Roy Halladay offers an eloquent and resonant take on the state of the Phillies
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Roy Halladay offers an eloquent and resonant take on the state of the Phillies
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
A professional athlete's psychological exterior can sometimes appear impenetrable, particularly when that professional athlete is Harry Leroy Halladay. But every so often a crack appears, and you are reminded that even a once-in-a-generation player is not immune to the psychological stresses that afflict the members of the general population. One of those moments occurred on Tuesday night, as Halladay stood amidst a gaggle of microphones and notepads and cameras and admitted what should be obvious to us all. The Phillies are pressing. Halladay. Hunter Pence. Shane Victorino. All of them. A six-week slog through low-scoring losses and jarring headlines and crescendoing boos has taken its toll on this team, and I get the sense that we have reached a juncture that could prove to be one of the more dramatic turning points of this season.
Halladay spoke in his usual measured tone, but it was tinged with a sort of pleading honesty as he provided one of the more accurate and eloquent summations of the state of the team.
"The first two months have been tough for all of us," he said. "You do everything you can to fix it, and that's it. I think it gets back to going out and trying to play a little bit more loose and focus on your job. I think we've got, including myself, a lot of guys that are going out and trying to carry the weight of the team, and you can't play that way, and I think we've seen that. I think everybody is trying to pick up slack for what we may not be doing or guys we may be missing and all that, and that only seems to compound the problem. You put it behind you, but I think a lot of us just need to go out and play the game and have fun playing the game. You start pressing and you start trying to do things that you don't need to do and it makes things worse.
"Charlie says it all the time. You do it because you want to, not because you have to. I think it's hard when things aren't going the way you want them to go, but that's how you play the game, and ultimately it is a game, and I think that's important to remember. It's tough to do in places like this, where fans expect a lot, media expect a lot, players expect a lot, but I think it's important to try and find a way to keep that in mind and try to go out and play that way regardless of your own expectations and everyone elses. You've got to get to just playing the game and enjoying playing the game."
At times, Halladay seemed to be addressing all persons involved, from his teammates to us in the media to the front office. He is a player who likes to lead by example, and it is a hell of an example. But, he was asked, would he ever choose to deliver the message in a closed-door setting?
"Yeah, I would," Halladay said with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. "I think finding the right time to do that is tough. Guys are beating themselves up and you have a bad day and it's not necessarily the thing you want to hear or anybody else wants to hear. And it doesn't even have to be a team gathering. Just talking to guys and being teammates. We've got a good group. We've got a great chemistry. We've played good at times, and we haven't at times, and it's just a matter of going out and enjoying it. The more we press, it's not going to take care of itself. You prepare as well as you can and go out and let it all hang out."
Halladay seemed bothered by home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom's decision to eject Carlos Ruiz from the game with two outs in the Nationals' four-run third inning. According to both Halladay and Charlie Manuel, Ruiz told Cederstrom that he thought an 0-1 pitch to Danny Espinosa was a strike, then turned around to look at the ump.
"He didn't turn around, he didn't get in his face, he didn't use obscene language," Halladay said. "He simply said the pitch was a strike. He said it a couple times. I don't know. I've never seen one like that before. And it's unfortunate, because he's our best player and he gets run out of the game, really for saying a pitch is a strike. I've never seen one like that."
What struck me most was the way Halladay labelled Ruiz as the Phillies' "best player." He did so off-handedly, as if there was no doubt about it. At this moment, there really isn't a doubt. But I don't know that I have ever heard anybody outside of the media or the fanbase refer to Ruiz as the Phillies' "best player." Most underrated player, definitely. Most valuable player, at times. Most likeable player, almost always. But "best" is a description that does not come with a qualification. It is a recognition of pure talent, and anytime an athlete on the level of Roy Halladay labels somebody the best at something, it deserves a special note. If the Phillies are going to turn this thing around and rid themselves of the existential weight that seems to be strapped on top of their shoulders, it is guys like Halladay and Ruiz who are going to lead the way.
Heading into a four-game series against the team that ended their 2011 season and sent them into the sprial from which they now must emerge, it will be fascinating to see how these Phillies respond.
I think Halladay is spot on. One think I've noticed this season, as opposed to years past, is that the Phillies passion & excitement while playing the game was infectious. It was something the crowd fed off of. And that passion & exuberance just hasn't been shown by the team so far this year. Maybe because they feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. Maybe it's because this is a veteran team whose exuberance has waned as they age. Whatever it is, though, they need to find it again, because as Roy said, whatever they're approach has been so far, it isn't working.— Clean187- There are lot of phillies who look like its a chore to b out there.
Time for them to go.
