Bad sports, good sports: Roy Halladay makes history

Posted on October 11th, 2010 by Alan Spoll

Every once in a while, watching sports brings us the opportunity to witness something truly special. This column has allowed me to share a lot of cool stories and great accomplishments, in addition to all of the negative stuff that often fills this space. Some of those positive events could be classified as special, but there are degrees of special. On Wednesday night, baseball fans got to see special in its truest form. Roy Halladay, a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in his first ever post-season appearance, threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds.

There are a number of things that make this a truly spectacular accomplishment. First, this was only the second no-hitter ever thrown in the postseason. Ever. Please note that they have been playing professional baseball for over 130 years. The only time what Halladay did Wednesday had been done before, it was in the 1956 World Series, when Don Larsen threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Coming into the game, it was reasonable to wonder, despite Halladay’s Cy Young-worthy season and great career, whether he would have some jitters in his first-ever playoff game. Uh, no. Not even a little. Halladay, known for being stoic on the mound, seemed even more unflappable than usual. Not only did the Reds have no hits, they were almost never close to one. The closest they came was a line-drive off the bat of relief pitcher Travis Wood, which was tracked down in right field by Jayson Werth. Beyond that, and a single walk of Jay Bruce in the fifth inning, Halladay was never in any danger at all. The next thing that made this performance so amazing was the fact that it was Halladay’s second no-hitter this season. Back in May, he threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins. No one else had thrown two no-hitters in a season since Nolan Ryan did it in 1973.

As I watched the game unfold, I was mesmerized by the Reds’ complete inability to even put a good swing on a pitch. This was far more a testament to Halladay’s brilliant pitching than it was any kind of indictment of Cincinnati’s hitting abilities. As a matter of fact, they were the best hitting team in the National League this season. On Wednesday night, they could have been the best hitting team in the history of baseball and it would not have made a difference. Nobody was touching the man they call Doc on this particular night. In Game One of the National League Division Series, the best pitcher in baseball showed that his name belongs on the list of the all-time greats.

Good sports, continued:

2) The Gamecocks of South Carolina ended the 19-game winning streak of number one ranked Alabama on Saturday, beating them 35-21 in Columbia, South Carolina. I am not a fan of Steve Spurrier (nor of Nick Saban, for that matter), but this was an impressive win for S.C.

3) With his Tigers down 29-26 to the Florida Gators with 35 seconds left in the game, LSU head coach Les Miles took a gamble that few coaches would take. He lined his team up for a 52-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game if kicker Josh Jasper was successful, but the actual play-call was something quite different. Holder Derek Helton tossed a no-look pass back over his head which bounced nicely into the arms of Jasper, who took off and ran for the first down. It was an incredibly gutsy play which proved to be worth the risk when LSU then scored a game-winning touchdown with six seconds to play.

Bad sports:

1) Any error is embarrassing for a baseball player. Flat-out whiffing on a fly ball in the seventh inning of a playoff game that your team had been winning 4-0? I am guessing this was one that Jay Bruce will try his best to erase from his memory.

2) Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Fame baseball player who played for the San Diego Padres for his entire brilliant career, has announced that he has cancer of the salivary glands. He believes that his use of chewing tobacco during his playing career is responsible for his illness.

3) Baylor basketball player LaceDarius Dunn, the Bears’ leading scorer last season, has been suspended after being charged with aggravated assault in Waco. He is accused of breaking his girlfriend’s jaw during an argument last week. Sounds like a hell of a guy.

4) Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, collapsed during practice on Friday. He is reportedly okay and will be back to work shortly.

5) Something big is brewing in the world of Brett Favre, and it is not something that is going to boost his Hall of Fame career. The details are still forthcoming, but it appears that he needs to review the laws against sexual harassment.

Bonus – There have been a lot of bad ceremonial first pitches thrown by non-athletes. Florida governor Charlie Crist, currently running for U.S. Senate, tossed a beaut on Thursday.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday.

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02