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Mikie
Superior Intellect
Premium Member
USA
7228 Posts |
 Posted - 07/30/2010 : 13:29:35
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It's a bittersweet day here in Astroland, we're parting ways with arguably the best pitcher the franchise has ever had, but in the long run it's the right thing for the team to do - we suck, plain and simple, we've sucked for a couple years now, haven't had a whiff of the playoffs since our World Series run in 2005, and the only way to turn it around is to get younger and rebuild. Roy ain't the problem, not by a long shot, he's actually having one of his best years if you look at his numbers, never mind he's leading the league in losses because unfortunately we're required to put 8 other guys on the field with him who are expected to score runs, and that hasn't happened much.
I'm going to miss Roy, he's been with the organization since he was drafted, 14 years all told, and has been the main man in the rotation almost since he burst on the scene straight from AA in 2001. His 143 wins are 1 shy of the franchise record held by Joe Neikro, he had a couple of shots at it but lost his last 2 starts. He's thrown some of the most dominant games I've ever seen, and many of the biggest games in franchise history - no one around here will ever forget the performance he put up in St. Louis a couple days after The Day Albert Pujols Made The Earth Stand Still to clinch the NLCS against the Cards. Hopefully he'll get another chance on the big stage with the Phils.
You Phillie Phans will love Roy. He's as steady and as straight a shooter as there is, takes the ball every 5th day and does his job, usually very well. He's a solid teammate, takes no crap and gives no crap, accepts his share of the blame when things don't go right and expects his teammates to do the same. Your sportswriters might be a little disappointed, he doesn't talk to the media much, and when he does it's all business. He's as country boy as it gets, still lives in the same small town in Mississippi where he was born and raised, married to his high school sweetheart with a couple young kids, and puts lots of time, effort, and money into helping out the town - he built a nice restaurant with no hope of making money just so people wouldn't have to drive to the next town to get a nice meal, loans his bulldozer (a gift from Astros owner Drayton McLane for the '05 NLCS wins) to anyone who needs it and usually drives it himself, donated the funds to improve the school sports facilities, etc.
Anyway, adios Roy and best of luck. I guess I'll have to root for the Phillies now, cripes, with Halladay and Oswalt how could a team not make the playoffs? I'm not looking forward to the 'Stros facing him, which will likely happen during a 4-game series in Philly the 3rd week of August. We won't see him in a visitor's uniform at Minute Maid until next season, which is probably good. I'll betcha a dollar to a donut hole that not only will he not get booed, he'll get a standing O.
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Life is complex, it has both real and imaginary parts.
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Roy O.'s a Phillie
