A report came out of Florida’s gulf coast this afternoon that is difficult to even type out: a plane registered to Roy Halladay has crashed into the Gulf of Mexico north of the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area, and one person is confirmed dead.
Tampa’s 10News WTSP reports:
It was not immediately known if Halladay was flying the plane or if he was killed in the crash.
Halladay’s ICON A5 light sport aircraft crashed into the Gulf 10 miles west of St. Petersburg at about 1 p.m., the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.
A news conference with Pasco County authorities is set for 4:15 PM ET. Those who wish to will be able to watch the conference live at WFLA.com.
Halladay, as those who follow him on social media know, is an avid aviator. Recent images show him posing next to a new ICON with the same tail number as can be seen in images of the wreckage online.
UPDATE:
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Roy Hallday has died.
I don’t even know what else to say…
Aw come on. This is too much. Fuck sakes.
Fuck. What else is there to say…
Please don’t be Roy. I want Roy to be there when his name goes up on the level of excellence.
I want Roy to be there if and when he gets elected to the Hall of Fame.
I want Roy to be there when there are anniversaries and we bring back our all-time greats to wave to the crowd and sit on the field for a ceremony.
I want Roy to be there.
Press conference has now been moved up to 4:15.
Sheriff reports it was Doc.
Brutal! Just awful
What a terrible thing. He just posted a pic of it a couple days ago saying it was a dream come true to own his own plane. This is gutting. RIP Doc.
The best. The classiest. The loss to baseball is immense. But it’s the loss to a young wife and kids that is making me so desperately sad right now.
Can’t. Even. Process.
This is Tom-Cheek sad combined with John-Cerrutti shock. I don’t think a celebrity death has ever hit me like this.
Absolutely tragic.
On a related note, what on EARTH is wrong with the Blue Jays organization that the Philidelphia *Flyers* have managed to get a statement out about this tragedy, but the Blue Jays are in complete media silence on Twitter and the Blue Jays website, and are instead promoting tonights awards ceremonies?
I wonder if the gutting of the communications department has anything to do with it. This is certainly a fail.
Precisely. They fired a bunch of pros because they wanted to revamp “Fan Engagement” or whatever…
Really? I suppose in a moment of shock and tragedy some Jays fans still can’t resist the urge to complain about something.
And some can’t resist the urge to get on their high horse. I think if you look at my other comments, it’s pretty clear this tragedy bothers me a lot, but sure, be a judgmental asshole if it makes you feel like you scored an internet win today.
Or maybe saying some kind words about a greater player and person would be more appropriate than ripping the team because they aren’t quick enough to post something for your liking. And I’m the asshole? FU
a) Why yes, and I did say many kind words about Doc — before and after. But you only care about the one-line/two-sentence post that allowed you to get on a high-horse.
b) I didn’t “rip” anyone — I expressed disappointment, because they were quite slow with their statement, and, rightly or wrongly, I felt fans needed to hear from them. And if you’d been paying attention on social media, you would have seen many people wondering where the Blue Jays were and why they were so far behind the Phillies in acknowledging the tragedy. It’s true that, in the grand scheme of things, it’s a minor concern, but what might surprise you is that many of us were quite emotional yesterday, and in the process, there was a fair bit of disappointment in the relative sluggishness by the Jays to make a statement. But did I “rip” them? That’s a rather huge overstatement. It was a rather mild criticism. And if you’re wondering whether the “negative” was appropriate, you, too, could have just ignored a post you didn’t like, but you decided “yes, I need a scrap right now.” So … that’s known as “hypocrisy,” isn’t it? Yes, it is.
c) Yes, you are, but that’s not exactly new, is it? I’m quite happy to put the totality of my posting up against yours, if you’re wondering who’s what.
d) Have a nice day, and please enjoy getting over yourself.
And, now that I look, you yourself have not had one word of sorrow to say about Doc’s passing in the comments for this article or the other one … you’ve only looked for people to scrap with. You’re not exactly walking the walk.
Absolutely gutted.
He was the starting pitcher when the Jays kicked the shit out of the Royals the first time I ever had the pleasure of seeing a Jays game in person.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR199906190.shtml
I’m just going to stare at that box score for a while. Not really sure what else to do right now…..
My favourite Jays game I saw live was Doc’s first game back in Toronto after the trade. An ovation that seemed go on forever when he first took the mound…
Awful, awful, news. An absolute joy to watch and made some mediocre summers of baseball worth it every five days. And when fighting against the Yankees and Red Sox who spending money hand over fist, we were still able to keep him in Toronto which felt like a huge validation of the team, city, and country. I’m so very sorry he won’t be here to see the honours coming his way, honours that were coming anyways, but ones that will feel bittersweet in the weeks, months, and years to come. Thanks, Roy. Rest well.
Absolutely beyond words at hearing this. It would be memoriable tribute prior to 1st game next season to honour him on the level of excellence and a Jays scollarship in his name.
Roy (DOC) Halladay you will be missed, probably one the greatest Jays pitcher of all time.
As much as I agree with the sentiment, it should definitely be in consultation with the family if they’re up for something like that.
Aww man this is a fucking gut punch. What a shitty month my favorite musician, and my all-time favorite Blue Jay, I’m feeling really ragged.
Dirk Hayhurst just gave a fantastic interview on TSN about Doc. Which should be no surprise.
I started becoming a Blue Jays fan when Halladay, Delgado, and Wells were at their prime.
Halladay was always my favorite because despite his immense talent, awards, and millions of dollars, no other player outworked him.
Like so many other fan favorites in Toronto (Tie Domi, John MacDonald, or Jerome Williams) he had the work ethic, determination, grit, and humility that embodies our country. Except in his prime he may have been the best player in his sport.
In an era where players were juicing to prop up their stats the easier way, Roy just showed up earlier, trained harder, and put in more work than everyone else.
He didn’t let being redeveloped in the minors or numerous potentially career ending injuries hold him back.
It seemed he came back even stronger than before, more determined, and a new pitch to stay ahead of the competition and his ailing body.
When his shoulder could not hold up anymore in Philadelphia, he called a media scrum to apologise to the fans for getting injured and his poor performance.
Despite Toronto’s reputation for booing star players who demand a trade or leave the city via trade to a contendor (Vince Carter, David Price, or Mats Sundin), I think almost all of Canada was happy and proud of Roy’s success with the Phillies. A testament to the person he was, and the respect he had around the game, with his teammates, and in this community.
In an era where pitchers were leaving games earlier or on strict pitch counts, Roy made his repertoire more efficient to throw more innings. It seemed like if he didn’t throw a complete game, he felt he let his team down.
The last true star in the old school baseball mould. Loyal, humble, and a true role model.
I thought he’d be the last pitcher to win 300. I thought I’d hear his speech when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Taken much too soon, but Roy as a person and a ball player will not be forgotten by me.
Beautifully and so eloquently said MLip