometimes he just calls to hear Roy’s voice, but hangs up without saying a word. Roy’s hellos are enough to consider re-signing.

Now Gustavo is even sneakier. He only sometimes talks to Roy, mostly because that A.J. jerk is always hogging him. But one night, after a game, Gus thought “What the hell?” and stole one of Roy’s shirts out of his locker. Gus sleeps with it under his pillow. Why? Because it smells like victory.

What of Josh Towers? Poor Joshua. He kept a Doc bobblehead in his locker and grew a beard and called it “the Roy Halladay Scruff”. Now he wakes up in a cold sweat. Some say they could hear him calling Roy’s name in the hot night air of Syracuse. “HALLADAAAAAAAY!”

Also, new SI article on the man, the myth, the legend. But second to one, my ass. Roy Halladay SI article