AJ Burnett is going to be like a college recruiter this offseason, filling his pal Roy "Doc" Halladay's head with tales from his first Yankee season: the roar of the crowd at the new stadium, the pies in the face after the comeback victories, and, oh yes, that awesome parade Halladay will get when he leads the Yankees to another World Series title.
Burnett already started laying the groundwork this week, talking about Halladay's desire to win and his relentless work ethic. AJ considers Doc his mentor, the guy who taught him how to go from being a thrower to a pitcher. He played with Halladay for three years in Toronto and knows him bettter than most people. He would know if Halladay was going to be intimidated by New York. AJ says it's not an issue.
Halladay is putting the pressure on the Toronto organization, saying he will not approve a trade during the season. If he really means it, and we don't have any reason to doubt him at this point, he is really forcing Toronto's hand. They will have to trade him this winter to ensure they get good players in return rather than just draft picks.
I can't blame Halladay for wanting to avoid the circus that surrounded him this summer. He must have been terribly disappointed that the trade talk never amounted to anything and he had to finish the season on a 4th place team. I'm sure he'll do whatever he has to do to avoid that.
Thanks to ShortstopVM via Wikipedia for the photo.
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