And I’m not buying the “maybe not many watched him as a Jay” argument. Halladay pitched in the AL East for most of his career. He faced the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular bases, two franchises with massive fanbases. Gausman’s own team saw Halladay as a Jay on a regular basis, wearing 32.
(And I checked for the numbers retired by the Orioles- 32 is available. 22 is retired for Jim Palmer and 33 is retired for Eddie Murray.)
I’m not outraged. It’s a classy gesture. But there is a pebble in my shoe about it and I think this is what it is:
It’s a small bit of evidence, which is really just a long string of small acts, mostly from the media, that betray a lack of respect when it comes to the player’s history. It’s a lack of respect for the man’s own wishes. Halladay retired a Blue Jay. He said he always felt like a Blue Jay, even when he was achieving great things in Philadelphia. Yes, Halladay was beloved in Philadelphia. But he felt like a Blue Jay.
If we, as fans, don’t speak up and defend our own team’s history, no one else is going to do it.
And I really don't give a shit if you don't agree.