Toronto Blue Jays: Roy Halladay’s family taking right approach to Hall of Fame

After being elected into the Hall of Fame, Roy Halladay’s family has decided that he won’t go in as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

When Roy Halladay was elected to the Hall of Fame, there was an expected outpour of joy from Toronto Blue Jays as one of the greatest players in franchise history was being recognized with a prestigious honour.

Roberto Alomar is the only player in franchise history to go into Cooperstown with the Blue Jays hat on his Hall of Fame plaque and it appears that will continue to be the case. The Halladay family—in consultation with the Hall of Fame—has decided that he will not wear a Blue Jays or Philadelphia Phillies’ cap.

"“He was a Major League Baseball player and that’s how we want him to be remembered.” Brandy Halladay told Sportsnet’s Arash Madani."

The decision to not choose between Toronto or Philadelphia has started a big debate between both fanbases but at the end of the day, it is the family’s choice and considering the emotion they are going through they made the best possible choice.

Blue Jays fans who are disappointed with the news have a reason to be when it was made known that Halladay preferred to go into Cooperstown as a member of the Blue Jays. It makes sense considering he established himself during his time in Toronto despite having memorable seasons with the Phillies.

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When you look at other Hall of Fames, the idea of choosing one single team to be on a plaque to commemorate a single player’s career is wrong on many levels. First off, in a case like this, neither fanbase should be acting territorial especially when the player is no longer with us.

If you want to see a perfect example of this, Bob Ford of the Inquirer wrote an article titled, “Roy Halladay would have wanted his Hall of Fame plaque to have a Phillies hat” suggesting he knew exactly what Halladay was thinking and would do. That type of presumptuous thought process is exactly what the Halladay family is trying to avoid.

Both the Blue Jays and Phillies made it a point to celebrate the announcement along players from both organizations who played or knew Halladay. However, neither one is pushing the agenda that Halladay should wear their logo on his plaque.

What both fanbases should take from this decision is the respect the Halladay family is showing for the process considering this is probably a tough time for them. The healing process when losing a loved one takes time, and this news probably brought back memories and emotions.

Instead of getting worked up over which logo appears on a plaque, fans should just be glad that Halladay was given his due. This is one of the toughest Hall of Fames to be elected to and some lose the opportunity based on what writers write on a ballot.

Luckily, those writers recognized the significance of Halladay’s career despite never winning a World Series which he definitely deserved but at least his legacy will be remembered forever in Cooperstown. It is unfortunate Doc won’t be there to see it but something tells us he will be watching from his rightful place.

What did you think about the decision made by Halladay’s family? Should he be going in as a Blue Jay? Let us know in the comments below.