Walker in the Hall

So young. So innocent.

For the second year in a row, the Gratitude post that comes after the HOF announcement gets preempted for a tribute thread. This time for Expos star and pride of BC, Larry Walker.

Hall of Fame - 2020 Outlook and The Future

National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen.  As we bask in the glow of our first drafted-and-homegrown player to make the Hall of Fame, we know that Roy 'Doc' Halladay will always be ours, no matter what the HOF plaque says in July.  Blue Jays fans know it.  Most Phillies fans (idiot columnists notwithstanding) know it.

Harry Leroy Halladay III is a Hall of Famer.

Just amazing to say that.  I remember with pride the day Roberto Alomar was announced as a Hall of Famer and that he said he'd go in as a Blue Jay despite playing just five seasons with the club.  But it is an entirely different level with Doc being a Blue Jay from draft day as a teenager until he was traded to the Phillies after wearing the big league uniform for twelve seasons.

I can remember Doc's debut as a major leaguer (link here, and fun fact: Dave Stieb relieved Doc in the 6th inning) and, of course, the near no-hitter in his next outing.  I watched him "grow up" as a ballplayer, turning in one of the worst seasons in major league history and then gradually evolving into the legendary Doc persona where he developed his second-to-none work ethic, inapproachable manner on game days and bulldog mentality on the mound.  And he did it as a Toronto Blue Jay.

Doc in the Hall!

Yes, I'm posting the infamous Doc and me pic. Hope it doesn't come back and bite me in the ass!

This was prepped as another Gratitude post but as someone mentioned in the comments, this should be a tribute post. So here I am at 2:30 in the morning fixing it on the fly.