And its obvious who they are at this point.— fmMD - The real question is...why are people still wasting their good money and selling out the place to see this team? Pathetic— nazblueeagles11
- The "problem" is that most of us who continue to sell out the ballpark are season ticket holders or fans who purchased tickets back in December/January/February. Can't do anything about it now and the Phillies wont take them back, so it is better to show up and at least have a nice night out than sit at home and stew about the money I just wasted! — alaver
- And people wonder why Garnett called us "Fair weather fans" — birdman0110
- And why, pray tell, are you wasting your obviously valuable time reading and commenting???People spend their money for enjoyment. If they do not enjoy going to the games, and have tickets, there are plenty of people who do enjoy the game, win or lose, and will go. It's baseball, Major League baseball, and either you're a fan or your not.You are entitled to your opinion, but remember, it is better to remain silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. (HTML deleted) — jlmfl
- Thanks for the realism Doc. The problem all along I feel, has been the manager. He can not direct the field operation. He can not motivate. He has "friends" on the team that cloud his thinking such Rollins. What a waste that contract will be. And why he didn't move Chooch--THE BEST PLAYER--up in the order earlier in the season when NO ONE else was hitting is beyond me. And he has no ability to know when Doc or Cliff Lee should come out of a game. They both have thrown too many pitches and now we're paying for it. On top of that the front office has signed overaged guys to carry the load ever since 2009 starting with Raul and then Polly. What is Contreras doing here? Everyone knows he's even older than his passport says. The core was already aging and Amaro has simply sped up the process. Add to that the fact that Ryan Howard lost the complete concept of where the strike zone is and became a guess hitter more than 2 years ago and what you now see is what you get. It was fun while it lasted. Sign Papelbon to big bucks and let Hamels go without a wimper...what is there for Papelbon to "save?" Sadly the Gillick years were an illusion. No wonder he left town while the gettin' was good.— Richie Allen
- One must agree on both of Halladay's points. The team is pressing and needs to go back to playing like they enjoy it. Stop trying to be Howard or Utley and be themselves. Halladay got it right about Carlos Ruiz, who seems to improve every year, leading by example, has become the de facto team captain.— eicholson
- Compare last year at this time, happier times, when the team was loose, veterans produced, and all the pieces were in place (perhaps except Oswalt) - 28-17, Utley activated on this day or around this date, interestingly Posednik signed to a minor league contract, and Madson was lights out.
No question these guys are pressing. But the difference in the past when a few pressed at the plate throughout the season others picked them up, defense remained solid, and the pitching came up big. This year, all but Ruiz seem to be pressing at some point or another (or have lost their mojo altogether), have lost skills, and have managed to take the defensive mistakes to the plate, and the offensive woes to the field.
Baseball teams have three legs to a stool: pitching, hitting and defense. Halladay is correct; the starters are now beginning to press because they have been asked to carry the mess that the other two legs haven't produced night in and night out, day in and day out, and they simply cannot throw complete game shutouts every night.
The plan is flawed MontCo. You, RAJ and CM should quickly huddle and fix it before the stool collapses.— 24sDad - I also think it's interesting that Chooch has undoubtedly been the best hitter so far, & it's also very apparent that he NEVER tries to do too much. He just takes the pitch as it comes; never over swings. Pence & Vic, in particular, would be wise to watch tape of Chooch's AB's.
— Clean187 - I agree with Doc. However, it's up to a capable manager to get his players in the right frame of mind in order to get the maximum out of each and every player. Moving guys around in the lineup isn't the way to put a player's mind at ease. Up until this point, Charlie hasn't had to do much. Now that a capable manager is needed, he ain't it. I thank him for what he's done here, but it's time to move on. Time to bring in Sandberg, a fresh face, a younger guy who's been there before. Before you start getting rid of players, the easiest thing to do is move to a different manager. Everything to gain and nothing to lose.— beegal99
- blah blah ...team sucks - Halladay is nothing more than mediocre washed up former star these days and rube had no business giving up the farm for 2 good years of an aging star, hamels is the future and now rube can;t re-sign him , Pence is another of rube's awful expensive trades, polnaco has been useless --cant hit or run -since he got here ...most of tema is useless trash that only an imbecile would spend $177 million to put together such trash— warbiscuit
- Doc seems to be a standup guy. Good analysis, but I don't think it will change anything. They're just not good enough this year, even if they stop "pressing." Eventually you get knocked off the mountain. The question is, do they have what it takes to climb back up? It doesn't surprise me that he said Ruiz is their best player. The pitching staff has always had total respect for him. He's finally getting his due from everyone else.— Sam Crow
- Richie Allen is right on the mark.
Warbiscuit has got to be kidding. Two bad outings and Halladay is a "mediocre washed up former star?". No credibility.
— VicM - You captured what I also thought was the best part of that talk Murphy: Halladay saying Ruiz was the best player like it was just a regular part of everyone's conversation. I looked at him and there was nothing forced or fake there. In his heart Doc believes Ruiz is the best player and just assumes the rest of us see that too. Ruiz, more than any player to me, is the guy playing without pressing and just going out and doing what he does as best he can and getting it done. Hamels is another one who's just doing what he does. Same for Galvis even though he has the extra dimension and pressure of being a rookie. Guys like Pence and Victorino are really pressing.— s
